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Canadian Rockies Trail Guide

Trail Updates

Canadian Rockies Hiking Trail Updates

Every new edition of our Canadian Rockies hiking books is thoroughly researched, but oftentimes changes occur between editions. This page is dedicated to trail changes that have occurred since publication of the 10th edition of the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide in May, 2022. Two types of updates are addressed on this page. The first are short term, such as bridge washouts and their replacement. Other updates are policy changes that will alter the way that people can use a trail longterm, including decommissioning of trails and changes to trail access. This page does not address day-to-day conditions, such as muddy trails or wildlife closures. We leave that to Parks Canada, which posts regular Trail Condition Reports for each national park (see links with park titles below).

 

Introduction

National Parks-Backcountry Camping—The annual Wilderness Pass for overnight travel in the Mountain National Parks was discontinued in 2018. Backcountry camping now requires a fee of $10.50 per night per person and a mandatory, non-refundable registration fee of $12.50 per permit.

 

Banff National Park

Current trail conditions

 

Sunshine Meadows—The Sunshine Summer Gondola returns to operation from June 23 until September 10, 2023 (8am to 6pm). A gondola ticket includes access to the Standish Chairlift, which carries visitors from the lodge complex to the 2385m summit of Standish Peak and the nearby viewing deck (8am to 5pm). Reservations for the gondola can be made at banffsunshinemeadows.com. Sunshine Mountain Lodge will provide accommodation during the 2023 summer season.

Lake Louise-Moraine Lake— The Moraine Lake Road is closed to personal vehicles year round as of 2023. Parks Canada shuttles, Roam Public Transit, and commercial buses are the only means of access to the lake aside from walking or cycling.

Traffic flaggers monitor parking at Lake Louise and turn back vehicles when lots are full.  When parking spots are available, there is a fee of $12.25 per vehicle per day from 7am to 7 pm (from May 19 to October 9, 2023). Parks Canada operates shuttle buses to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake by reservation only. Shuttles depart from the Park & Ride at the Lake Louise Ski Area parking lot, located at the end of the Whitehorn Road 2.6 km (1.6 mi) northeast of the Trans Canada Highway interchange. Shuttles run to both Lake Louise and Moraine Lake and also provide travel between the lakes, so both can be visited in a day. However, hikers should focus on only one destination per day.

ROAM transit buses run from Banff to Lake Louise throughout the summer (7:30am to 7:00pm). ROAM also provides direct service from Banff to Moraine Lake, ROAM Super Pass tickets allow visitors free access to Parks Canada’s shuttle service between Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. More detailed information is available on Parks Canada’s Getting around the Lake Louise area web page.

Castleguard Meadows. The “Hiker’s Blog” contains descriptions of recent trips to the meadows on this 35-km trail, which should be useful for anyone planning a trip there. See Castleguard Meadows: The Gilroy Report,  Castleguard Meadows revisited and Finding the trail to Castleguard Meadows.

 

Jasper National Park

Current trail conditions

Beginning in 2012, a number of remote trails in Jasper were decommissioned; for detailed information visit our blog post Jasper National Park’s Decommissioned Trails.

Tonquin Valley. Both lodges on Amethyst Lakes in the valley have been closed by Parks Canada order. This policy was instituted in hopes of preserving the remnants of the valley’s mountain caribou herd. Travel into the valley in winter is prohibited.

Athabasca Pass. An ice jam destroyed the Simon Creek bridge (15.0 km) in December 2016. This is a serious crossing for most of the summer. With no immediate plans to replace the bridge, you should not attempt a ford until late season, if even then.

Geraldine Lakes. A caribou breeding compound has been constructed along the Geraldine Lakes access road. The road is only accessible by vehicle during the 2023 hiking season, and hikers should expect possible delays in driving to the trailhead.

Maligne Pass. Parks Canada has recommissioned the 48-km Maligne Pass trail running from Poboktan Creek junction to Maligne Lake. The Maligne River bridge 20 km north of the Maligne Pass is gone and will not be replaced, but all campgrounds between the pass and Maligne Lake are to be reinstated. The southern approach to Maligne Pass via Poligne Creek is still in good shape and should remain passable for strong day hikers, though no maintenance or bridge replacement are planned.

Jonas Pass-Brazeau Lake Loop. The bridge near the mouth of Brazeau Lake (km 48.2) was washed out for the entire 2022 hiking season. This reduced travel on this popular circuit trip substantially. The bridge is scheduled for replacement in the autumn of 2023. In the meantime, many backpackers are booking campsites for one-way trips to Brazeau Lake (usually via Jonas Shoulder and Poboktan Pass) and returning the way they came. A few successfully ford the Northwest Brazeau River at the mouth of the lake, where late-season water levels are reasonable and the current is negligible.

