Popular Ha Ling Peak trail will close at times for major makeover this summer
One of the most popular trails in Kananaskis Country will be out-of-bounds to hikers for part of this summer.
The trails leading to Ha Ling Peak will be repaired after much wear and tear over the past few decades.
The three-kilometre hike goes up the steep mountain to a beautiful view. Based in the Bow Valley Wildland Provincial Park, it overlooks the mountain town of Canmore, Alta.
More ambitious folks scramble up the front of the mountain, as well.
"The sheer numbers" of hikers — as many as 670 reaching the summit on a busy August day — has worn down the narrow trail, says Thea Mitchell, a park planner with Alberta Parks.
"It's a straight forward trail that people can reach a mountain summit," she said. "They can see all the way to the prairies. It really is spectacular. There's a reason it's popular."
Mitchell first hiked the trail in the early 1990s. Back then, she'd encounter only a few people.
A volunteer group had done some work on the trail, but she said now it needs significant upgrades to accommodate such a volume of active hikers.
"Over the years, we've seen a great increase of users on that peak, and the trail has become severely eroded in some locations," Mitchell said.
The trail is too narrow, so hikers step off the trail to let others pass. As the trail is so steep, they often have to hang onto tree branches for support.
Check for closures
Alberta Parks is planning to change some sections of the trail to switchbacks so it's a more gradual climb.
Crews have removed some trees and will be doing blasting in order to widen and smooth out the trail.
They've already closed the trail once, in early April, for tree removal. The next closure is expected in June, she said, once the blasting and construction begins.
When that happens, the entire mountain will be closed. Hikers should check the Alberta Parks advisory page for closure notices, as those dates aren't yet set.
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With files from Elizabeth Withey and the Calgary Eyeopener.
