6 Reasons Why You Should Canoe (or Kayak) in Manning Park

Canoeing on Lightning Lake is something out of a fantasy world: from the calm and clear water, to the tree-embellished views of the Cascade Mountains. The stillness and natural beauty is something that can humble anyone who experiences it.

Canoeing and kayaking are great ways to get out in the wilderness while getting active, and here’s the top 6 reasons why we recommend it.

It’s Family Friendly

Canoeing or kayaking is accessible for anyone in the family. It’s a great low impact way to get everyone involved. You can even rent Tandem Kayaks or 5-person Mckenzie Canoes from our boathouse to help distribute the work! Grab grandma, grandpa, and the kids, and take it at your own pace. Remember to stop and enjoy the views.

It’s Cost-Effective

These activities certainly won’t break the bank; a 4-hour canoe or kayak rental is just under $50. It’s even cheaper if you bundle our Canoe Package with your stay here.

Reduce Stress

Being outdoors is one way to reduce stress, and exercising is another! You get both when you’re out kayaking or canoeing. Getting out on the boat is meditative and calming due to its low impact nature. If you’re having a bad day, we recommend getting into a kayak. Instant mood booster.

Getting Closer to Wildlife

You can find many critters in and around the lake. See ground squirrels at the shore, and look up to the sky to see birds. If you have a fishing license and know the regulations, you can even catch some fish.

Environmentally Friendly

This activity has very little impact on the environment. Canoes and kayaks are quiet and motorless, and they don’t cause any pollution or erosion to the lake.

Celebrate Culture

Canoes have been crucial to coastal Indigenous life, using these boats to travel along the waterways far before the arrival of settlers. These canoes were carved out of trees, creating a strong bond between land and water for Indigenous peoples. Celebrate this beautiful craft they share with us.

Bonus: It’s a Great Instagram Photo.

A snapshot of your kayak tip at the mercy of our natural landscape is really something special. Share it with your friends! And always tag #manningpark so we can see your adventures and share them too.

 

Photo by Jon Ross

Hiking for Wildflowers: Take the Path Less Travelled

It’s nearing peak bloom in our wildflower season at Manning Park, and guests are flooding our sub-alpine meadows to see the flowers in all their glory.

While these meadows are stunning, overnight campsites along the Heather Trail (Buckhorn and Kicking Horse) are overwhelmed, and the parking lots are full daily. It is getting harder to find parking and you are not permitted to park outside of designated areas.

We encourage you to check out some of the following lesser known spots for wilderness camping in Manning Park to view wildflowers, where they are just as breathtaking.

Wildflowers at poland lake

Poland Lake

8km one way / 2.5-3 hours / elevation change: 435m. Begins at Strawberry Flats parking lot.

This hike to the pristine alpine Poland Lake crosses the ski hill area, and is covered with wildflowers during peak bloom. One interesting feature is that the flowers bloom a bit later here than up in the sub-alpine meadows, so it offers a longer opportunity to see the flowers.

Learn More

 

calypso lily

Monument 78/PCT Trailhead

12km one way / 3.5hours / elevation change: 200m. Begins at Monument 78/83 parking lot.

Monument 78 is the first camp on Canadian soil for hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail. This is a great alternative to more popular sites at Manning Park, and the camp is located right beside Castle Creek. You will be rewarded with countless wildflowers along your hike, including the above chocolate lily.

Learn More

 

Mount Frosty

29.3km or 27.7km depending on route / 9-11 hours / elevation change: 1150m. Begins just past dam on the eastern end of Lightning Lake.

Frosty Mountain wilderness camp is high up in the Alpine and provides stunning views of the Cascade Mountains. Due to the elevation gain, wildflowers are blooming along almost the entire trail. Rumour has it, you might even run into a Mountain Goat! Make sure to visit the alpine lake, which is just 8km from the campsite.

Learn More

 

Strike Lake

20km return / 6-7 hours / little elevation change. Start from Spruce Bay Beach parking lot.

Strike Lake is the third of four lakes on the Lightning Lakes Chain Trail. Although this hike is not in the alpine, beautiful wildflowers grow along this trail due to the amount of water in the area. Keep an eye out for the monkshood as tall as your shoulder!

