Southern Alberta Flood - Trail Updates July 8, 2013

More rain to the Kananaskis region has definitely hampered repair efforts, but some progress is being made, especially on Highway 40, where the road is now open to Wedge Pond. Most recreational areas however are still shut.

While the Delta Kananaskis remains open, the surrounding area is mostly still closed -- Mt. Kidd RV park, the golf course, the Evan-Thomas bike path and the majority of hiking trails and camping areas are close. The north Terrace Trail around the village was open, but we didn't venture out. The hotel itself is very very quiet for July.

Here is the official closure map for Kananaskis, including roads and campgrounds.

Some other updates:

Bragg Creek Provincial Park is now open. (as of July 1). The West Bragg Creek Recreational Area is open, but the vehicle bridge is out. (as of July 3)

In the Bow Valley area, Yamnuska day use is open, while Heart Creek day use and Wind Valley day use are closed. (Note: You can see from the highway Heart Creek day use isn't even accessible due to a rock slide across the road). Quaite Valley backcountry campground is also closed. (as of July 1).

Further updates to Bow Valley include Bow River, Bow Valley, Lac Des Arcs and Willow Rock Campgrounds (open), Grouse, Owl, and Elk Flats group use areas (open), Three Sisters campground (closed), Porcupine group use (closed), Barrier Dam, Gap Lake, Grotto Mountain and Lac Des Arcs day use (closed), Bow Valley admin office (closed).

Southern Alberta Flood - Trail Update June 27, 2013

Unless you've been living under a rock (or perhaps outside of Canada), you'll know that the worst flooding in the recorded history of the region occurred on June 20-22, 2013. As a result, the mountains, recreational areas, roads, and rivers are a mess. Bridges are gone, campgrounds are flooded and trails are washed out.

In the grand scheme of things, personal property and major road repairs must take first priority. Getting cities, towns and hamlets safe and habitable again is key to rebuilding. Knowing this, it could take some time before attention is turned to the rehabilitation of our recreational areas.

So where can we go while we rebuild? With so many different regions, it can be tough to keep track of what's open to the public. Here's a quick reference for this moment in time:

Banff National Park updated their trail report on June 26, 2013.

In summary, Sulphur Mountain and Tunnel Mountain are pretty much your only in town options, with Bow River/Hoodoo listed as Fair/Poor. All other trails, such as Fenland, Goat Creek, etc, are closed.

Lake Minnewanka Loop Drive is closed.

The popular Johnston Canyon and Castle Lookout trails are closed, while other trails further up the highway are open but muddy.

Lake Louise and area escaped the worst of the flooding, but are still wet. In fact many trails still list snow as your greatest obstacle. Remember that during the heat wave next week.

In Kanananskis, one of the hardest hit areas, there are even less options. Road closures, bridge washouts, and mudslides are extensive. It might be helpful to look at the closed areas first.

Canmore Nordic Centre is open for use! (as of June 27). Some trails wet and muddy with natural hazards. Highway 742 (Spray Lakes) is closed at the Grassi Lakes turnoff.

Bow Valley Provincial Park (as of 2:15, June 27) (too many to list, click link for details -- news is cautiously optimistic)

Spray Valley Provincial Park is closed due to access and flooding.

Cataract Creek is closed due to access and flooding.

Elbow Valley - The highway is closed at either the Bragg Creek turnoff or MacLean Creek depending on which web site you visit. The bridge right before Allen Bill Pond was washed out, so MacLean Creek is the furthest you can go. This impacts the Elbow Falls rec area, as well as the Beaver Flats campground. Paddy's Flats Group use and River Cove Groups use are also closed. Little Elbow is closed. MacLean Creek campground is open, with limited services, no power, water, or sewage disposal. The store will be open, but on generator.

Peter Lougheed Park is completely closed. Click the link for the affected areas.

Sheep River. Bluerock is closed, Sandy McNabb is open.

Lower Kananaskis River. Many of the day use areas shut down. The slalom course was destroyed and washed out in the flood, creating a very messy situation in the area.

I did not see a trail report for Highwood area, but the footage online shows the damage to be quite extensive in the region.

I'll do my best to update as more information becomes available. Make sure to also follow on Twitter (@hiphiker).

Highway 66 (near Elbow Falls) - April 1, 2013

This is what it looks like when you take your two year old twins on their first "hike". No child carriers, no wagon, just their little feet. And a highway closed until mid-May....

One day I hope the surroundings will be more interesting than the stuff painted on the road....

A drive along Highway 66 -- July 11, 2010 (from the archives)

Not every venture out to the mountains is for hiking. Sometimes we just want to take in the scenery with friends.

I didn't know it at the time, but this would be my last hike pre-babies, and it wasn't even a hike. Some friends were here from Winnipeg. One had grown up in Calgary and wanted to see some of the old sites. So Elbow Falls, Forget-Me-Not-Pond, some rock skipping into the Elbow River, and a memorable day was made...

Highway 66 -- December 23, 2007

Two weeks later we hiked the highway again. This time we found the mountains we'd missed on the previous hike:



Compare that with the view from the same spot two weeks earlier:



I'm not sure how much more hiking we'll be doing along the highway. Hiking on asphalt just doesn't cut it when there are so many other great hikes around.

Highway 66 -- December 9, 2007

Get yer kicks, on Route 66 (C'mon, it had to be said).

With the Highway 66 gates at Elbow Falls closed for the season, N and I decided to take advantage of the closed road and hike along the highway itself. In May it had been a fun alternative while we waited for the gates to open, and on days when we don't have the ability to drive too far out of the city, and we're just not in the mood to hike Fullerton Loop or Diamond T again, Highway 66 provides a nice change and a little exercise.

And for the initial part of the hike, a lot of exposure to the wind, as we were to discover.

This close to winter solstice, our meeting time was being pushed back later and later in the morning, for fear of not enough sun. This morning was no different. The bonus to driving out at the crack of dawn is seeing the sunrise and spotting wildlife along the highway. This particular morning I was lucky enough to spot a moose in the middle of the highway. He saw me and took off, so a picture was not in the cards.

But I did get this shot of the sunrise along Highway 66:



Hiking along the highway didn't yield any unique sights this time around, partially because, well, it's the highway, and also because about ten minutes into the hike, the clouds started rolling in. It was clear when we started. Less than 30 minutes in, it looked like this:




We made it to the first roadside exhibition/attraction/display. At that point the road was solid ice and the storm was worse. Normally, this is a great view of the beginning of the Rockies. This is what we saw:



Believe it or not, there are very large mountains in that photo.

We headed back from there. By the time we got back to the cars, the sky was clear again.

Calgary did not see a flake of snow that day. Crazy weather....