E.C. Manning Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, covering 70,844 hectares. Manning Park is one of the most popular destination areas in the province. The landscape diversity of this park combined with 4 seasons' development, provides a wide range of summer & winter recreational opportunities such as hiking, horseback riding, kayaking & canoeing.
Understand
History
Downhill & cross-country skiing have been popular winter activities in Manning Park since the early 1950s. From skating to snowboarding, Manning continues to be a favourite spot for winter sport enthusiasts from BC & around the world. Located in the Gibson Pass Valley, Manning Park is renowned for its dry snow & variety of snow play experiences including tubing, snowshoeing, winter camping, Nordic (cross-country) skiing, downhill & snowboarding.
Landscape
The park is in the Cascade Mountains of British Columbia.
Flora and fauna
The park is home to brown, black and grizzly bears, deer, and many birds. Within the park are pine, fir, spruce and other types of coniferous and deciduous trees.
Climate
Due to climate changes, the weather in the park has become milder, with mid-winter temperatures rarely dropping below -30 °C. During the winter the temperature is in the upper 20s.
Get in
By car
The Crowsnest Highway (Hwy 3) runs to the park via Hope in the west or Princeton in the east.
From Vancouver, it is approximately 3 hr driving time east along Hwy 1 and Hwy 3. Coming from Kelowna, it is approximately 2½ hr driving by heading south along Hwy 97 and then following the 3A and Hwy 3 west.
By bus
- Mountain Man Mike's Bus Service, +1-778-382-7729, info@mountainmanmikes.ca. Twice per week service between Kaslo and Vancouver with stops in Balfour, Nelson, Castlegar, Christina Lake, Grand Forks, Greenwood, Rock Creek, Osoyoos, Keremeos, Princeton, Manning Provincial Park, Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Langley, and New Westminster. This company also offers a weekly route between Kalso and Calgary via Nelson. 2022-03-19
By foot
If you are a hiker, Manning Provincial Park is the northern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail. The southern terminus of the trail is at the United States-Mexico border. It is illegal to enter Canada using this trail without first obtaining a permit, which is not available as of March 2023.
Get around
Most of the public roads in the park are paved, with the exception of certain campground access roads the upper sub-alpine meadows portion of the lookout road, adjacent to the Manning Park Lodge.
Well-maintained hiking trails and walking trails are present throughout the park, and there are no trails within the park that require unbridged stream crossings.
See
- Cascade Lookout, 49.07043°, -120.76375°. Take in the view from from this lookout. 2022-06-08
Do
Winter
Manning Park Resort offers a wide range of winter activities such as snowshoeing, ice skating, tubing and a top-rated network of cross-country ski trails. Backcountry enthusiasts will appreciate the dry powder and easy access to the majestic lakes, meadows and forests of E.C. Manning Provincial Park.
Summer
The park offers year-round camping and accommodation; hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking and stand-up paddling.
Camping
Within Manning Park, there are 4 provincial campgrounds: Lightning Lake, Coldspring, Mule Deer and Hampton. Information for these sites is available through BC Parks and reservations can be made through Discover Camping.
| | | | SH | Showers | | FT | Flush Toilets | | LA | Lake Access | | PT | Pit Toilets | | PW | Potable Water | | WS | Water Source Nearby | | FS | Safe Food Storage | | A | Amphitheatre | | TP | Tent Pads | | HS | Heated Shelter |
- RV, trailer, and tent camping available.
- Group rates available.
Buy
The Country Store at the Manning Park Resort is the only place to purchase supplies in the park. It carries groceries, auto and camping supplies, some clothing, postcards and other souvenirs. Otherwise, the nearest town of any size is Hope, which is about 40 minutes away.
Eat
There is a restaurant at the Pinewoods Lodge building at Manning Park Resort.
Drink
The Bear's Den pub is a licensed establishment and is accessible from the main resort grounds off of Highway 3.
Sleep
Lodging
- Manning Park Resort, 7500 Highway #3, 49.06361°, -120.78649°, +1 604-668-5922. A lodge and cabins in a valley in the park. Lodge rooms have an occupancy of up to 4 persons and include bar fridge, microwave and TV. Cabins include the above plus a full kitchen and have an occupancy of 8-14 people. Amenities include fireside lounge, games room, indoor pool, sauna and hot tub, tennis courts and volleyball court. 2017-01-16
- Eastgate Bed and Breakfast and Cabin Rentals, lodging is available in a variety of cabins with running water, full kitchens, and livingrooms.
- Similkameen Chalet, separate from the above facilities, also in Eastgate.
Camping
There are 4 campgrounds open for camping in the summer that are accessible from Hwy 3. The opening and closing times vary from year-to-year depending on snow levels. The park tries to have at least one campground open from mid-May to the Canadian Thankgiving holiday weekend (second weekend in October).
- Lightning Lakes, 49.0614°, -120.8396°. Requires reservations after mid-June. 2022-06-08
- Coldspring, 49.0714°, -120.8034°. It is near the Similkameen River with a few sites overlooking the river. Sites cannot be reserved. 2022-06-08
- Hampton, 49.07072°, -120.71963°. It is the only campground not on water. Sites cannot be reserved. 2022-06-08
- Mule Deer, 49.0898°, -120.6819°. It is also on the Similkameen River and tends to be the first campground to open. Sites cannot be reserved. 2022-06-08
Backcountry
There are 10 backcountry camping areas in the park accessed by trails. Facilities are limited and cost is $5/person per night.
Stay safe
Be bear aware in the summer. Some wilderness campgrounds have bear caches for storing food.
If driving through the park in winter, it's a good idea to carry chains. Black ice is common and the snow can accumulate quite a bit in a storm before it is plowed.