Learn More

 

Looking for a Day Hike?

­Wildflowers on Windy Joe Trail

Windy Joe

16km return / 4.5-5.5 hours / elevation change: 525m. Begins at Windy Joe / Pacific Crest parking lot on the Gibson Pass Road.

If you’re just out for the day, Windy Joe offers stunning wildflowers along the entire second half of the trail. At the summit, you’ll find a variety of wildflowers, an old Forest Service fire lookout tower, and beautiful views of Frosty Mountain and the surrounding area.

Learn More

 

Please remember to keep the flowers safe by staying on the trail. What doesn’t look like much now, could be a thing of beauty in the future.

 

Manning Park Naturalist Programs

Group of people participating in manning park naturalist program

Learn more about Manning Provincial Park — its history, inhabitants, and unique features.

Offered from June to September

Cost: Free to attend, but donations are welcome as they help our programs continue!

Check out our Naturalist Page to see what programs we are hosting for the week and at what times.

All programs are held rain or shine so dress appropriately. Proper footwear is required. Programs last 30-60 minutes.

 

Welcoming Summer, Renovations and Updates

Summer is now in full swing at Manning Park Resort! Seeing the resort and park full of activity was well worth the wait knowing we can now all safely adventure together. All the regular campgrounds are now open, we’ve extended our hours of operation resort-wide, and we are ready to welcome you for a summer packed full of outdoor adventure!

 

Your Adventure Starts Here

There is so much to explore in this slice of paradise in the Cascade Mountains:

  • Take a drive up to the Cascade Lookout to take in the views of the surrounding mountains during the day, and the stunning galaxy above by night.
  • Join Manning Park Interpreters for free educational workshops to learn about the flora and fauna of the park. Events run 6-days a week. View upcoming programs.
  • Take a hike (any hike!) to view the stunning wildflowers as they reach peak bloom at the end of July and early August.
  • Explore Lightning Lake by boat! Rent a canoe, kayak, or paddleboard from the Boathouse; now open 7-days a week.
  • Sip a signature cocktail on the patio at the Pinewoods Dining Room and try one of our fresh items from our new Summer menu.
  • Book a getaway with all the comforts of home and none of the distractions of daily life. From cabins to lodge rooms, there is an accommodation type for everyone. Adventure awaits!

 

Standard Cabin Renovations

In a previous update, we wrote that we would be renovating all the Standard Cabins this Spring. Due to supply chain delays on necessary materials, we have completed 5 of the 15 cabin renovations thus far. We will be consistently working on completing the remainder of the cabins as more product and supplies become available, which we are targeting to be later this Summer and early Fall.

We are so excited with how the cabins are coming together so far, and the wait for them all to be completed will be well worth it. Here’s a sneak peek of one of the fully renovated Standard Cabins:

 

Loon Lagoon Fitness Centre

During COVID-19 restrictions, we have been taking time to perform maintenance on the Loon Lagoon. This maintenance is still in progress, and we will provide updates closer to the date we estimate it will re-open. Thank you for your patience as we work to complete this project, as we know you are all eager for this facility to re-open.

 

Kitchen Renovations

The Pinewoods Dining Room kitchen renovations are now complete! Join us inside or on the patio for new items and old favourites from our brand new Summer menu.

 

manning park resort buildings covered in snow

Last Chance for Early, Early Bird Rates on Winter 2021/2022 Season Passes!

June 30 is your LAST CHANCE to take advantage of the best rates of the year.

Purchase your Nordic or Midweek Alpine season pass today! With reduced rates on Nordic season passes and heavy discounts on midweek alpine passes, there is no better time to buy.

*A reminder that we are sold out of full access Alpine season passes

 

See you soon!

Wildflower Display in Sub-Alpine Meadows

The wildflowers are out!  

Pockets of glorious subalpine flowers are out in the meadows!  Look for places with a bit of moisture and hit the backcountry searching for those beautiful flowers.