Sulphur Skyline. The Miette Hot Springs Road, which was closed by a washout for most of the summer (2023), reopened in late August. Expect a section of single-lane alternating traffic (automated traffic lights) for the foreseeable future. See Snowstorm problems linger in Jasper.

Fiddle River. The Miette Hot Springs Road, which was closed by a washout for most of the summer (2023), reopened in late August. Expect a section of single-lane alternating traffic (automated traffic lights) for the foreseeable future. See Snowstorm problems linger in Jasper.

North Boundary Trail. The Twintree Creek bridge (2 km downstream from Twintree Campground) was damaged by flooding during the spring of 2021. Crossing the creek is not permitted at the bridge site. (See also Berg Lake, Mount Robson Provincial Park.)

Sections of the North Boundary, including Devona Lookout, Glacier Pass-Mclaren Pass and Blue Creek, were affected by a snowfall on June 19, 2023. Backpackers on all of these trails should expect tangles of deadfall. See Snowstorm problems linger in Jasper.

 

Yoho National Park

Current trail conditions

Amiskwi River. According to reports, renewed logging activity in the Blaeberry Valley has restored the Blaeberry Forest Service Road and access roads on Ensign Creek. So the original description of access to Amiskwi Pass from the north that appears in the 9th edition of the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide may be valid. Anyone planning to use this approach should contact the Golden Forest District first and be wary of industrial (logging) traffic. Meanwhile, access to Amiskwi Lodge is primarily via helicopter (see Amiskwi Lodge).

 

Kootenay National Park

Current trail conditions

Simpson River-Ferro Pass. The trail climbing along Surprise Creek from Simpson River soon enters the 2017 Verdant Creek burn and follows through scorched forest nearly all the way to Ferro Pass. Though BC Parks has cleared the trail and restored the Rock Lake campground, hikers should still be aware of post-wildfire hazards (falling trees, ash pits, etc.).

Waterton Lakes National Park

Current trail conditions

The Crandell Campground on the Red Rock Parkway is being reconstructed and is not likely to reopen until 2024. The Waterton Park Visitor Centre, which was destroyed by the Kenow fire, has been relocated to a new Visitor Centre in the townsite at 404 Cameron Falls Drive (403-859-5133).

Waterton Lakeshore. Access to Goat Haunt at the south end of Upper Waterton Lake is reinstated for the 2023 season. Backpackers who clear U.S. customs and immigration prior to their trip (see Waterton Visitor Centre) can travel the length of the trail to the Goat Haunt Ranger Station and boat dock in Glacier National Park. Waterton Shoreline Cruise Co. will once again provide access to the Goat Haunt boat dock (see watertoncruise.com).

 

 

Akamina-Kishinena Provincial Park

Current trail conditions (Know Before You Go)

 

 

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park

 

Current trail conditions

Vehicle access to Peter Lougheed Provincial Park and the surrounding Kananaskis Country recreation area has always been free. That changed on June 1, 2021, when a daily fee of $15 per vehicle was instituted. An annual pass is available for $90. Visitors need to register their vehicles by licence plate online ahead of their visit or by using new wifi hotspots or at visitors centres and the Canmore Nordic Centre.

Chester Lake. The trail is closed annually through May and June to allow “the area to dry and to prevent damage to the trail and surrounding area.” The trail is frequently closed for short periods when grizzly bears are feeding near the lake.

 

Elk Lakes Provincial Park

Current trail conditions (Know Before You Go)

 

Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park

 

Mount Robson Provincial Park

Current trail conditions (Know Before You Go)

Kinney Lake. A flash flood seriously damaged the Berg Lake trail and bridges on July 2, 2021. The Kinney Lake section of the trail will be open for the 2023 season, as will the Kinney Lake Campground. Reservations for the 14 sites at the campground will open at 7am February 27, 2023 (for sites four months hence, i.e. June 27).  See https://bcparks.ca/reserve/berg-lake-trail/ for details.

Berg Lake. A flash flood seriously damaged the Berg Lake trail and bridges on July 2, 2021. As a result, the trail remains closed beyond Kinney Lake during 2023. The trail to Kinney Lake Campground will be reopened during the 2023 hiking season (see Kinney Lake). For more information concerning the flood event, check out CBC’s Trailblazing.