A Family Guide to Blanket Creek Provincial Park

Blanket Creek Provincial Park quietly became one of our favorite places to camp in British Columbia—and one of our favorite places to travel with a kid. Tucked along the Arrow Lake Reservoir, about 25 minutes south of Revelstoke, it feels calm, green, and pleasantly unhurried. The kind of place where days revolve around swimming, short walks to waterfalls, and figuring out whether you really need to leave the campground at all.

What makes Blanket Creek especially good for families is how much it offers without asking much in return. There’s a warm swimming lagoon, an excellent playground, shaded campsites with real privacy, and easy access to short, rewarding walks. Add nearby Revelstoke and Mount Revelstoke National Park into the mix, and you have a base that works just as well for relaxed campground days as it does for exploring.

It’s one of four provincial parks along the Arrow Lake Reservoir, well known to locals and still largely overlooked by visitors—and that balance shows in the atmosphere. Calm, friendly, and refreshingly unpretentious.

What to do at Blanket Creek Provincial Park?

Camp in Blanket Creek Provincial Park

If there’s one thing you shouldn’t skip at Blanket Creek, it’s camping. We’ve stayed in many BC provincial park campgrounds, and this one stood out immediately—not because it’s flashy, but because it’s comfortable, calm, and very well thought out.

We booked our campsite a few months in advance, which is always a smart move in British Columbia. Provincial and national park campgrounds are notoriously competitive, often filling within minutes of reservations opening. Blanket Creek was a welcome exception (at least when we visited), but it’s still best to book as early as possible. Frontcountry campsites can be reserved up to three months ahead.

Once you arrive, the campground makes it easy to settle in. Campsites are spaced generously throughout the forest (you can’t see your neighbor unless you try), rather than tightly packed rows. Most sites feel private and shaded, with picnic tables and enough space for kids to move around without immediately ending up in someone else’s campsite. And unlike many Rocky Mountain campgrounds, summer mornings here are pleasantly mild rather than frost‑coated.

Campground amenities include:

• Flush toilets and drinking water
• Hot showers (a big win with kids)
• A newer, very clean washroom building
• A playground close to the campsites
• A warm, man‑made swimming lagoon with sandy shores
• Easy access to Arrow Lake for kayaking and canoeing
• Short walking paths through the forest and along the reservoir

Good to know (mosquito edition):
Mosquitoes can be plentiful in summer, even in August. Their intensity varies year to year depending on spring snowmelt, but bringing bug spray or mosquito nets is a very good idea. If you’re lucky, the mosquitos will be dead by late summer—but don’t count on it.

The swimming lagoon is the heart of the campground in summer. It’s only a few minutes’ walk from most campsites (closer to 10 minutes from the far end), and it’s warm enough to actually enjoy—even for kids who normally find mountain lakes “refreshing.” Mountain views from the beach don’t hurt either.

It’s genuinely easy to spend several relaxed days without ever leaving the campground: swimming, paddling, wandering forest paths, or taking the short walk to nearby Sutherland Falls.

Walk to Sutherland Falls

Sutherland Falls is a glacier fed waterfall, dropping 14 meters and roaring in the summer. It’s such a short walk, a 0.5 km round-trip from the roadside parking area, yet it’s one of the most impressive waterfalls in the Revelstoke area. It offers an amazing reward for very little effort.

It’s located in Blanket Creek Provincial Park, just off Highway 23, but it’s ahead of the campground a bit. So you either walk about 1.5 km (there and back) from the campground, or drive to the parking area. The trailhead is clearly signed, and it only takes a few minutes to reach the beautiful waterfall.

Any kid could complete the trail – and if not, anyone can carry their kid to the waterfall. You can cautiously get down to the creek and have some water play. It really depends on the water level though, and I’d keep kids within arms reach all the time when you’re close to the water.

Find Begbie Falls

Begbie Falls is a 12 meters high pretty double waterfall at the mouth of Begbie Creek on the Upper Arrow Lake. It’s surrounded by mossy cliffs and a fabulous forest.

Begbie Falls is a 20-minute drive from the Blanket Creek campground, and the trail starts from a day use area at the end of the Begbie Falls Forest Service Road. It’s only 400 meters one-way on a forest trail which is rough and a bit steep at times, but this only makes it more exciting for kids!

Begbie Falls hike:

• Trailhead: the end of the Begbie Falls Forest Service Road
• Length: 400 m one-way
• Difficulty: easy
• See it on a map here!

Wait, forest service road?! Yes, the last 2 kilometers of the road to this trailhead is on a dirt road. Even though forest service roads are known for being suitable mainly for high clearance and 4WD vehicles, we found that this one is okay with a low clearance car, too. The trail starts from the signpost, and a few switchbacks take you down to the falls.

However, if you don’t want to drive on a forest service road, you can still get to Begbie Falls, only you need to walk more. Use the Begbie Bluffs Parking area on Highway 23 and hike on the Bluff Trail. It’s 2 km one-way, see the exact route here.

If you’re in search of low cost camping, Begbie Falls Recreation Site offers 26 camping spots. They’re quite off the busy tourist path, reachable on a first service road. As it’s usually the case with recreation sites, the campground is tranquil, but very basic (only tables and toilets, no water!). Please make sure to leave it as you found it, take your rubbish with you.

