Find out the latest on the conditions out on the trail.
This page is updated frequently so refresh your browser for the most recent information. Trail conditions and closures are monitored by the GDTA but much of this information is crowd-sourced and depends on trail user contributions. Please report trail conditions via email.
August 20, 2026
Trails are generally clear and dry with occasional muddy or wet sections. There is increased fire danger due to hot dry conditions in the Canadian Rockies. Fire bans in southeast BC and in Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks. Hikers are strongly encouraged keep monitoring these conditions and to have the means of being notified of changing conditions.
Trail Closures
- SECTION D Closure: The David Thompson Heritage Trail is closed due to an active wildfire in the area. The BC Wildfire Service has implemented an Area Restriction Order under Section 11(1) of the Wildfire Act to address a public safety concern. A detour around the closure is not available which effectively cuts off the GDT in Section D. Hikers can still hike sections of the GDT in Yoho National Park but will require transportation between Sections C and E to bypass this closure.
- SECTION B NOTICE: West Fraser will be conducting logging operations near Allison Creek beginning mid-August. Heavy equipment will be operating in the area so hikers should proceed with caution when passing through cutblock 3383. A detour is recommended. See Map below.
CLOSURE – Kootenay National Park: Numa Creek Access Trail from Numa Creek campground to Numa Falls bridge is closed due to bridge washout and debris on trail.
Trail Notices
- TRAIL REOPENED: The main route of the GDT in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park reopened on July 31 using a temporary detour route that begins at the bridge over the Kananaskis River, approximately 500 metres west of Point Backcountry Campground, avoiding the washed out bridge over Upper Kananaskis River. Crews continue to conduct assessments and repairs of trails and campgrounds in the area so please stay off closed trails and out of restricted areas to protect your safety, allow crews to complete their work, and help prevent further damage to already vulnerable landscapes and infrastructure.
- CAMPGROUNDS REOPENED: Forks campground, Three Isle Lake campground and Turbine Canyon campground all reopened on July 31.
- NOTICE: The new Blaeberry River Cable Car at the northern end of the Collie Creek Alternate Route is now fully operational. It can handle 1 or 2 people plus gear at a time, but the effort required is less if one person rides and one person pulls the hand line from the loading platform. Solo hikers are able to pull themselves across without assistance. If two people are riding at the same time, sit or kneel on opposite sides of the rope so the cart stays vertical, which reduces friction between the cable car and the wheels. The Collie Creek Alternate Route is open and is the recommended route given the Cairnes Creek bridge has washed out.
- NOTICE: Cairnes Creek bridge was damaged over the winter and washed away this spring. A new temporary footbridge was constructed in June 2026 near the creek’s confluence with the Blaeberry River. To reach it, NOBO hikers should stay on the road all the way to the Blaeberry River, then follow the obvious trail heading north close to the river. The new bridge leads to the new Blaeberry cable car. SOBO hikers heading to Cairnes Creek Rec Site should bypass the cable car, continuing on the trail parallel to the river and cross the new footbridge to reach the campground.
- FIRE DANGER: There is increased fire danger due to hot dry conditions in the Canadian Rockies. Fire bans in southeast BC and in Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks are in effect. Smoke from wildfires is having a low to moderate impact on air quality in the southern Canadian Rockies but can shift quickly with changing wind patterns. If you must have a campfire in the backcountry, please ensure you follow the rules.
- BEARS: Bears are out and about, actively searching for food and focused on feeding. Be bear aware on the trails this summer, make noise and carry bear spray.
Access
- Highway 742 / Spray Lakes Road is closed between Grassi Lakes parking area and Goat Creek, southwest of Canmore due to a rockslide. No public access for any type of vehicle or on foot.
- Highway 40 is open to one lane alternating traffic at the Evan-Thomas Bridge, south of Kananaskis Village. Campers are able to access frontcountry campgrounds in Kananaskis but expect delays due to ongoing repairs.
- A Kananaskis Conservation Pass is required for all vehicles visiting Kananaskis Country and provincial sites in the Bow Valley Corridor. The pass is not required for people arriving without a vehicle on foot, horseback or bicycle.
- Walker Creek FSR is in good condition up to km 50 but the road is barricaded near km 52. The BC Ministry of Forests has indicated the road is closed beyond km 52 due to safety concerns and downrated (0 ton) bridges. Beyond that point, the road is very rough and overgrown and only accessible to OHVs for the remaining 23 km to the Bastille Creek trailhead.
- For more information, check out Alberta 511 and Drive BC.
National and Provincial Park Trail Conditions:
Banff National Park
Jasper National Park – Submit a Jasper trail condition report
Kootenay National Park
Waterton Lakes National Park
Yoho National Park
Akamina‐Kishinena Provincial Park
Castle Wildland Provincial Park
Castle Provincial Park
Elk Lakes Provincial Park
Height of the Rockies Provincial Park
Kakwa Provincial Park
Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park
Mount Robson Provincial Park
Peter Lougheed Provincial Park