Threat of more rockslides delays opening of Hwy. 742 above Canmore

That includes Canmore access to the hugely-popular Ha Ling Peak and Goat Creek trails.

A month and a half after a rockslide blocked a road heavily used by outdoor enthusiasts above Canmore, the threat of more avalanches is delaying its re-opening. Heavy rains loosened boulders and other debris that crashed down onto the gravel Hwy. 742 just above the Grassi Lakes turnoff on June 1, blocking access to the Spray Lakes area and the rest of the Smith Dorrien Tr. from the Canmore side. That includes Canmore access to the hugely-popular Ha Ling Peak and Goat Creek trails.

And the provincial government said there’s still no date for its re-opening due to instability of the slope of the east end of Mt. Rundle that fell onto the roadway. But they said progress has been made in assessing the risk. “An engineering consultant has inspected the site to determine the scope of work, and we are working to secure a contractor to safely remove debris and any other rocks at risk of falling,” an Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors spokesman said in an email.

“An opening date will be determined once a schedule is set and the work is completed. Public safety is a top priority for Alberta’s government.” After rockslides and washouts were repaired at the other end of the road closer to Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, access to the lakes area was restored via Hwy. 40 at the end of June.

That also allowed campers and hikers briefly stranded in the Spray Lakes area to leave. Impatience at the closure at the road’s Canmore end is building among Kananaskis Country users. “In typical Canadian fashion it will take forever to reopen,” said one commentor on Alberta Park’s Facebook page.

“And this in the province that wants to speed up pipelines and other infrastructure projects.” Another gravel artery allowing access to hiking and biking trails remains closed following a washout on Powderface Tr. just south of the Dawson campground/day use area.

Meanwhile, the intense rains that briefly stranded about 1,500 campers in late June also left their mark on hiking and biking trails throughout the vast Kananaskis Country, said Trevor Julian, executive director the group Friends of Kananaskis Country. “There’s washouts and bridges missing but generally, a lot of the well-built trails are in good shape – they shed water,” he said. “Some have more erosion and more damage.”

One of the harder-hit areas is Cox Hill in northeastern K-Country and Ware Creek and the Sheep Trail in the region’s south, said Julian, whose group’s volunteers repair and maintain trails. His group’s damage assessment will continue in the coming days “and we’re combining that with repair work where we can do it by hand,” said Julian. The provincial government has also been assessing and repairing damage to day use areas, campgrounds and pathways.

Another gravel artery allowing access to hiking and biking trails remains closed following a late June washout on Powderface Tr. just south of the Dawson campground/day use area. The road links Hwy. 66 in the south to Hwy. 68 to the north in the Sibbald Flats area.

“It’s heavily-used so (the province) will want to get that open soon...there are four new trail heads and the closure will delay (their use),” said Julian. Fortunately, he said, the June rains weren’t nearly as heavy or destructive as those that caused fatal, devastating flooding in 2013. BKaufmann@postmedia.com X: @BillKaufmannjrn Catch up with the day’s headlines, curated by our editors and delivered to your email inbox at lunchtime on every business day.

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