Enjoy views from the Big Eddy Bluff (or Boulder Mountain Lookout) in Revelstoke

The Big Eddy Bluff Trail is a local gem, maintained by volunteers, and oh, wow, what an incredible view it offers! It’s a view of Revelstoke, the Columbia River zig-zagging through it and all the surrounding mountains, snow-capped until early summer. It’s also called Boulder Mountain Lookout (and that’s how it’s marked on Google Maps).

Revelstoke is only about 30 minutes drive from Blanket Creek Provincial Park, and you can find a few tempting short hikes in and around this small town. Those hikes are actually the reason to visit Revelstoke – well, and the ski slopes and nearby Mount Revelstoke National Park.

Hiking essentials:

• Trailhead: pullout along Westside Road, right before Jordan River – see the exact spot on the map
• Length: 2.9 km return
• Difficulty: medium
• See it on the map here.

The trailhead is just outside of Revelstoke, off Highway 1. As you turn north onto Westside Road, park your car before you cross the Jordan River. There’s no official parking lot, but there’s an area where several cars can pull over (and you’ll likely see other cars). If you pass the Jordan River bridge, you’ve gone too far.

The trail starts on the west side of the road, and it’s generally easy to follow. It can get very muddy, and there’s one short section which is a bit challenging. It’s a small wall that you reach after a few minutes, and you need to “climb” it with the help of a few ropes. (These few steps are the reason I consider this hike “medium”, otherwise it’s quite short and easy. But it’s nothing to worry about, there’s no exposure, you just need to pull yourself up a bit with your hands.) Then it’s a steady uphill to the viewpoint on the well-marked trail.

It’s at a relatively low elevation, so this trail should be snow free between May and October.

Take the steep path down to Moses Creek Falls

A very short, quite steep, somewhat technical and not really maintained trail takes you down to Moses Creek Falls – which is such a lovely one! British Columbia is full of such amazing waterfalls, and no matter how many we found, we never wanted to skip another one.

I admit that getting down to Moses Creek Falls was a bit of a hassle with a toddler, because this short trail (that I marked here) is quite technical, but we managed it. And it was worth it. Once you reach the first cascade, make sure you continue down to the second set of falls, then further down to the Columbia River, as well.

Depending on recent rainfall, it can be muddy and slippery. No matter how short it is, you need proper hiking boots with a good grip on this terrain.

Walk the Greenbelt Path along the Columbia River in Revelstoke

So the Columbia River turns into a series of long lakes in this area. Beautiful, calm and quiet. Like the sleepy mountain town of Revelstoke. If you’d like to take a walk in town, one of the coffee shops is a suitable destination (there’s definitely not many sights in Revelstoke), but I have an even better idea: the Greenbelt Path!

This walk treats you with views of the valley, mountains, maybe wildlife (yes, maybe even bears!). It’s flat, easy and peaceful. I call it a walk, because it is. If I lived in Revelstoke, this walk along the Columbia River would be my favorite afternoon stroll.

The walk has several access points. We started from Centennial Park. It’s about 4 km return, and you’ll be parallel with the river for almost all the way.

Drive the Meadows in the Sky Parkway scenic drive

The Meadows in the Sky Parkway is a 26 km scenic drive in Mount Revelstoke National Park. It starts just outside of Revelstoke, and you can reach it in 30 minutes from the Blanket Creek campground by car.

Mount Revelstoke is one of those few mountains in British Columbia where you can drive to the top, almost all the way to the top. You start at an elevation of 470 meters on the Trans Canada Highway and get up to 1835 meters at Balsam Lake. You found lots of viewpoints along the way, most of them only a few steps away from the road. Finally, the 1 km long Upper Summit trail takes you to the actual summit from the end of the road (the Balsam Lake parking area).

Here are the viewpoints that have names:

• Revelstoke viewpoint
• Monashee viewpoint
• Columbia viewpoint
• Eagle Pass
• Bridge Creek
• Panorama Point
• Balsam Lake (at the end)

But what about the nameless stops? We were amazed by the wonderful wildflowers along the road, and it’s worth stopping to take a closer look and some nice pictures (if you can find a safe pullout). The scenic drive got its name after the subalpine wildflower meadows.

Best time to visit Blanket Creek Provincial Park

First of all, Blanket Creek campground (and the car park) is closed in the off-season, which is roughly between October and April. While Revelstoke is a good skiing destination in the winter, it’s the summer season when you can enjoy swimming, paddling and hiking in Blanket Creek Provincial Park and in the Revelstoke area.

There’s no ideal time to visit. June might be a bit too early for higher elevations (or if you plan to continue to other, higher elevations elsewhere in the Kootenay). July might be the worst for mosquitos. August might bring wildfires. From another viewpoint, any time in the summer might be pleasant to visit. I’d visit in early August – and would bring plenty of mosquito repellent.

Are you ready to camp at Blanket Creek?

If you love slow mornings, sandy feet, and short adventures that still feel like real ones, it’s your place.

If you’re traveling with kids, want to camp somewhere that feels genuinely welcoming, or simply need a few quiet days between bigger mountain destinations, Blanket Creek fits beautifully. Let it be exactly what it is: a peaceful, family‑friendly corner of southern British Columbia that doesn’t need to try very hard to win you over.