A year of extreme weather events: impacts on BC Parks

During the past year, climate change has been at the forefront of our minds. We have seen extreme weather events across the province from an intense wildfire season and extreme heat to multiple atmospheric rivers. Not surprisingly, some BC Parks trails, campgrounds and access roads have been significantly impacted by these events. There has been extensive trail erosion, blown out bridges, campsites swallowed up by flooded rivers, rivers that have shifted to new locations, and floods have moved significant amounts of gravel to cover existing campsites and day use areas.

As warmer weather approaches, we know you’re getting excited to plan your summer adventures to BC Parks. We want to make sure you’re aware that some parks are still significantly impacted from these weather events and may look different than in previous years. In some areas, BC Parks staff haven’t even been able to access certain parks due to significant road damage, so the extent of damage remains unknown.

Thanks to the efforts of BC Parks staff on the ground, contractors and partners, we’re able to ensure multiple popular campgrounds and day use areas that were impacted are ready to open this season. For the more significantly impacted areas, some parks and facilities will need to remain closed. We are working with partners and contractors to re-open these as soon as we can, keeping in mind that we have short weather windows, the need to follow important environmental regulations, and a strong commitment to rebuild with climate change resiliency in mind. Our hope is that this will help prevent or minimize future infrastructure impacts during extreme weather events.

One such trail is the Berg Lake Trail that was significantly damaged by a flood in summer 2021. For 2022, the trail will be closed and the focus will be on repairing several bridges, updating the Kinney Lake Campground, and repairing the first 7 km of the trail (trailhead to Kinney Lake Campground).

The best place to find up to date information on park impacts and closures is the parks webpages. We will keep you informed in the lead up to and during the busy summer season.

Thank you for your patience. We are committed to keeping you safe, protecting nature, and prioritizing climate change resiliency in BC Parks.