Kananaskis Country flood repairs open up more trails, campgrounds

Alberta Parks crews are back at work in Kananaskis Country rebuilding the trails, bridges and campgrounds that were damaged by flooding in 2013.

With a budget of $60 million, officials plan to have the parks in the area fully restored by the end of next summer, but people will be able to rediscover many of their favourite trails in the coming weeks and months.

"I think this year is the year that you're going to see a lot of different trails being redone and reopened," said Jeff Eamon, a trail supervisor with Alberta Parks.

"I think are going come back here and go, 'Wow. This is amazing. You know, it's even better than the original Kananaskis Country.'"

Memories of flooding

A 35-year veteran with Alberta Parks, Eamon won't soon forget being in Kananaskis Country the day the flood hit. 

"Rivers that were tame at the best of times just turning into these raging torrents the width of the Mississippi, running at probably 60 miles an hour." 

Bridges washed away. Parking lots became lakes.

"Mud slides, rock slides, you name it," said Eamon.

But amid all the destruction, he sees opportunity. 

He and his crews are working on a new and improved trail system — one where the trails and bridges are built within a more respectful distance of the streams and tributaries that run through Kananaskis Country. 

They're building higher bridges with different materials.  

A warped steel and cement bridge on Ribbon Creek illustrates why they're taking a new approach. 

During the flooding, when the creek swelled to three or four times its size, the bridge acted like a dam. It trapped debris and pushed the creek onto a new course. 

"It's a pretty cool testament to what water can do when it's let loose, and also what happens when you put a steel and cement structure in the middle of a creek in the backcountry," said Eamon.

He wants to see the bridge turned into a commemorative site where people can picnic and learn about the flood of 2013. 

Rebuilding trails

Further up Ribbon Creek, clouds of sawdust drift above a small construction site as chainsaws chew through cedar logs.

Crews are re-building a bridge along a trail known as The Link, which is about five kilometres west of Kananaskis Village. 

"Part of the thing that we'd like people to understand is that if we have to move a trail a little bit, if we have to build a new bridge, there are all kinds of ecological concerns that we have to take into account," said Jill Sawyer, a spokesperson with Alberta Parks.

"We want to look for nesting birds. We want to make sure that the fish habitat is okay," she said.

"It's a slow process, but be patient," said Eamon.

For hikers Nancy and Brad Biamonte the construction is a welcome sight. They have a condominium in Canmore and Kananaskis Country has some of their favourite parks. 

"It's a relief. And it's happening really quickly too. So, between last year and this year some of the areas that were under total construction and impassable last year, now you're going through them and you hardly even notice," said Nancy.