Berg Lake Trail open for camping reservations
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
Camping reservations for the entire Berg Lake Trail have reopened as of April 2nd after nearly four years of most campgrounds being closed during the summer. The entire trail is scheduled to reopen on June 26th, and will be open for reservations through September 29th.
The world-renowned trail has largely been closed to summer visitors since a flood in June 2021 washed out several portions of the trail and damaged infrastructure such as bridges and picnic tables. BC Parks rebuilt the 23-kilometre trail in three phases, with the first phase consisting of rebuilding the roughly five kilometres of trail from the parking lot to Kinney Lake, and the second phase focusing on Kinney Lake to the Whitehorn campground, which sits around 11 kilometres from the trailhead.
The third phase, covering the Whitehorn campground through the rest of the trail, will be completed in time for summer, according to the Ministry of Environment and Parks. The rebuild has cost an estimated $5M and involved significantly rerouting parts of the trail which previously stretched through floodplains, the Ministry said in a press release.
The reopening announcement follows a recent trip Mayor Owen Torgerson took to Victoria, where he encouraged the Deputy Minister of Environment and Parks, Kevin Jardine, to reopen the trail to aid in Valemount’s economic recovery. The village took an estimated financial hit of $1.5M due to the closures of Highway 16 and Highway 93 last summer following the Jasper wildfire, and Torgerson has advocated for financial support from the provincial government.
Torgerson said visitors to Mount Robson account for about 25 per cent of the village’s economy annually, based on data gathered by the Village’s Economic Development Office prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This means the world-renowned trail will bring more contributions to Valemount businesses, he added.
In an interview with The Goat, Torgerson said he credits the Berg Lake Trail with drawing many visitors to Mount Robson Provincial Park. He added that unclear messaging during the highway closures may have discouraged would-be visitors from coming to the park – the road to Mt. Robson was open on the west side and only closed past the visitors’ centre, but Torgerson believes many people thought the park was closed entirely.
“The highway closures [said], ‘Closed at Tete Jaune. Closed at Swift Current Road.’ Nobody knows where Swift Current Road is… Everybody on the planet knows where Mount Robson Provincial Park is,” Torgerson said. “Hindsight is awesome, but if we had messaging that you could still get to Mount Robson, I think that could have been a draw.”
Now that the trail is open, Torgerson looks forward to welcoming Berg Lake hikers and campers to Valemount once again.
“The Village of Valemount is thrilled to be part of the wonderful news that nature enthusiasts and hikers alike have been eagerly awaiting,” Torgerson said in a press release. “I encourage everyone to plan a trip to experience the beauty of Berg Lake, and I appreciate the extensive work that has gone into restoring this beloved trail.”
McBride Mayor Gene Runtz echoed Torgerson’s comments in the press release, saying the trail boosts visitation to the Robson Valley.
“Reopening this iconic trail strengthens McBride’s position as a premier destination for nature lovers and adventure seekers, showcasing the breathtaking beauty of the Canadian Rockies and inviting travellers to explore all that the Robson Valley has to offer,” Runtz said.
