Skyview RV Campground Is Now Open

BC Parks has just announced that Skyview RV Campground is now open. 

This new BC Parks RV Campground is located on Gibson Pass Road in Manning Park Resort 4 km off Hwy #3. This year-round RV Campground is next to the Lightning Lake Day Use Area. With over 90 sites in the summer and 60 sites in the winter, this year-round location is sure to be an immediate favourite with all visitors of E.C Manning Park.

The RV Campground features large pull-through and back-in sites. All winter sites offer full services with 50-amp power, water, and sewer. The 32 summer use sites have 30-amp power, water and sewer. A large, bright modern washhouse is available year-round.

Rates and Reservations

There are nightly sites, weekly sites, and long-stay monthly sites available. Rates can be found on our website.
Reservations for the winter season are now open.

For more information and to reserve your stay, visit https://www.manningpark.com/skyview/ or www.bcparks.ca.

 

The campground offers a great location and access to all of Manning Park Resort’s winter activities. Once ski season is open, there will be a daily shuttle that will take you from Skyview to the ski area and lodge area throughout the day.

The cross-country trail from the Nordic Center at Manning Park Resort goes right through the campground in the winter, taking cross-country skiers to the higher elevations. The proximity to Lightning Lake also offers great snowshoeing access. A shovel is recommended as it does snow!

As the name of the RV campground suggests, the location offers great views of the sky, with very limited surrounding lights. Bringing a camping chair is suggested for evening stargazing.

In summer, a large new playground has been built for kids, and hiking trails, canoeing, kayaking, and swimming at Lightning Lake are just a few steps away.

We look forward to seeing you and your family at Skyview RV Campground this winter!

 

Make Your Reservation at Skyview RV Campground!

May Long Weekend Operations

Who’s ready for the May Long Weekend?! Here’s what we’ve got going on:

Campgrounds: Not only will Mule Deer, Hampton & Coldspring Campgrounds be open for business, but it looks like we are on track to open Lightning Lake Campground too! If Lightning Lake opens early, it will be first come, first serve until June 7th, after which it will be 100% reservable through Discover Camping. For more info on all our campgrounds, see our Camping page.

The Boathouse opens from 9am-6pm for canoe, kayak, stand-up paddleboard and rowboats. The Boathouse is open weekends until June 29th, when it will be daily. Boat rentals are available from the Front Desk outside of these times.

The first Interpretive programs start! These free programs are for kids of all ages to learn about the amazing flora and fauna in the park in fun and interesting ways. They run weekends from May 18-June 23, and daily from June 29-Sept. 1. Look for weekly posted schedules (& online) to know when and where to meet for talks.

Manning Park Visitor Centre is open May 17th.  Open 9am-6pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until June 15 then daily during the summer months.  Stop off here for information on camping, hiking, mountain biking, backcountry camping fees, fishing licenses and much more.

Happy May Long Weekend!

(May 13, 2019)

Spring Wildlife & Upcoming Projects this May

Our resident Columbian ground squirrels have woken up from their long hibernation and you will see them around the Resort and at Lightning Lake. These fellows are Manning Park’s most popular wildlife. Despite their apparent tameness, they are still wild animals! Please don’t feed them!

Spring has definitely arrived at Manning Park Resort! The park is coming alive with lots of wildlife, Lightning Lake is completely free from ice, and more hiking trails are accessible.

This month, we look forward to celebrating Mom with a special Mother’s Day Brunch on May 12th, and the May Long Weekend will be here before you know it!
May 18th marks the kickoff to the camping season and the Boathouse opens for canoe, kayak, stand-up paddleboard and rowboat rentals. Our first interpretive programs start May 18th, running weekends until June 29th, when they will be daily.

  • Keep an eye on our social media for the exact dates of the opening of our campgrounds, as well as the seasonal opening of the Cascade Lookout road.

We’ve got great rates on accommodation right now. Make a weekend of it with our B&B package or our Romance Package (with sparkling wine and strawberries!) Also check out our Dark Sky Discount, and learn why Manning Park is an incredible place to watch the stars!

