This engagement has concluded

Have a question about the Fish Creek Provincial Park Trails Master Plan? Ask it here and our Parks team will post an answer within a few business days.

  • In Zone 4 a gravel trail is proposed to go from existing trail along tree line, cutting through the hillside of mixed forest to connect with the old shale trail. Why does taking heavy machinery into a wild space used by coyotes, deer and their smaller creatures make sense? Instead, we need an alternate choice across the grass field, from the corner of SVBlvd and Sikome Rd. to make a looped connection joining the gravel trail. The narrow sidewalk beside the high speed traffic on Sun Valley Blvd is the only loop adults can make with their children for learning bikes. The majority of walkers have dogs; a choice is needed to separate dogs who don't meet other dogs 'nicely'.( Some people don't control the dog's behaviour, so avoiding them is better.) The plan already gives a bike trail through the woods with sufficient access points. The proposed trail crosses land with several spring openings. Wild life uses these for safety. The hill above the ice caves has a 'barrier fence' that has never stopped people since it was built. In summer 2020 there were crowds of people climbing from the creek to the spring seeping pool. The trail down the sewer line is enough access to the lower park level from the field level in Sundance. Most people AVOID climbing the hill by taking a car to the creek level parking lots! In my 29 years of park use, I regularly have people say it is too scary to go through the trees to reach the creek! They use Sikome road and MidSun paved trail as their access because they feel safe.

    Bertha Ann Fisher asked almost 3 years ago

    Thank you for your comments. The Zone 4 trail is proposed to improve connections but we will have a look at the alternative choice you suggested. We’ll assess potential impacts of the proposed trail to the springs as well as wildlife cover and connectivity. We’ll also review the route through the grassland as an alternative to the one proposed.

     

    zone 4
    zone 4

  • Has Alberta Parks considered a numbered junction system for wayfinding in Fish Creek Provincial Park? https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2019/09/25/the-numbered-junction-network-for-recreational-cycling/ Glad to see thought and investment going into the park and a sustainable future for in-city mountain biking. Thanks!

    desmond.bliek asked almost 3 years ago

    We have not determined how the wayfinding will be styled or implemented for Fish Creek yet so suggestions like this one are great to have. Thank you.


    wayfinding,signage
    wayfinding signage

  • Your signage announcing this survey was stapled to the posts along Sun Valley Dr. S.E. That's like looking for your keys under a street lamp - all traffic, foot, bike, and otherwise through this part of the park walks by the garbage can. The signs are at access points that are not heavily used. I only saw the sign because I was avoiding a (known) aggressive dog.

    Elaine Murta asked almost 3 years ago

    Fish Creek staff posted signs on kiosks and trailhead boundary signs. Staff intend to shift the signs around to ‘re-fresh’ the locations.

  • Hello. Within Zone 3, there is an existing community connector that allows bicycle commuters to cross Fish Creek park. This is route 9 on the Zone 3 map, and crosses the Fish Creek river just south of Canyon Meadows Drive and Acadia Drive. The portion of the path just south of the bridge was damaged by erosion. However, I am concerned about the portion of the path north of the bridge that connects the path to the hill taking users up to Canyon Meadows Drive. This is a key commuter route but it is not maintained in the winter. With the amount of trees on both sides of the trail, the snow lasts does not melt easily. The alternate routes to get through Fish Creek add 15 minutes (in either direction) to each one-way trip. Please consider adding winter maintenance to this stretch of the trail to make it more accessible for cycling commuters. I live in Sundance and work near Chinook Centre, but the extra 15 minutes each way makes the trip a bit too long, so I end up slogging, and often falling, on the icy stretch that is not maintained. The extra length of trail to be maintained is approximately 250 metres. Thank you for your consideration.

    BryceMcLean asked almost 3 years ago

    The section of trail north of the bridge on route #9 is slated for a small reroute up the slope to decrease the steepness of the pathway. The Fish Creek maintenance staff suggest with the planned reroute, there should be no issue with clearing the snow. Maintenance staff will be checking to see if their snow clearing equipment will fit across the bridge (narrower than some other bridges) to access this section of trail. 

     

     

  • Will there be separate trails for walkers vs wheeled vehicles? Will motorized transportation like scooters and skateboards and bikes be allowed? Separating these two paths would be safer for everyone.

    Kathy Parakin asked almost 3 years ago

    All the trails in Fish Creek will be shared by both pedestrian and wheeled traffic. To accommodate all users, the paved pathway will be widened from 2.5 m to 3.0-4.0m through the length of the main corridor from Mallard Point to Shannon Terrace. High use areas and sections with higher potential for user conflict will be widened to 3.5-4.0m. 

