British Columbia’s Tallest Tree House
Good lord, it’s November! Who else has seen Christmas commercials on TV and has broken out in a cold sweat?
This month’s guest post is a FUN one, especially if you ever had a tree house when you were a kid (or wished you did)! Tanya Bennett is principal writer at DrivingandDining.com, which features great places to visit and eat at on the road. Check out her most recent post, “Happy Fried Day,” for a tantalizing peek at a deep-fried Mars bar…mmm…
Where we went and who was coerced into going:
I'm thinking that's a lot of stairs...
We rented a 22-foot trailer and hit the road for 8 days, traveling around British Columbia, Canada. Our itinerary included The Enchanted Forest, home to British Columbia’s (maybe even Canada’s?) Tallest Tree House.
The adventurers: my husband (and, it turns out, expert trailer-backer-upper), me (roadside attraction connoisseur), and our two daughters (aged 3 and 10 months).
The route: We arrived at the Enchanted Forest via Vancouver, Bridal Falls (DinoTown! – just in time to visit before it closed forever), Kamloops, Salmon Arm, and Craigellachie (Beardale Miniature Land!).
The Enchanted Forest roadside attraction is located halfway between Sicamous and Revelstoke, in South Eastern British Columbia, on the side of a densely wooded hill. You enter through a fairy tale cottage (think Hansel and Gretel) and then stroll along windy paths. You pass settings that portray favorite children’s stories from nursery rhymes, fairy tales and literature. Kids (and flexible adults) can actually enter most of the small buildings, where they will see tiny little beds for the seven dwarves or a table set with three bowls for the three bears.
WHY did you go there, exactly?
To see BC’s tallest tree house, of course! During a previous visit to the Enchanted Forest I was 8 months pregnant and unable (or at least, unwilling) to climb to the top of BC’s tallest tree house. I’d been complaining about it ever since, so this year my husband agreed to go again. My daughter didn’t need to be persuaded – her response was, “Are we going right now?” “No.” “How about now?” “Not yet.” (Pause.) ”How about now?” (You get the idea.)
Okay, what was so cool about it?
The surrounding forest sets the scene and then you feel like you are entering a very special, magical place as you climb the twisty staircases to the top of the enchanting multi-level structure. My three-year-old daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed our exciting adventure to the top. The bunk beds there sparked our imagination as we pictured ourselves sleeping in the treetops, surrounded by the fantasy figurines below.
Possibly the tallest tree house in Canada?
I did some research and couldn’t find any taller tree houses in Canada. For the record, this one stands 47 feet high and there are 64 steps to the top floor. It is actually three houses: the highest landing accessible to the public is at 37 feet (there is another one 45 feet in the air).
How it rated on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = snoozefest, 10 = add to your bucket list) [rating=10]
I am rating it as a 10. It is well-maintained and admission was a good value for the amount of time we spent there. It also appeals to people of all ages, particularly people who love fairytales, folk art, and (of course) roadside attractions.
A little background info about the place:
A personal project created by the original owners, the Enchanted Forest became a busy roadside attraction after road construction through Rogers Pass was completed in 1962.
The current proprietors, Rocky and Juliet Ehlers, manage to maintain the charming retro quality of the original attraction while adding modern features. For example, they built the tree house. More recently, they have added the SkyTrek Adventure Park with zip lines and high ropes challenge courses.
Humpty Dumpty (pre-fall version) welcomes you to the Enchanted Forest.
Hey you! Go BIG!
7060 Trans Canada Highway, Revelstoke, BC
866-944-9744
Editor’s Note: The world’s tallest tree house is in Crossville, TN. It’s nearly 100-feet tall, but not as charming!
Great guest post. I have to add this attraction to my list of “places yet to visit”. Thanks for sharing.
looks really neat. I can picture my boys running up those stairs — maybe one day we’ll get there!
Traci,
Thanks for commenting on Michael’s Meanderings and letting me know about your blog. I have subscribed and will be keeping an eye out for other “World’s Largest”!
Thanks, Michael! I spent a good deal of time reading your blog, especially the heartwarming updates on your daughter’s health. I’m so happy things are looking up!
I came across your post via Michael’s Meanderings…
WOW! This is now on my to do list! I have three year old twin daughers that would get swept away in the magical place & I dare say, their Daddy & I would too!!
Cheers,
H
Thanks, Heather! Glad you found us!
Hey Traci – love the blog! Looking forward to catching up on your adventures 🙂
I thought I had left a comment…but now I realize I didn’t. Maybe I was a bit miffed that you and your wonderful family didn’t drop in at my place – right around the corner from the Enchanted Forest – well, in Canadian terms anyway 😉
It’s a fun place for kids, especially when they are trapped in a car for the long ride between Calgary and Vancouver.
Oops sorry, didn’t see before I posted that it wasn’t written by you Traci 🙂
Hi Fida – it was me 🙂 We had so much fun up there, Beardale Miniatureland was amazing, too. Any other places I should know about for my next trip?
being the one of the guys that built the treehouse and the zipline glad to see so many positive comments, living well in surrey.
I’ve never been to any tree houses, and I never knew one can really step inside any of those houses – not until I read this post! This is like a fairytale-come-to-live situation. I shall now start saving and planning for my visit to The Enchanted Forest. I like the rating scale at the end of the post, it gives me a rough guide on what to expect when I visit the place. Thank you so much for the information!
why don’t you have more enchanted forest pictures;]?