Premium Cabin Construction – April 30, 2019

Upcoming Projects

Spring is also the time we get underway with our big projects, and here is what we have in the works right now:

  • More premium cabin construction! Work has begun this spring, and we’re hoping to have some open for next Christmas, but there is no confirmed date on this, yet.
  • New Quad Chair: The Orange Chair is no more, (it was a lot of fun watching the chairs go to their new homes!) and we are excited that our new Doppelmayr quad chairlift has arrived and work has commenced. There is a lot of construction happening at the ski hill right now, and we can’t wait to show you the progress! We will keep you posted.
  • In addition to the new quad chair, we are also building a new Rental Shop & Ticket Office building that will replace the existing buildings.
  • New staff accommodations – we are making investments in our staff by bringing in 5 new buildings into staff accommodation.

We are striving to create a bright future for Manning Park Resort for our guests and our staff. Thank you for your support in these exciting endeavours!

See you this spring at Manning Park Resort!

Nordic Opening – December 8th!

We are looking good to open Nordic for this weekend – December 8th!

The Nordic Centre will be open on Saturday & Sunday from 9am-4pm for cross-country ski, snowshoe and skate rentals!

With cold and clear conditions this week, we have been able to skidoo groom our Nordic trails around Strawberry Flats and South Gibson area. This is for classic cross-country skiing; there is no skate lane at this time. Watch for early season conditions, have fun and dress warmly! The conditions are cold and crisp. Trail tickets are at a discounted rate of $10/adult, $5/junior. 

Please note that snowshoeing is not permitted on the cross-country trails, but check out the other great snowshoe trails around Lightning Lake and beyond.

Ice skating rink: We are flooding the rink nightly and it is setting up beautifully with these subzero temperatures. We are expecting it to have a portion of it ready for this weekend.

The ski hill will not be open this weekend. We are looking for one more big snowstorm before we’re able to open it, but the forecast is looking pretty good for next week.

Stretch out those cross-country ski quads and see you on the trails this weekend!

(Dec 4, 2018)

Top 5 Things to Do in Fall at Manning Park

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Top 5 Things to Do in Fall at Manning Park

The ground squirrels may have gone to bed, and you may be heading back to the daily grind after a long, luxurious summer away, but don’t count out a few cheeky weekend trips away, and some great activities to do in fall at Manning Park.

My favourite things about fall in Manning Park – less bugs, no campfire bans, incredible colours and quiet hikes!
The vine maples have been changing colour already and are showing their full display of autumn foliage.

Here’s our top 5 for your list this Fall:

1. Larch Trees

On Mt. Frosty, we have a forest of the only coniferous, deciduous trees – the larch. This means the needles on this tree change colour seasonally and fall off. At the end of September – early October, they turn electric yellow and are truly a sight to behold! Keep an eye on our Facebook page and website, we will let you know when they start changing.
Mt. Frosty is a solid hike: 22.2 km from Lightning Lake to summit and return, 1150m elevation gain & 9-11 hours. See more info here: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/ecmanning/frosty.html

2. Biking

Cooler weather means those uphills don’t make you sweat so bad! We recommend Poland Lake or Windy Joe for a longer trip and the more adventurous, although cruising North Gibson and South Gibson are always worth the ride. See our updated mountain bike info on our webpage here. 

3. Canoeing or kayaking

The Boathouse stays open weekends until Thanksgiving, but boat rentals are available throughout the week as well from our Front Desk. Pop by to pick up your paddles, life jacket and the key to a canoe, kayak or a SUP (if you’re not too scared of the cooler waters!)

4. Sample some vino.

Have you checked out our wine menu lately? We are proud to offer all local wines from the Similkameen Valley and Okanagan areas. Wine tastes great no matter what the weather is doing outside!

5. Stargazing

Our newest fall activity has been here the whole time – just look up! The cool, crisp days of autumn are a great time for stargazing. See more information about stargazing on our Manning Park Dark Sky page. Learn about our fall Dark Sky Discount by signing up for our mailing list, and don’t miss our first Astronomy Weekend from October 12-14th.

 

It’s just a quick weekend away in your backyard, with great accommodation rates and some great activities to do. Book your accommodation now! 

Check out our new packages available with your lodge room:

Bed & Breakfast Package

Romance Package

75 Anniversary Celebration – July 16, 2016

75th - Volunteer Recognition
Left to right: Murray Phillips, Michael of Canadian Ski Patrol, Kelley Cook, Tom Moore, Mark Weston (BC Parks), Heather MacDonald, Michele Drummond, Roger Bean, Mike Barker (Manning Park Resort)

This past Saturday, July 16th marked Canada’s Parks Day, and was the date chosen to celebrate the 75th anniversary of EC Manning Provincial Park.

