Gondola cabins above the valley cloud · Photo: Sean Phillips
Village history · year-round
Silver Star Mountain Museum and the fire lookout
Displays in three village lodges, and the old forest fire lookout at the top of the gondola in summer.
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SilverStar’s history isn’t locked in one building. The volunteer-run Silver Star Mountain Museum spreads its displays through the village lodges, and in summer it opens the old forest fire lookout at the top of the gondola, one of the best picnic spots on the mountain.
Where to find the displays
- Chilcoot Lodge lobby.
- Pinnacles Suites lobby and lounge, in the original day lodge.
- Vance Creek Hotel lower lobby and stairway gallery, up from Main Street.
- The forest fire lookout at the top of the gondola, in summer.
Up at the lookout, storyboards tell how the first lookout was packed to the summit by horses, and how a phone line was strung through the trees in the early 1900s.
Photos: Sean Phillips. Tap any photo to see it large and swipe through.
Hours, prices and conditions change by season. Check the resort’s SilverStar history page before you go.
Homes close to the museum displays
These SilverStar buildings sit within an easy walk. Each link opens Sean’s building report on his SilverStar Homes & Buying Guide, with photos, strata notes and any homes for sale there right now.
Quick answers
Where is the Silver Star Mountain Museum?
It’s spread across the village: displays in the Chilcoot Lodge lobby, the Pinnacles Suites lobby and lounge (the original day lodge) and the Vance Creek Hotel lower lobby and stairway gallery, plus the old forest fire lookout at the top of the gondola in summer.
Can you visit the fire lookout at the top of SilverStar?
Yes, in summer. Ride the gondola to the top and walk to the old forest fire lookout, where the museum has storyboards on fire on the mountain, forest fire lookouts and the move from mining claims to ski trails.
Who runs the museum?
It’s run entirely by volunteers, as a partnership between the resort, the Greater Vernon Museum and Archives and the mountain community.
Decided SilverStar is the place?
When you’re ready to own a piece of the mountain
This guide is about life up here. Sean’s other SilverStar site, Real Estate SilverStar, is for people who have made up their minds: every home for sale, building-by-building reports, ski-in/ski-out scores, strata fees and the real costs of owning.