First look at campgrounds in Jasper National Park paints stark picture — but there is hope

September 8, 2024 Canuck

Campsites in Jasper National Park would usually be packed with campers at this time of year. Instead, Parks Canada is focusing on cleanup and infrastructure restoration after a wildfire tore through the area in July.

The national park has been closed to visitors for weeks, and only recently re-opened to residents. But as of Friday, the public were once more able to access several day-use areas and trails.

Twisted metal and charred trees ripped straight from their roots littered the west side of the Wabasso campground in Jasper National Park on Saturday, when media were allowed to tour the area.

The sheer heat from the flames cracked boulders, while the wind tossed 75-pound campfire rings across the Athabasca River.

Despite these harrowing sights, the other side of the campground remains relatively unscathed.

Landon Shepherd, Parks Canada incident commander, said Wabasso is a good example of how differently a fire can behave in a small area.

“Some pretty incredible range of variation even in a short distance. And this end of the campground in particular, it’s very dramatic for what kinds of forces Mother Nature was displaying during this fire event,” he told reporters Saturday.

Amid the scenes of devastation, some signs of life are already starting to appear, as grass and greenery poke through the blackened ground.

A bit of grass is seen in the foreground, against a background of burned trees. — Greenery can be seen among dead trees in Wabasso Campground. (Charles Delisle/CBC)

Shepherd said researchers have been brought in to look at what contributed to the size and intensity of the fire.

“One of the things that they found is that the fuel conditions were the driest they had been since we started recording weather at our current weather site, so that’s 1962,” Shepherd said.

Though the fire in Jasper National Park is now under control, a massive amount of work remains.

The first goals are getting critical infrastructure outside the townsite back up, and removing any fire-weakened trees. After that, Shepherd said getting Marmot Basin ready for winter is a major priority for Parks Canada.

“That is kind of our interim goal for as early as this winter and for their ski season,” he said.

“And then the next objective will obviously be [determining] what we’re going to be able to safely offer people for next spring.”

Other popular campsites like Whistlers saw limited damage, but Shepherd said there is no official timeline for their reopening.

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In 2017, a wildfire wiped out more than 40 per cent of Waterton Lakes National Park, in southern Alberta. Since then, researchers have been studying the park’s ecology and its recovery. That’s serving as a benchmark for what Jasper can expect to see moving forward.

Jasper’s mayor, Richard Ireland, said he hopes the town will have enough housing ready for the seasonal workers needed to run operations like Marmot Basin.

“We share that goal with industry that we have a functioning winter season. We need that to allow businesses to at least be in a position to start again next spring,” he said in an interview Sunday.

“It’s not an easy chore.”

Ireland said that businesses have lost the late summer and fall seasons, putting many in a precarious financial position.

“Most businesses are saying they cannot go through an entire winter without business and still be viable in the spring. So some amount of winter business is going to be critical for the wellbeing of our community overall.”

Despite areas of the park being open to visitors again, lodging for both them and residents remains a huge challenge for the municipality, Ireland said.

“While we’re open, it’s still a challenge to have the visitors come in,” he said.

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