Despite being in the middle of summer, the weather resembled the initial ceremony that was held on an overcast, chilly September 12, 1941.

An enthusiastic crowd turned out to visit the community booths, which held excellent displays of Manning history, local hiking and conservation groups and represented the Hope, Princeton and Chilliwack communities. Many past and present staff from BC Parks were at the event. To the delight of kids, Jerry the Moose also made an appearance.

Dignitaries who spoke of the heritage and continuing conservation of the park included Mark Weston, BC Parks and Protected Areas Section Head of the Okanagan, Kevin Demers, owner of Manning Park Resort, and Tom Moore, former BC Parks District Manager from 1963-1973.

Mayors of Princeton, Hope and Chilliwack graced the ceremony. The honourable Frank Armitage (Princeton), Wilfried Vicktor (Hope), and Sharon Gaetz (Chilliwack) spoke of the influence of the Park on their communities, as well as their personal experiences and memories.

The Honourable Mayor Frank Armitage presented Manning Park with a special photo of the band that played at the opening ceremony in 1941. It will hang in a place of honour in Manning Park.

A number of volunteers were recognized for their ongoing commitment to maintain trails in the park, as well as supporting the programs and activities that make Manning a special place. They were given the gift of the 75th commemorative painting for their efforts.

Those recognized for their volunteer efforts:

Tom Moore, former BC Parks District Manager and longtime Friends of Manning Park

Kelley Cook, Friends of Manning Park and Heritage Trails

Rose Schroeder, Backcountry Horsemen of BC (not pictured)

Heather MacDonald, Fat Dog 120 organizer

Roger Bean, longtime Friend of Manning Park

Jim Hilton, longtime BC Parks employee with 3 generations (his dad, Joe, then son, Jamie) working in Manning Park (not pictured)

Kelly Pearce & Hope Mountain Centre (represented by Michele Drummond)

Canadian Ski Patrol – Manning Park Team

Jo Hughes, Park interpreter and Manning Park Resort employee (not pictured)

 

There are many more that could and should be recognized for their continuing dedication to make Manning Park the incredible place that it is. Thank you to these individuals and all those they represent within their organizations and others who work to conserve and protect EC Manning Provincial Park.

 

Murray Phillips unveiled his commemorative painting – “On the Way to Three Brothers – Manning Park.” He spoke lovingly of the park that he grew up in, and of his honour to memorialize it with his beautiful painting depicting the Heather Trail, looking towards the Three Brothers ridge in the alpine meadows of Manning Park.

All who attended were welcome to get a poster of his painting, and he signed over 250 copies.

Posters are available from Manning Park Visitor Centre. The 75th commemorative painting is also available as art prints and giclée canvas for purchase in the Country Store. Profits go towards the interpretive programs that run in the park throughout the summer.

Thank you for joining us to celebrate this remarkable milestone! Here’s to another 75 years!

 

“My Manning Memory” Photo + Story Contest

2016My Manning Memory Photo Promo

What’s Your Manning Memory?

As Manning Park turns 75 this year, we want to celebrate by sharing stories of My Manning Memory. There is a huge amount of nostalgia and love for Manning that we want to draw out and to showcase your stories.

Let’s reminisce about that time you saw a bear munching grass on your hike, or when you were camping and thought you heard a wolf, your family (mis)adventures of canoeing, or your historical knowledge of the area!

Share 1 photo + 1 story (300 words or less) of your favourite Manning Memory, and get entered into the contest for great prizes!

 

Prizes generously donated by our sponsors include:

Valhalla Pure-Abbotsford -two awesome backpacks to give away- a Tempest and a Talon backpack from Osprey

Leave a Leaf -Maple leaf shaped hiking baskets (We love these!)

Coleman -Coleman inflatable 1 person kayak

Hope Mountain Centre for Outdoor Learning – One-day program for one lucky person

Mt. Waddington’s -gift card

Manning Park Resort – 1 night queen room lodge accommodation + groomer ride (Redeemable Winter 2016/17)

BC Parks -75th commemorative painting, t-shirts & more swag

 

 

Contest runs from May 21 to September 4th. Winners will be announced at the Final Interpretive program for summer season – September 4th.

You can see a list of winners after September 4th by visiting summer.manningpark.com/my-manning-memory or check our Facebook.

See full contest details here: http://summer.manningpark.com/my-manning-memory/