Tinder-dry conditions cause closure of southern Alberta parks over fire fears

There might be a snag in some late summer backcountry plans, as shifting winds and hot temperatures forced numerous closures to parks southwest of Calgary.

Alberta Parks issued several advisories early Monday morning as the threat of wildfires to campgrounds and parks in Alberta and British Columbia escalated due to the scorching conditions.

“The protection of all Albertans and communities from the threat of wildfires is a top priority. Because of the hot, dry conditions, we’re treating this as a very serious situation,” Murray Langdon, spokesman for Alberta Environment and Parks, said Monday.

Alberta Parks evacuated campgrounds and day use areas Monday from Chinook Provincial Recreation Area, Dutch Provincial Recreation Area, Livingstone Falls Provincial Recreation Area and Honeymoon Creek Equestrian Camp due to extremely dry conditions.

“Wildfire conditions in these areas are well past the extreme level. In these conditions, wildfires can move very fast, and embers can create new fires several kilometres away. Forecasts indicate a new fire can reach up to 45 hectares in size in under an hour,” Alberta Environment and Parks Minister Shannon Phillips said in a Facebook post.

As of Monday, only one threehectare wildfire was registered as burning in Alberta’s Eastern Slopes and was listed as under control. However, the Verdant Creek blaze continues to burn just west of Banff in Kootenay National Park and Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park.

Langdon said one of the biggest problems facing wildfire control is unpredictability. “So much of fighting wildfires is dependent on the weather conditions. So when you have hot and dry weather conditions with wind involved — it’s very difficult,” he said. “There’s no crystal ball to this. All we can do is combat the fire as best we can.”

Other closures include: Bob Creek Wildland, Black Creek Heritage Rangeland, Lynx Creek campgrounds, Racehorse Creek Provincial Park, Oldman River North Provincial Recreation Area, Oldman River North Group Camp, Mount Livingstone Natural Area, Livingstone Falls Provincial Recreation Area, Beehive Natural Area, Castle Provincial Park and castle Wildland Park.

Chain Lakes Reservoir is closed, but the campground is still open for day use and camping.

Late Sunday evening, Parks Canada issued the closure of all trail hiking, scrambling or climbing trails in Waterton Lakes National Park due to extreme fire hazard. All of Red Rock Parkway, the Crandall campground, all backcountry campgrounds and visitor use of Cameron Lake is prohibited.

The Kenow Mountain fire, in southeast British Columbia, reached the park’s western boundary at Sage Pass and South Kootenay Pass on Sunday and is roughly 4,000 hectares, said Langdon.

Langdon said parks officials are monitoring the fires hour-by-hour, day-by-day but can’t say when the areas will reopen. An updated list of the closures can be found at albertaparks.ca

South of the border, flames in Montana’s Glacier National Park prompted officials to evacuate all residents, campers and tourists from one of the most popular areas of the park. The order Sunday affects the Lake McDonald area, the western side of the Going-tothe-Sun Road and some of the most visited trails in the area.

The Lake McDonald Lodge, built in 1913, closed last week because of heavy smoke in the area.