    New alternate routes of a 3.0m width will be created around the busiest day use areas including: Shannon Terrace; Votier’s Flats; Glennfield; and Bow Valley Ranch.

    The Project Team did explore separating trail users through congested areas but determined that trail widening was the better option to efficiently use the space. We may consider passing pull outs in shorter sections where we are limited with pathway widths. 

    Motorized transportation such as scooters and skateboards are not permitted in Fish Creek under the Provincial Parks Act. E-bikes are currently permitted on the pathway at Fish Creek under the Alberta Parks e-bike Pilot program.

    user separation
    user separation

  • I want to know why bikes are allowed on the narrow paths. I am a senior with my dog. Often we are almost touching bikes who speed past us in a dangerous manner. I am often shocked at someone passing. The worst near- miss was on the winding path from the entrance to the hill from Sundance leading down to Sikome lake. The bike was on the pedestrian curving hill down and it was an adult man who did not stop but shouted at me to move over. I think this and other paths are very dangerous. Now I won't go to the park at weekends as it is too busy with bikes.

    Alexandra Oliver asked almost 3 years ago

    Due to the nature of terrain in Fish Creek, a number of access trails follow winding slopes to the valley bottom. While in some areas, we have proposed short reroutes to ease the steepness, it is impractical to reduce grades and curves at every access. To mitigate potential user conflict and increase safety, we will promote trail etiquette and user awareness through signage. In some areas, vegetation clearing and the installation of large mirrors may be used to improve sightlines.

    trail etiquette
    trail etiquette

  • I find it a little hard to read the map describing proposed changes (located on the washrooms at the bottom of Elbow Dr SW at Votier's Flats)... but am I right to think that more trails for pedestrians are being added? I hope that is what is happening since the park is being SO well used by both pedestrians and cyclists, especially during COVID. The park has been a life-saver through COVID for so many of us who use the park daily, COVID or no COVID. I hope when the proposed improvements to trails are being made, parts of the park are NOT going to be fenced off for long periods of time, especially when the need for this park is so great right now. Last time improvements to picnic structures were made, large parts of the park were fenced off for very long periods of time (a year or more). It seemed unnecessary for the work to take so long. In summary, thanks for answering my question regarding new (?) pathways, thanks for making improvements and thanks for NOT making large swaths of the park off-limits while new pathways and improvements are being made. Case in point: at the bottom of Elbow Dr at Votier's Flat the bike path was ripped up a month ago and fenced off. No work has been done since then. Why start ripping up pathways until absolutely necessary?

    Linnea Johnson asked almost 3 years ago

    The main asphalt pathway at Votier’s Flats will be widened from 2.5 m to 3.0m-4.0m depending on detailed design through this area. In addition, a new alternate route of a 3.0m width will be created to the west, adjacent the creek. 

    Alberta Parks is currently upgrading the toilet facilities at Votier’s Flats. Decommissioning of the old buildings was necessary before new construction proceeded. The pathway through this area may be impacted during building construction and utility servicing. 

    Alberta Parks will implement the Trails Master Plan in a phased approach over the next few years based on priorities. Larger sections of trails may only be closed when Parks is widening the asphalt pathway through the main corridor. Parks will do their best to schedule construction to reduce impacts to users. 

    votier's flats
    votier's flats

  • Why is Alberta Parks closing a ton of existing trails in the Park? What is the justification?

    thea.mitchell asked almost 3 years ago

    As part of the Trails Master Plan, Alberta Parks is striving for a sustainable trail system. All trails have an innate impact on the local ecology, but these impacts can be mitigated through intentional design, thoughtful location of trails, and building trails capable of handling anticipated demand. Some of the singletrack trails where not properly constructed leading to erosion issues. The trail system will be designed to reduce soil erosion on steep slopes and in riparian zones. Certain trails are proposed for closure that occur on steep unsustainable terrain or are redundant with other trails or access.

    proposed trail closures
    proposed trail closures

  • When will the asphalt pathways be paved PROPERLY? They were re-paved a few years ago, but the terrible, deep cracks ACROSS the pavement re-appeared within 2 years. It takes more than just to pave over the existing pavement.

    Manfred Czechak asked almost 3 years ago

    As part of the Final Trails Master Plan, there will be a trail repair plan for each zone. Pathway areas that require proper asphalt installation (reinstallation) will be identified and prioritized for replacement.

    pathway maintenance
    pathway maintenance