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).

West Bragg Creek Trail System -- Public Review

There's been a lot of chatter both off and online about the Bragg Creek Trail System and the changes proposed by Alberta Tourism Parks and Recreation.

The plan focuses on the area just west of Bragg Creek that is used primarily for cross-country skiing in winter. However the trails are also used by hikers, cyclists and equestrians throughout the summer, despite the fact there is no official maintenance on the trail system.

The province is looking to further develop this trail system in light of this use, to enhance the trails for summer recreation while protecting the delicate watershed.

The Herald has more: Public invites to review trail plan for Bragg Creek

No matter what your recreation of choice is, odds are you'll want to at least review this plan and make your feelings known to the government. There's only a 60-day review, so don't wait. You can submit feedback at http://www.tpr.alberta.ca/parks/consult/braggCreek/default.aspx

There is also more coverage and information online at Greater Bragg Creek Trails Association.

Beyond just the West Bragg Creek plan, there are plenty of opportunities to stay on top of the planning, maintenance and redesign of Alberta's Recreational areas. Visit the Alberta Parks Consultation/Notification site often for information of what projects are currently in discussion.

Avalanche Danger Extremely High in Western Canada this weekend

While it seems to be cold all over the continent, here in Alberta we're sitting at a balmy 11 C/ 52 F today! (Going up to 13C/55F tomorrow). Even the mountains are enjoying above-freezing temps and I'm sure I'm not the only one planning an outdoor excursion this weekend.

However, while I know we're getting no sympathy from other parts of North America, there are plenty of dangers associated with heading out to our mountain playground in these warm temperatures. Avalanche experts are saying these are the worst avalanche conditions they've seen in 100 years:

From the Calgary Herald:

Klassen, who has 30 years' experience in the backcountry, said he does not recall such a dangerously unpredictable season for avalanche conditions.

The number of major slides released over the past two weeks is "unprecedented," he said Thursday.

Avalanches this season have wiped out trees that are more than a century old. Many slides have run farther and wider than ever witnessed, and some areas have seen more widespread avalanche cycles than ever before.

Full article here: Avalanche Risk Worst in 100 years.

Please be safe this weekend.

*Note: Since this article was written there are now reports of yet another avalanche death in BC. PLEASE be careful if you're heading into the backcountry this weekend.

The bears are out there...

This crazy long weekend (for us anyway) seems like an excellent time to mention a fabulous site: Wildsmart.ca.

Wildsmart tracks wildlife sightings and movements throughout the Bow Valley (generally, the area from the East Banff Park gates to Yamnuska). While the site focuses on the bear activity in the area, there is also information on cougar sightings, kill sites and aggressive elk and moose.

For anyone hiking/camping/fishing/riding/whatever in the Bow Valley area, this site is essential.

It's also worth your while to stop by trailex.org, where outdoor enthusiasts can log any wildlife encounters they've had on the trail recently.

While the long weekend is coming to an end, the buffalo berries are still in season and the bears are coming lower in the valleys to get them (I read an article that said the berries are like "ice cream" to the bears). Pay extra close attention when out and about...

Cold weather hiking tips

Outdoorzy.com has a link to a NYTimes article on cold weather hiking and a nice summary of the tips within: When Is It Too Cold For Outdoor Activites?.

It's a good read. The bad news is, it shoots down pretty much all of me and N's excuses on those cold Sundays (oh, except bad roads!).

California Proposes Closure of Some State Parks

Some scary news out of California today. State Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger has proposed to close 48 state parks as part of an overall budget reduction.

Some news links here:

Gov.'s Proposal To Close 48 Sites Angers Avid Users -- LaTimes.com
Governor Proposes Closing 48 Parks -- Record-Bee.com

I'm not at all familiar with the California system of park management, but closing recreational areas for financial reasons is rarely a good thing. At best it will lead to overcrowding and damage to the remaining areas, and at worst it will lead to abandoned sites, vandalism, and general decay.

Blogger Tom Mangan's Two Heel Drive is covering the issue closely.

Culling Coyotes in Canmore

Lately I've been paying more attention to the animal tracks I see in the snow. It likely has a lot to do with spotting cougar tracks on a recent hike (more on that in a future post), but it's been some valuable education. When spring comes around and there are tracks running every which way on the muddy trail, I like knowing what I'm looking at.

After learning the difference between canine and feline prints, I started to let my guard down when I could tell the tracks were likely from a four-legged hiking companion. In the unlikely event the tracks belonged to something a little less domestic such as a coyote or wolf, I still wasn't that concerned. We don't hike with our pets (the cats would really not go for it), and I couldn't imagine a coyote or wolf attacking humans.

Wrong.

The weekend before last one or more coyotes attacked a total of three children in Canmore, one in her front yard, two more at a city-sponsored "Skate with Santa" event. One girl was 13 years old -- this is far from a small child you would expect to be the target of a coyote.

Two coyotes have been killed by Fish and Wildlife officers. The coyotes will be tested for rabies and other diseases, though there's no way to know if these are the same coyotes that attacked the kids.

None of the kids were seriously hurt -- they were bitten, but the skin was not broken -- yet this should serve as a warning to all hikers. If a coyote will attack a human in a town setting like Canmore, that's good enough reason to pay attention to coyotes you might encounter on the trail -- especially around Canmore.

Kindergartener kicks my ass

This is unbelievable:

Isabelle ascended five 14,000-foot summits this past hiking season, a true accomplishment for any outdoor enthusiast in Colorado. What makes it all the more impressive is Isabelle Currat was only 5 years old.

From: Kindergartener Conquers Peaks -- Douglas County News Press

Moose Mountain is 7995 ft.... half points?