The peak bloom of the wildflowers in the sub-alpine meadows is typically around this time. Due to hot, dry conditions and very little rain in the past few weeks, we are anticipating that the display is likely approaching it’s peak. If there is no rain, it is likely that it will be a quick bloom, so make sure to drive up for a hike on one of the popular wildflower hikes!

Wildflower walks are scheduled weekly from Friday-Monday & Wednesday at 11am. Meet at the Naturalist hut in upper parking lot on Blackwall Peak Road.

See more: http://summer.manningpark.com/wildflowers/

Remember to stay on the path: This is particularly important in the Alpine meadows where rare and delicate plants struggle to survive in this harsh and extremely fragile ecosystem. Straying off designated paths destroys these sensitive plants. Please help us protect these Alpine meadows and the photo opportunities they provide for generations to come!

(July 30, 2018)

Campfire Ban in effect & Smoke-Free Manning Park

July 18, 2018

A BC Parks Campfire ban is now in effect in all of E.C. Manning Park. This also includes Smoking Restrictions.

Please note the following, as per BC Wildfire:

“Effective at noon on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, all open burning (including campfires and Category 3 fires) will be prohibited within the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction, with the exception of Haida Gwaii and the area known as the fog zone.

These prohibitions do not apply to CSA-rated or ULC-rated cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes, or to a portable campfire apparatus that uses briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel, so long as the height of the flame is less than 15 centimetres.

The following activities are also prohibited:

* open fires that burn woody debris in outdoor stoves

* the use of stoves and other portable campfire apparatuses that are not CSA-approved or ULC-approved”

As per BC Parks, 

“-The smoking restriction applies to all areas within a provincial park and protected area except in a designated, front country campsite. Cigarettes and other ignition sources must be extinguished and disposed of within the designated campsite.

-Smoking is restricted in all public areas of a park or protected area, however the restriction doesn’t apply to a park visitor’s private motor vehicle or recreational vehicle. Individuals must remain in their private vehicle or recreational vehicle while smoking and dispose of the ignition source within the vehicle. It is not acceptable to smoke outside of those vehicles, except when the vehicle is in a registered campsite or group campsite with a hardened surface.

-The smoking restriction applies to all types of smoking devices that contain an ignition source, whether it’s a flame, spark, mechanical spark, electronic spark or smoke.”

 

To support the BC Parks campfire ban, as well as our message of “Fresh Air Experiences”, we are moving towards creating a smoke-free environment at Manning Park Resort year-round.

While this helps create a Fresh Air Experience for everyone to enjoy, it also mitigates the risk of fire hazards in our increasingly hot and dry summer.

Designated smoking areas will be identified around Manning Park Resort, where it will be permitted to smoke. This will be a year-round implementation.

 

Designated areas at the Resort for Summer 2018 include:

-Cordoned off stall in front of Manning Park Lodge, near ‘Camping Info’ kiosk

-The covered pathway area at the back of the Lodge, to the west of the Lodge, towards the cabins.

 

Cigarette disposal will be available at these locations, and we ask that you use the receptacles provided, and ensure all cigarette butts are extinguished fully.

We kindly request that you do not smoke outside of these areas.

In the wintertime, we are continuing this message by going smoke-free at the ski hill. Designated smoking areas at the Resort will remain in effect year-round.

 

Thank you for your support in these endeavours!

Campground Openings in E.C. Manning Park this year

The sunshine in the past few days have melted a ton of snow at Manning Park and that gets us excited for camping season! Are you itching to get outside?

We are busy getting the campgrounds ready for the season and are expecting that we will be able to open Mule Deer next weekend (May 5th-6th). We will advise if there’s any changes to this opening date. Please note that a boil water advisory will be in effect upon opening.

We are assessing the snow at Hampton and Coldspring and are hoping to open it later in May.There is still lots of snow in the Lightning Lake campground. Stay tuned for updates on Hampton campground!

Please note that Rhododendron Flats roadside attraction is now open. Some bridge maintenance at West Gate means that the opening will be delayed.

Thanks for your enthusiasm for the camping season and see you soon!

Campground reservation dates are as follows. If the campground opens earlier, sites are First Come, First Serve. Book your campsite at by calling 1-800-689-9025 or visit discovercamping.ca

“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/