Flood damages cause areas of Riding Mountain National Park to remain closed

Sections of Riding Mountain National Park have had to remain closed to the public due to significant flood damage.

While conditions have improved enough to re-open some trails, other parts are closed for the foreseeable future, potentially for the season.

“We’ve had really significant spring flooding this year that’s washed out roads and taken away bridges and culverts,” said Dameon Wall, external relations manager with Parks Canada.

One of the bridges washed away was the bridge connecting to the Lake Audy campground, which will now be closed for the season.

“All of these decisions are being driven by safety,” said Wall. “We have a responsibility to keep the people safe, but also the area safe as well. So having people come into areas where roads are washed out, where culverts are gone or bridges are missing, puts them at risk.”

Other sections of the park that remain closed include a 25 km stretch of Provincial Highway 19 from Lake Catherine to east of the park due to several sections of washed out road.

The park’s townsite and the majority of the campsites and walking trails have remained unaffected and will continue to operate as normal.

“We still have a very active community here in the Wasagaming townsite,” said George Hartlen, chief administration officer of Friends of Riding Mountain, a non-profit group focused on raising awareness of the park’s natural and cultural heritage. “So people can just offset what they would normally do in those locations and focus more onto those spots that are open.”

Rebuilding the damaged areas will require more time and planning to ensure it doesn’t keep happening. “We don’t want to just build back to the same standards here,” said Wall. “We’re looking at situations where, if we have increasing flooding or severe weather events in the future, we want to make sure any investments we’re making here are for the long run.”

While the Lake Audy campsite will be closed for the season, other sections will re-open as repairs continue and as flood conditions allow, but it may take several months.