Business craters for open tourist spots outside Jasper National Park

Owners of still-open businesses just outside Jasper National Park say patrons have evaporated in the wake of highway closures and the evacuation from a destructive wildfire.

Mount Robson Whitewater Rafting Co. owner Terry Cinnamon says he feels terrible for his industry colleagues in Jasper who lost rafts, vehicles and businesses when wildfire breached the townsite on July 24.

"It was predicted to be the busiest tourist season on record ever for Jasper and Banff," Cinnamon said. "And it was shaping up to be just that — until this happened."

His rafting business is near Tête Jaune Cache, B.C., about 90 kilometres west of Jasper and seven kilometres outside of the blockade stopping traffic heading east to Alberta on Highway 16.

Much of his business comes west on Highway 16 from Jasper, and up the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) from Banff.

Both highways have been closed in the area since Jasper National Park was evacuated on July 22.

Business has slowed to a trickle ahead of the August long weekend, which is usually the busiest tourism weekend of the year, Cinnamon said.

During peak season, the company usually takes 50 people rafting each day in two or three groups. Since the evacuation, they've seen a handful of customers each day, and sometimes, none.

"Because the highway was closed, our business dropped right off," he said.

Visitors from Prince George who can still reach Mount Robson are also cancelling bookings because they believe the highway is closed, he said.

Cinnamon has tried spreading the word by running radio advertisements in Prince George and posting on social media to tell potential visitors they're still ready to float down the Fraser River.

B.C. and Alberta businesses affected

Tourism destinations east of the national park are in similar straits.

Folding Mountain Brewery is west of Hinton, and beyond a blockade stopping drivers from travelling west down Highway 16 to Jasper.

The public is allowed down the highway to reach the brewery and other local businesses, but not everyone knows that, says Aric Johnson, Folding Mountain's co-owner.

"It has impacted our business significantly," he said. "But we have had great support from the first responders who are going back and forth, and Hintonites who are aware that they can still come out here regardless of the checkpoint."

At the Entrance Ranch west of Hinton, operator Rocky Notnes says he's dealing with daily cancellations from people who have booked campsites or a cabin.

If a visitor calls, Notnes can tell them their business is still open, and convince them to stick to their travel plans. But some travellers are cancelling bookings online, possibly assuming the ranch is inaccessible, he said.

"And they hear about the fire, and it scares them away," he said.

Nearby William Switzer Provincial Park remains open, he said, as are other hiking trails and beaches tourists could visit.

The wildfire that destroyed a third of the structures in the Jasper townsite is still burning in the park.

On Monday, Parks Canada said inspections of Highway 16 found the road and bridges in good condition.

On Wednesday afternoon, Parks Canada said it would open the shuttered stretch of the Yellowhead Highway between Jasper and Mount Robson to only large commercial vehicles within the next 24 hours.

That's one hopeful sign for people whose livelihoods depend on tourists driving down that corridor.

"It's nice to have so many Edmonton residents make us a regular stop on their travels to the mountains," Brewery owner Johnson said. "We know that that will happen again, and we can't wait."