Guide to Kayaking in Revelstoke

Your guide to kayaking in Revelstoke is here to help you plan your trip! Revelstoke Lake is just North of the town and offers a wide area to explore. This guide provides rental options, starting locations, details about Martha Creek Campground and a suggested itinerary for the day. Essential gear is listed to help avoid forgetting important items. This area has no cell phone coverage allowing you to unwind and enjoy the tranquility of nature away from social media. A perfect place to enjoy with your family or partner and is easily accessible from Revelstoke.

Where to Rent Your Kayak

Rentals

If you’re looking for kayaking in Revelstoke, Natural Escapes Kayaking offers rentals from Revelstoke. They have different options available:

• Pick up kayaks from their location if you have the required equipment such as straps available and racks already secured to your vehicle.
• They make deliveries to the Five Mile Recreation site on Lake Revelstoke. $40 for the first rental boat and $20 for each additional kayak.
• Custom Deliveries are also available. Inquire with them to check availability and pricing. We had them dropped off at Martha Creek Campground boat launch, where we stayed. It made it super easy to start our kayaking day trip from the campsite. We organized a pick-up closer to our campsite at the end of the day. We had the opportunity to meet the owners, who were very nice and friendly.

The rentals include PFD, paddles with spares, a safety kit, a water pump, and a map to navigate throughout your day.

Pricing

	0 to 4 hours	All Day	Additional Days
Single Kayak	$60	$80	$50
Double Kayak	$80	$100	$70

For additional prices, check their website.

For kayakers who may not feel as comfortable on their own, Natural Escapes Kayaking offers guided tours varying in different lengths. If no cell phone coverage makes you nervous about finding yourself in a tricky situation unable to reach for help, a guided tour might be a good option for you.

Starting Point

Accessibility

Martha Creek Campground was a fantastic starting point. With them able to deliver to the boat launch, it meant that the kayaks were easily loadable from the dock and we didn’t have to carry them anywhere to start our day. We finished our trip at the picnic site on the north shore of the campground, closer to our campsite.

Tip: Remove your belongings from the kayak before moving them to a different location. The extra items in the kayak can add a lot of weight and make it harder to move locations.

Once we removed our items and brought them separately up the hill, it was easier to transport the single kayaks one by one further up the road back to our pick-up spot. The kayak owners ended up being delayed and we proceeded to bring them to our campsite. We were able to spend the evening at our campsite while waiting for the driver to pick them up. The owners were quite chill about picking them up at a different location due to their change in schedule.

Tenting Prices

• $28/night for one tent
• $6 reservation fee/night for one tent
• The sites are unserviced

Additional Camping Details

The first picture shows the picnic tables at the north end closer to where our campsite was located. It was a quiet place to hang out by the lake. It’s more rocky here when entering the water compared to the swimmable beach further on the south loop where many families were spotted. There is also a playground located there.

Tip: When entering the rocky lake terrain, be careful if you go barfeet as it tends to be a windy area at the point. Big waves can also make it tricky to enter the water. Water shoes or sandals can be worn to provide a bit more stability.

Showers are provided on the south side for those of you who like to feel clean while camping. Flushable toilets can also be found in this building.

Some first-come-first-served campsites are available for travellers passing through or unsure of their schedule and might be last-minute planning.

For more details on the campground, check out 2023 Unique Camping in BC.

Kayaking Direction

My parents and I headed south on the west shore and came back on the east side of the lake going north.

Waterfall

We started from Martha Creek campground and headed south to the west shore. Our family came across a waterfall in an inlet tucked away from the lake’s eyesight. The waterfall was visible from the comfort of our kayaks, as seen in the first picture. It was quite pretty to see. Not too much water flow but I imagine it changes year to year. It was nice to spend a few minutes exploring away from the boat traffic on the main part of the lake. Thankfully we timed it just before a big group of people showed up in a boat.

Tip: There isn’t a tone of room if you find yourselves with other boat traffic. It might be best to wait if a boat is there so you have room to manoeuvre when entering with your kayaks. It’s also nice to enjoy peaceful alone time.

Lunch

The west side of the lake provided a nice place to stop for lunch along a rocky shore. It was also a great place to go for a swim.

Tip #1: Bring your swimsuit if you want to get some relief from the heat and feel refreshed, when it’s hot outside. The water gets deep quickly so you can dive close to shore to avoid going very far.

Tip #2: Wraps are an easy lunch to bring with you. They can be assembled once it’s lunchtime to avoid falling apart. You can put whatever you like in them. Ideas: cooked chicken or an egg for protein, cut pepper strips, peas, carrots, lettuce, tomato.

If you’re looking for ideas for snacks, here are 6 Easy Snack Ideas for Kayaking Trips.

Five Mile Boat Launch Recreation Site

We paddled as far as we could south and then cut across to head towards Five Mile Boat Launch Recreation Site.

Tip: If you stop in the middle of the lake, it’s hard for other boaters to see you. Try to cross at the narrowest part of the lake to prevent longer periods of time crossing the lake. The more your paddles move while crossing, the more chance there is for the light to reflect off the paddles and notify boaters of your whereabouts. Crossing can take time so pause for a break before crossing.

We wanted to head in this direction to see the other location for kayak rental drop-off. We had never stopped with our vehicle so it felt like an appropriate time to check it out with our kayaks. It’s nothing fancy but offers a few places to park vehicles and a concrete ramp to back up boats in the water.

Attention to the Dam

Kayaking in Revelstoke, there will be a dam shortly after the Five Mile Boat Launch Recreation Site to the south. Stay away from this area to avoid potential dangers.

Waterfall

At this point, we turned around and headed back to Martha Creek campground for our kayak pick-up. On our way back, we came upon another waterfall that was very loud. This one was visible from the lake. It was beautiful running down from the glaciers in the mountains. We headed back with gorgeous weather in front of us enjoying the beautiful scenery and the nice company with my family.

We left at 9 A.M. and got back around 3 P.M. making it a six-hour journey around the lake. My parents and I went a bit further than expected trying to find the first waterfall but it made for a nice adventure and we got to see different things in nature that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. The road was close-by at times making it less peaceful with loud trucks passing by but it didn’t affect our day too much.

Essential Gear

Kayaking in Revelstoke requires essential gear.

Natural Escapes Kayaking provides:

• PFD
• Paddles with spares
• Safety kit
• Water pump
• Map

Bring Your Own Gear:

• Underwater camera
• For those who prefer to purchase their own PFD, I recommend the MEC Fulcrum Guide PFD
• Brimmed hat
• Sunglasses
• Dry bags – to protect your items from getting wet
• Long-sleeved shirt to protect you from the sun
• Sunscreen when sunny outside
• Swimsuit/towel – the water can feel refreshing in the hot sun
• Lunch/snacks/water
• Lip balm sunscreen – to avoid sun blisters

Final Thoughts

For a wonderful adventure kayaking in Revelstoke, spend the day on the lake! Try to go early in the morning if you can to make the best of your day. If the weather turns for the worse, it typically happens in the afternoon allowing for some enjoyable time prior to the weather pattern change. By the afternoon, you’ll be heading back to dry clothes and a picnic shelter away from the water should the weather turn bad. There’s so much to see and explore on the lake. The loop we did was great at providing us with the opportunity to see two different waterfalls, and enjoy a peaceful lunch on the side of the lake swimming and eating with my family. We could choose how fast or slow we wanted to go with no specific agenda and no trail to direct us, only our own desires to go in our own direction. Go plan your next adventure!