TRAVEL LIKE A LOCAL | Top 10,000 Places to Visit in Canada
The page created by Annabella Stoll-Dansereau | University of British Columbia | Photo by Stephen Hui, CC BY-SA 4.0
Manning Park is mostly an outdoor adventuring destination, so it is helpful to bring food from elsewhere; however, if you are in a pickle or want some comfort food, this restaurant will hit the spot.
While it is not fine dining after a long hike or day out skiing, anything you get will taste fantastic. My personal recommendation is the nachos which have massive serving sizes and are perfect for sharing with friends or family.
Photos: Google Street View
Manning Park is a resort town, so while it has many attractions beyond this resort, if you plan on staying the night, this is your only accommodation option. There are various options, from your standard hotel room to cabins or camping areas. You also get access to a range of things like a swimming pool and gym; however, staying at this hotel is not necessary to enjoy what Manning Park offers.
Photo: Google Street View
This is a serious adventure to get up here in the winter; it includes a 15km round trip ski; however, in the summer, you can drive up. From this winding road, you get spit out at this beautiful point where the whole valley opens, and you can see the highway, manning park and neighbouring mountains.
This is a short drive should you be here in the summer, and if it’s a clear day pretty much a mandatory sight.
Photo: https://www.manningpark.com/cascade-lookout-now-open-2021/
You don’t have to be a good mountain biker to enjoy the trails here; you might not want to be a pro as they could be classified as too tame. The terrain isn’t very technical, which in non-mountain biking terms means anyone can ride it, and you don’t need a ton of bike handling skills. They have a network of trials rated from green to black. The black trails are only rated so hard because you need a high level of fitness as lots of climbing is included.
Photo: https://www.manningpark.com/biking/
This is a massive hike, so not for the faint of heart. However, it is very well known within the Manning Park community. This 15 km out and back trail gains over 1000 meters of elevation, taking you to a beautiful lookout point. It’s best to make this trail in late summer/early fall, so you aren’t met with snow. If you venture out, bring all the basics, like bear spray, food, and water.
Photo: Google Street View, David Pelletier
Like a typical visitor center, this place will give you all the information about the area. This would be a great place to stop if you were unsure of snow conditions or outdoor route options. This visitor center is also unique because it has on-site camping areas and picnic benches.
So if you just got to Manning back lunch and go to the visitor center, learn more about what this place has to offer, then have a picnic in the beautiful scenery.
Photo: https://www.manningpark.com/visitor-centre/
Skiing at Manning Park is top-tier. While it may not compare to a Whistler, the prices reflect that.
The mountain is bustling with all the amenities of a typical ski area, plus more. If you are a beginner, you can rent skis or even take lessons. Throughout the day or week, you can progress from the gentle bunny hill to the more tough mountainside blue or black routes.
Photo: Google Street View, Tilda Venalainen
If you are like me and a little bit afraid of downhill skiing for its speed, then maybe Nordic or cross-country skiing is more for your speed. While there are still some downhill sections like Graduation hill (named this as if you can ride this, you can ride alpine routes), if you aren’t comfortable, you can easily walk these sections.
Again you can just rent skis, and unlike alpine skiing, you don’t have to drive up the mountain to start; instead, you can start skiing right from the lodge.
Photo: Michel Sachs, Wikimedia Commons
Another way to get out into the winter trails if you aren’t a skier. You could go snowshoeing. There is a highly well-developed trail network with many small and long routes you could take. Many trails are even dedicated to only snowshoers meaning you get to see different parts of the forest than skiers do. You can either bring your snowshoes or rent them at Manning Park Resort.
Photo: Anneli Salo, Wikimedia Commons
The final winter activity is going to the ski area and tubing instead of skiing. Much like a tube waterslide, groomed hills are explicitly developed for zooming down on tubes. There are double or single tube options, and fun for the whole family. Even if you don’t have kids, you should give this activity a shot; it’s a ton of fun.
