• Effective Date: October 16, until November 30, 2024, or until further notice. 
• Where: Areas along Highway 742 (Smith Dorrien Trail).
• Why: Alberta Parks will be conducting gate and sign installation work at various locations along Highway 742 (Smith Dorrien Trail.) Heavy equipment will be working on site and a single lane in one direction will be temporarily closed along the Smith Dorrien Trail. The Contractor will install temporary barricades, fencing, and signage to delineate work areas. Please respect all signs and fences and stay away from any active work zones.

The following areas will be affected:

Avalanche Gate and warning sign Installation

• The top of the Canmore hill

Signs installation at following locations

• Junction of 742 and Kananaskis Lakes Road
• Location by MS Camp
• Junction of 742 and Mt Shark Road
• Location at Goat Creek Parking Lot

• Effective Date: September 30, 2024 until further notice.
• Where: Rockwall Trail and Peter Lougheed Discover Centre and Meadow Area.
• Why: Multiple grizzly bears frequenting the area.

• Effective Date: September 19, 2024, until further notice.
• Where: Highwood Pass area.
• Why: It’s that time of the year again and larch season is expected to be busy in Kananaskis. With current construction and closures in the Highwood Pass area, we are reaching out to ask for your help in avoiding the Highwood Pass area this fall to reduce congestion and ensure the construction work can be completed as soon as possible. 
  • Expect the parks to be busy. Set your expectations ahead of time and make a backup plan if your initial destination’s parking lot is full.
  • Please avoid the Highwood Pass Area. There is extremely limited parking (and intermittent closures) due to ongoing construction and roadside parking is not allowed. This area includes the Highwood Pass Parking Lot, Arethusa area and Little Highwood Parking Lot.
  • Go early in the morning or mid-week. Staying flexible and visiting outside of the busy times (Saturday and Sunday mid-day) can help secure a parking spot and a better experience on the trail.
  • Bears are highly active in the fall. As they prepare for hibernation by eating and drinking as much as possible, they may be less observant and aware of their surroundings. It’s extremely important to be bear aware right now. Carry bear spray where you can easily reach it and know how to use it.
  • Larch Season overlaps with rutting season. Many male animals, including moose and elk, enter their mating season, or rut, from mid-September until the end of October. Rutting changes animals' behaviours, making them more territorial, less aware of their surroundings and more aggressive. Give these animals plenty space and avoid provoking them by keeping any pets close and on leash.
  • Weather in the fall can quickly change. Pack extra layers and rain gear. Make sure someone knows where you are going and when you are expected to return. Cell phone coverage may be non-existent so make sure to call and let them know when you are back in a service zone.

  Visitors looking for alternatives can call the Kananaskis Information Line at (403) 678-0760 or stop by a Kananaskis Information Centre. Recommendations for alternatives viewing areas/trails fall colours or larches are:

  Chester Lake, Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
  Yamnuska, Bow Valley Wildland Provincial Park
  Mt Lorette Ponds, Bow Valley Provincial Park
  Prairie View, Bow Valley Provincial Park
  Buller Pass, Spray Valley Provincial Park

• Effective Date: September 18, 2024, until further notice.
• Where: Highwood Interpretive Trail and the Pocaterra Cirque area up to the summit of Pocaterra Ridge and Grizzly Col (see attached map). While visitors will still be able to access the Pocaterra Ridge route from the north and return back the same way, hikers are asked to avoid the area entirely this season. There is extremely limited parking (and intermittent closures) due to ongoing construction and roadside parking is not allowed.
• Why: Alberta Parks is working to formalize parking and trailhead facilities at Highwood Pass through adding additional parking lot capacity. Due to hazards and the presence of heavy equipment, the access to Pocaterra Ridge is unavailable. To limit trail braiding and provide safety for construction workers, trail crews and the public, this area is closed.

• Effective Date: June 26, 2024, until further notice
• Where: Highwood Meadows Day Use Area
• Why: Please be advised that Alberta Parks is closing the area encompassing the new Highwood Meadows Day Use parking expansion area. To provide safety for construction workers, trail crews and the public, Parks will implement an area closure that encompasses the new parking area, Highwood Meadows Interpretive Trail and west routes such as Pocaterra Cirque, with intermittent closures at the existing Highwood Meadows parking area and Ptarmigan Cirque to accommodate some minor reconfiguration. Construction is scheduled to start at the beginning of July and may take until November 2025. The existing Highwood Meadows Day Use Area Parking Lot will have intermittent closures throughout the construction period to accommodate construction activities. Construction crews will be on site upgrading the parking lots.
  
  To support construction activities, Alberta Parks may have to intermittently close access to all or parts of the area for the following reasons:
  • To reduce danger to visitors as contractors work in the area moving heavy equipment, clearing vegetation, and hauling asphalt for paving.
  • There is no alternative trail access for Highwood Meadows Interpretative Trail.
  • It is more time and cost effective. The contractor needs to be able to work efficiently without keeping track of the public in the area. Alberta Parks wants to complete the project as efficiently as possible.

  Conservation Officers will enforce the area closure under the Provincial Parks Act. Please do not cross construction barriers and follow all signage.
  
  Visitors looking for alternatives can call the Kananaskis Information Line at 1 403-678-0760 or stop by a Kananaskis Information Centre.

• Effective Date: Seasonal closure until further notice
• Where: Valleyview Road from Elpoca Day Use Area to HWY 40 (South) near Little Highwood Day Use Area, including Valleyview Day Use Areas.
• Why: Frequent bear activity in this area