Section of B.C.'s world-renowned Berg Lake Trail opens after flooding repair

One of the most acclaimed backcountry hiking trails in British Columbia has partially reopened after months of extensive repairs to rebuild portions of the path that were wiped out during record flooding nearly two years ago to the day.

B.C. Parks said the Berg Lake Trail, whichtakes hikers through Mount Robson Provincial Park near the Alberta border in central B.C., is now open between the trailhead and the Kinney Lake campground.

The seven-kilometre section is popular among both tourists and locals from nearby Valemount, B.C., leading along the gushing Robson River to the azure-blue Kinney Lake. Mount Robson the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies is visible on the way up.

The trailis now open for day trips and overnight camping at Kinney Lake's 18 sites, according to B.C. Parks.

Large parts of the 23-kilometre Berg Lake Trail wereseverely damaged whenrapidly melting snow and ice caused flooding during the province's record-breaking heat wave in 2021. Dozens of hikerswere evacuated from the parkover the Canada Day long weekend because of the extremely high water levels.

The area is immensely popular. Camping spots typically sell out for the entire summer within a few hours once reservations open in the spring during a normal season. B.C. Parks said the route offers "some of the most spectacular scenery in the province."

"It's visited by people within Canada, within British Columbia, but certainly by people from many different countries, and to have that trail system down for a long time affects not only the park system but certainly would affect the local communities through tourism revenue," said Brian Menounos,a University of Northern British Columbiaprofessor who's beenvolunteeringhis time as a consultant for B.C. Parks.

"It's been a tremendous loss, but at the same time, the park system and parks, in general, have to ensure thatwhen they do invest into the trail system, that it will be there for decades ahead."

Last summer, CBC News reported on crewsworkingto rebuild the trail so it can better handle future climate crises.

The renovations range fromrebuilding broken bridgesto reinforcing eroding riverbanks and elevating or rerouting vulnerable trail sections.

At Kinney Lake, tent pads have been moved farther from the lake's edge to prevent damage in the event of another flood.

To accommodate the growing number of visitors, the agency nearly doubled the number of parking stalls in the trailhead lot. Crews added 97 new spaces, including six accessible parking spots.

The entire trail is being fixed in three phases. The section between Kinney Lake and Whitehorn Campground is set to reopen next summer, while the portion between Whitehorn Campground and Berg Lake is scheduled to be done in 2025.

WATCH |How B.C. Parks is rebuilding the BergLake Trail to survive climate change:

How B.C. Parks is rebuilding a world-famous hiking trail to survive climate change

2 years ago

Duration 6:02

B.C. Parks is in the midst of repairing Mount Robson Provincial Park's Berg Lake Trail ruined by extreme flooding caused by 2021's heat dome. The time-consuming, complicated work is intended to protect the park from the damaging effects of climate change.