BC recreation sites / Rocky Mountain North

Canada Recreation site

Swansea Mountain Recreation Site

Near Invermere, British Columbia, Canada

Who runs this site

Operated by Summit Trail Makers Society under a partnership agreement with Recreation Sites and Trails BC.

Visit operator's site Operator? Update your link

About Swansea Mountain

The first 2 km of the Swansea FSR will be open May 1st.
There are trails on Swansea Mountain for hikers and cyclists.

HIKING TRAILS

SUMMIT TRAIL

Hiking distance: 700m

Elevation gain: 105 metres

This short switchbacked trail leads from road's end (5km from the Windermere Loop Road) to the summit of Mount Swansea.

SWANSEA SLOPES TRAIL

Hiking distance: 10.3 km

Elevation gain: 745+ m

A loop trail can be travelled by energetic hikers from the mountain base to summit and back down via a second south summit.

CYCLING TRAILS

Mt. Swansea offers more difficult (blue)level and most difficult (black) level terrain. Plenty of challenges await on the trails, including the steep descents of the Booty Call trail, the rocky, sandy slopes of Gravy Train, and plenty of wide open fun on Hula Girl. Trails can be shuttled or pedaled, as there is an uptrack.

UPTRACK

An uptrack for cycling and up or downhill hiking affords lesser grades from base to summit parking area.

Parking options:

1 - mountain base, 2 - at the 2km mark for early season trail access and 3 - 5km parking area near the summit.

HISTORY

In the early 1900's copper was mined on a claim near the present day parking area. In 1924, Mt. Swansea was established as a BC Forest Service fire lookout(1952 to 1992).

The mountain is internationally known as a premier hang gliding and paragliding launch. The first pilot to launch from the mountain was H. Portman in the early 1970's. For safety reasons, please keep clear of the launch ramps.

Type
Recreation site
Campsites
No numbered campsites listed
Access
Road: 2 Wheel Drive
Nearest town
Invermere, British Columbia
District
Rocky Mountain North (Recreation Sites and Trails BC)
Established
1995
Location
50.49744, -115.94975
Site ID
REC2002

Activities

Facilities

Getting there

Driving time from Invermere: 15 minutes.

From the crossroads of Invermere and Hwy 93/95 travel south 2.7 km to the Windermere Loop Road. Turn left here and cross over Swansea Road. Travel 3.2 kms where a left turn will take you over a mine haul road (closed to public use) and on to the signed Mt. Swansea Forest Service Road.

Parking Options include: mountain base, 2km mark, or 5 km mark. Road is accessible to high clearance 2WD vehicles. Drive carefully with headlights on.

Directions in Google Maps

Official page at Recreation Sites and Trails BC

Host jobs

Hosts at BC recreation sites are hired by the site operator. Ask the operator through their website.

Host jobs near Swansea Mountain:

See all host jobs in British Columbia

Nearby recreation sites

Information from Recreation Sites and Trails BC open data (BC Data Catalogue, Open Government Licence – British Columbia), retrieved 2026-10-09. Conditions change: check the official page before you travel. CampHostJobs is not affiliated with the Government of British Columbia.

Are you the operator? Add your link

Site operators, clubs and societies can send us their website, booking page or host jobs page. We check each request and add the link to this page, free.