Kananaskis backcountry off-limits with campgrounds, trails ‘a mess’

CALGARY — Albertans looking to get away from it all this long weekend could have limited options after the flooding wiped out entire campgrounds, eroded trails and left highways impassable.

The flooding has caused major damage in the parks and forever altered the backcountry in the Rocky Mountains.

“The damage is immense,” said Glenn Naylor, district conservation officer in Kananaskis Country. “It’s a mess.”

Officials toured the area by helicopter Monday to assess the damage to campgrounds and trails, and to take a look at the backcountry.

In Kananaskis, Naylor said, officials should be able to open some of the front campgrounds in time for the July long weekend, but the backcountry is closed until further notice.

“We don’t even know if the campgrounds are there in some cases,” he said, noting that trails and bridges are also washed out. “The backcountry will require over time a lot of work — bridge building and trail work — to get the trails back.”

A water researcher based at Marmot Creek in Kananaskis Country spoke of “utter destruction” in the area.

“You can’t even tell where the roads and trails were,” said John Pomeroy, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan.

“If that’s typical of what’s around elsewhere … then the backcountry is going to be really different and initially very unsafe.”

Officials in Banff National Park haven’t had a chance to survey the backcountry because crews are still working to open the TransCanada Highway, which washed out near its east gate.

Visitors can access Banff National Park by Highway 93S and Highway 93N to get to any of its campgrounds — including Tunnel Mountain, which is open. Others are expected to open by the weekend.

“We are trying our best to have all campgrounds open,” said Kara Sherrard, Parks Canada’s manager of visitor experience with Banff National Park.