A significant rock slide along the Astoria Trail has raised serious safety concerns for backcountry travellers heading into the Tonquin Valley.
Shortly before noon on July 19, a series of rocks and boulders came tumbling down Oldhorn Mountain, about 8.5 km from the Astoria trailhead covering approximately 200 metres of the trail.
It鈥檚 the third rock slide to affect the area in the past two weeks, according to Gilbert Wall, owner of Tonquin Valley Adventures.
鈥淚 came upon it as the dust was settling,鈥� recalled Wall, who takes people on horseback to Amethyst Lake during the summer months.
鈥淚t happened between a group of hikers going down in front of me and me.鈥�
No one was hurt in the incident, but for Wall it was the last straw.
鈥淭his area of the trail has been an issue since we bought the company in 2001 and it has gotten progressively more active as the years have gone by,鈥� said Wall.
鈥淎lthough it鈥檚 been the stated responsibility of Parks Canada to maintain the trail it鈥檚 fallen to me to do that for the last 15 years.鈥�
After witnessing the latest rock slide he said he can no longer put his staff, horses and clients at risk, throwing into question whether he will be able to continue to operate this summer.
鈥淧utting myself in there is a different story, but asking people to go into that area just became impossible,鈥� said Wall.
Parks Canada confirmed it was aware of the rock slide and was monitoring the situation.
鈥淭he significant rainfall that the Jasper area has experienced over the past few months is a factor in the stability of the slope along the trail,鈥� wrote Steve Young, a communications officer for Jasper National Park.
鈥淧arks Canada continues to monitor the situation and is looking at potential short term and long term solutions to the slides.鈥�
He said warning signs are in place near the rock slide to inform travellers about the hazards in the area and said additional signs will also be placed at the trail head suggesting travellers use Maccarib Pass if they would like to avoid the area.
The Information Centre will also inform trail users about the hazards and recommend travellers access the Tonquin Valley via the alternate route.
For those who are unfamiliar with the area, the rocks came tumbling down the face of a moraine wall on Oldhorn Mountain.
According to Wall, the face of the wall gets undercut in wet weather releasing large quartzite boulders that roll down the mountain cutting across the trail.
鈥淪ometimes it鈥檚 one or in some cases it鈥檚 100 boulders. We鈥檝e had one event that buried the trail in almost four metres of material,鈥� said Wall.
鈥淵ou can put staff in there and try and clear it again and try and get horses through, but that doesn鈥檛 remove the risk or long term problem, so it has to be rerouted.鈥�
Paul Clarke
[email protected]
