One of Revelstoke's biggest advocates for more accessibility in the outdoors is plugging the city's namesake national park for its easy-to-ride mountain roadway and trails.
In a Parks Canada video shared Wednesday, May 21, Chris Miller, the name behind the Miller Time adaptive bike trail that opened at Mount MacPherson in May 2018, pedals along Mount Revelstoke National Park's Meadows in the Sky Parkway and Koo Koo Sint Trail while speaking to the importance of accessibility for outdoor recreation.
Miller, an avid mountain biker who experienced a blood stroke in January 2014, was quickly supported by his friends to keep up riding using a versatile three-wheel mountain trike.
"They wanted me to get back out on the dirt, on the trails, and I'm like, 'I've never seen anything like that before, but I'll try it,'" he tells Parks Canada, with Mount Revelstoke's summit meadows in the background. "Honestly, this bike is my freedom machine."
As the video ends, Parks Canada notes it's working to improve accessibility and inclusion for visitors at sites across the country. In the federal agency's 2022-2025 accessibility action plan, priorities include developing accessible built environment standards, assessing existing park infrastructure, improving overall site connectivity, and educating staff on accessibility principles and requirements.
In Parks Canada's December 2024 progress report on the action plan, specifics are mentioned such as a new contract for an accessible shuttle bus service this year at Yoho and Kootenay national parks, and a decision to keep Banff National Park's Bow Valley Parkway open to motorized traffic in July and August to ensure access for all mobility needs.
Though specific improvements for Mount Revelstoke and Glacier national parks aren't mentioned in the latest progress report, Miller raves about already being able to easily navigate Mount Revelstoke, from base to summit.
"Having this parkway, for one, you can drive to the top of the mountain," he says. "If you can peddle, I don't think there's a better place you could go. All that paved road up the parkway is incredible. It's, like, baby-bum smooth."
Referring to the myriad mental health challenges that burden people in the world today, Miller emphasizes that having accessible and naturally beautiful places such as Mount Revelstoke to ride through is "part of my daily dose of mental health prescription."
While some parts of Mount Revelstoke National Park could use improvements to ease user mobility, which Miller added he's happy to provide constructive feedback on to Parks Canada, he credited the park for being built to be accessible for the most part.
"I can't say it's a hundred per cent, infinitely accessible, because it's not," he said. "But it will be one day."
As the snow continues to melt off the upper reaches of Mount Revelstoke, the Meadows in the Sky Parkway is currently open to motorized vehicles for the first 12 kilometres, up to the Columbia Viewpoint. Trike and bike riders are welcome to proceed as far as they wish.
To provide feedback on accessibility in Canada's national parks, visit .
