Mount Robson Provincial Park fully reopening following 2021 flooding
The park has been rebuilt in phases and construction on a new alpine cabin is set to begin this summer
One of northern B.C.'s most popular parks is fully reopening for the first time since being destroyed by flooding nearly four years ago.
Starting April 2, B.C. Parks will take reservations for campgrounds on Mount Robson's Berg Lake trail, approximately 280 kilometres southeast of Prince George, near the entrance to Jasper National Park in Alberta.
"We're really excited, it's been a long time in the making," said Elliott Ingles, area supervisor for the Mount Robson Park. "There's just nothing like it."
The highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, parts of the Mount Robson trail were closed in the summer of 2021 after a record-breaking heat wave rapidly melted snow and ice, sending water cascading down the mountain, destroying bridges and infrastructure along the way.
Dozens of hikers were evacuated from the park, which is immensely popular, with camping spots typically selling out over the summer within a few hours of reservations opening.
Ingles said it took a lot of work to get the park to where it is today, noting it was rebuilt in consultation with a team of engineers and specialists with climate resilience in mind.
The trail itself has been moved away from certain flood planes, and new bridges have been built further away and higher up from areas where water flows during floods.
"This trail was built to last," said Ingles, who expects the park to be busy this summer.
"It's just a magical place," he said. "You get a sunny day up there and you think there isn't a better place in the world."
The province says roughly 20,000 hikers and campers visit the 23 kilometre, multi-day trail annually. As of last year, about 11 kilometres of the trail had reopened. But this summer the entire trail will be open for hikers.
Reservations for the park's seven backcountry campgrounds are required between its full opening on June 26 until Sept. 29.
Day use hikers are already able to use the lower levels of the trail and from May 15 until June 25, the lower levels Kinney Lake and Whitehorn campgrounds will be open on a first come, first served basis.
Reopening a boost to nearby communities
The park has been rebuilt in phases and with an eye to making it better able to handle future climate crises.
The renovations range from rebuilding broken bridges to reinforcing eroding riverbanks and elevating or rerouting vulnerable trail sections.
Owen Torgenson, mayor of the nearby community of Valemount, said he was absolutely ecstatic.
"It's been a long time coming."
Visitors to Mount Robson account for roughly 25 per cent of the local economy, he said.
Those visitors will be especially important to the community as it continues to recover from the impacts of the nearby Jasper wildfires last year. Hundreds of residents sheltered in the community following that disaster. And tourism decreased in the aftermath of the fires, putting many of the village's businesses at risk of shutting down permanently, according to a report conducted by the municipality.
Gene Runtz, the mayor of McBride about 80 kilometres northwest of the park, said the trail is beloved by locals and visitors alike.
"It is a fabulous trip to go in there," he said. "People are excited."
New alpine cabin also planned
Meanwhile, the Alpine Club of Canada has announced it will begin construction this summer on a new 12-person alpine hut near the Berg Lake trail.
The $1.2 million project has been on the books since 2002, but has been put on hold for reasons ranging from the pandemic to flooding.
Located at Robson Pass, 24 kilometres along the trail from the park's information centre, the two-storey building will include a sleeping space and kitchen, with an "airlock" system to prevent cold air from getting in and solar panels to provide electricity, the club says.
The Alpine Club says it established its first exploratory camp at Mount Robson in 1913 — the same year the area was designated a provincial park.
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