KANANASKIS – New campsites have been designated in Kananaskis Country for long-distance hikers and bikers, particularly users of the popular 80-kilometre High Rockies Trail.
Officials with Alberta Parks say designated hiker-biker camping areas were created in Spray Valley and Peter Lougheed provincial parks to give those travelling long distances a chance to get a site and prevent random camping.
Thea Mitchell, a park planner for Kananaskis Country, said the idea is part of a no-turn away policy for bikers and hikers on the trail, especially given campgrounds are busy and get full early these days.
“Long-distance biking is a growing trend and we wanted to be able to provide a safe place for people to camp if they haven’t made their destination of either Spray West or down into Peter Lougheed,” she said.
“There’s about a 50-km section where if people don’t make it that far between the two locations, we didn’t particularly want them random camping on the side of the road or beside the trail.”
The new hiker-biker camping areas along the popular trail, which was built in 2017 by Alberta TrailNet Society, include sites at Spray West Campground, Buller Mountain day-use area, Sawmill day-use area and Pocaterra overflow campground.
Food lockers have been installed so campers can keep food securely stored away from wildlife such as bears and wolves, and washrooms and self-registration kiosks are provided.
The maximum length of stay at Spray West campground is 16 nights. Only one-night stays are permitted at Pocaterra Overflow, Buller Mountain and Sawmill day-use. For 2021, the rate per night is $31.
In addition, Mitchell said hiker-biker camping is permitted between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. only at the day-use areas at Buller Mountain and Sawmill.
“We have some timing in place of when we want people to set up the site and leave in the morning because they are day-use areas,” she said. “It’s a way to provide facilities for campers on their way though.”
The High Rockies Trail extends from the Goat Creek trailhead in Spray Valley near Canmore to Elk Pass in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park at the Alberta-B.C. border. The trail is part of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and the Great Trail.
