STORY PHOTO

The flower show starts the minute we pull off the Trans-Canada to take in the Meadows in the Sky Parkway, a 26-kilometre paved road whose switchbacks lead right to the mountain summit of Mount Revelstoke.

This is the only place in the national park system where you can drive a private vehicle in comfort to a mountaintop.

Dawdling through a tunnel of dense cedar and hemlock, old growth interior rainforest of the Columbia Mountains, these woods are protected by the park but rapidly disappearing beyond its borders.

The road steadily climbs from an elevation of 470 metres at kilometre-zero to 1,500 metres at Balsam Lake.

It winds its way up through mid-level zones of spruce and fir to the sub-alpine meadows. Vivid red Indian paintbrush lines the ditches.

At the first lookout, the entire town of Revelstoke presents itself in a neat grid bordering the Columbia River.

Across the Valley, peaks in the Monashee range still wear the last of their winter snow, a reminder of how much white stuff falls in these mountains – up to 18 metres a year.

Nature has mounted a steadily evolving display as we climb. Patches of lupine appear - deep violet - often mixed with paintbrush or sunny yellow flowers we can’t name.

The citizens of Revelstoke have always enjoyed a love affair with their mountain.

The City of Revelstoke undertook to drive the first trail to the summit in 1908 and lobbying by local residents was directly responsible for creation of the national park. Pressure to turn the trail into a road was ongoing. Construction began in 1911, but then a dark stain appeared.

During the First World War the government created Canada’s first internment camps at 24 different sites across the country.

Four camps were set up in the mountain parks: Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Mount Revelstoke.

Approximately 8,000 people were imprisoned. Most were Ukranians who had come here from regions that were then ruled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Since they carried Austrian passports they were rounded up and detained.

Flash back to the citizens of Revelstoke, some of whom knew a good thing when they saw it.

As long as the aliens where being held on their doorstep, they might as well be put to work to complete the summit road. And the Dominion Parks Commissioner agreed.

The scheme was short-lived, with the Mount Revelstoke camp only operating from Sept. 6 to Dec. 20, 1915.

Horrific weather conditions forced the internees to spend their time clearing snow and cutting firewood rather than building the road and the 225 detainees were moved to Camp Otter in Yoho.

The road wasn’t finally completed until 1927. An interpretive sign now records the story of the camp.

At Balsam Lake, two kilometres short of the summit, we reach the parking lot and trailhead area. The local mossies are on high alert and they start taking range the second we open the car doors.

Sufficiently doused with dete, we decide to take the park shuttle to the summit then leg it back down.

Every open space is crowded, bursting with blossoms.

Skirting a glittering pond which mirrors the skeletal, high-altitude trees and riotous flowers (plus one stubborn patch of snow), we followed a paved path to a viewpoint overlooking the Columbia as it flows north toward the Big Bend.

The light is just starting to slant through the trees as we tackle the switchbacks in reverse.

We’re rounding one of the last bends when the long, dark shape of a marten materializes from the undergrowth and almost as suddenly, vanishes. One last gift from the mountain.

The best time to visit is from mid-July through the first weeks of August, when the wildflower season is nearing its peak.

Before you go…

Stay on the marked trails. Subalpine vegetation is very fragile and in an area with such a short growing season, any damage to plants is serious. Don’t pick the flowers, leave them for others to enjoy.

The Meadows in the Sky Parkway is a narrow mountain road. Trailers and motorcoaches are not allowed. If you’re dragging a trailer, park it in the designated area, half a kilometre from the Trans-Canada Highway interchange.

National Park fees apply. Day and seasonal rates available.

Visit www.pc.gc.ca for details.