Mount Robson Provincial Park fully reopening following 2021 flooding

Andrew Kurjata · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 26, 2025 7:49 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

One of bluish B.C.'s astir fashionable parks is afloat reopening for the archetypal clip since being destroyed by flooding astir 4 years ago.

Starting April 2, B.C. Parks volition instrumentality reservations for campgrounds connected Mount Robson's Berg Lake trail, astir 280 kilometres southeast of Prince George, adjacent the entranceway to Jasper National Park successful Alberta.

The highest highest successful the Canadian Rockies, parts of the Mount Robson way were closed successful the summertime of 2021 aft a record-breaking vigor question rapidly melted snowfall and ice, sending h2o cascading down the mountain, destroying bridges and infrastructure on the way.

Dozens of hikers were evacuated from the park, which is immensely popular, with camping spots typically selling retired implicit the summertime wrong a fewer hours of reservations opening.

WATCH | How B.C. Parks is rebuilding the Berg Lake Trail to past clime change: 

"Mount Robson Park is simply a peculiar place, drafting thousands of radical from crossed Canada and the satellite to acquisition the earthy beauty," Tamara Davidson, Minister of Environment and Parks, said successful a release. "Having undergone repairs to assistance withstand the impacts of clime change, we're thrilled to invited families and friends backmost to the entire Berg Lake Trail."

The state says astir 20,000 hikers and campers visit the 23 kilometre, multi-day way annually. As of past year, astir 11 kilometres of the way had reopened. But this summertime the full way volition beryllium unfastened for hikers. 

Reservations for the park's 7 backcountry campgrounds are required betwixt its afloat opening connected June 26 until Sept. 29.

Day usage hikers are already capable to usage the little levels of the way and from May 15 until June 25, the little levels Kinney Lake and Whitehorn campgrounds volition beryllium unfastened connected a archetypal come, archetypal served basis. 

Reopening a boost to adjacent communities 

The parkland has been rebuilt successful phases and with an oculus to making it amended capable to grip aboriginal clime crises.

The renovations scope from rebuilding breached bridges to reinforcing eroding riverbanks and elevating oregon rerouting susceptible way sections.

Owen Torgenson, politician of the adjacent assemblage of Valemount, welcomed the news. Visitors to Mount Robson relationship for astir 25 per cent of the section economy, helium said.

Those visitors volition beryllium particularly important to the assemblage arsenic it continues to recover from the impacts of the adjacent Jasper wildfires past year. Hundreds of residents sheltered successful the assemblage pursuing that disaster. And tourism decreased successful the aftermath of the fires, putting galore of the village's businesses astatine hazard of shutting down permanently, according to a study conducted by the municipality.

"I promote everyone to program a travel to acquisition the quality of Berg Lake, and I admit the extended enactment that has gone into restoring this beloved trail," Torgenson said successful a written statement.

New alpine compartment besides planned

Meanwhile, the Alpine Club of Canada has announced it volition statesman construction this summertime connected a caller 12-person alpine hut adjacent the Berg Lake trail.

The $1.2 cardinal task has been connected the books since 2002, but has been enactment connected clasp for reasons ranging from the pandemic to flooding.

Located astatine Robson Pass, 24 kilometres on the way from the park's accusation centre, the two-storey gathering volition see a sleeping abstraction and kitchen, with an "airlock" strategy to forestall acold aerial from getting successful and star panels to supply electricity, the nine says.

The Alpine Club says it established its archetypal exploratory campy astatine Mount Robson successful 1913 — the aforesaid twelvemonth the country was designated a provincial park.