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Canmore Area Trails Master Plan engagement

Albertans shared feedback that will help shape a long-term trail management plan covering Canmore-area Crown land.

Overview

We gathered feedback to develop a new Canmore Area Trails Master Plan that will establish an integrated recreational trail system across Crown land within the Bow Valley.

The plan is designed to address growing demand for trails in the Canmore area, providing world-renowned recreational opportunities while protecting local wildlife and conserving habitat.

Your input, along with ongoing work with an advisory group including Indigenous communities and organizations, leaseholders, area landowners, and local community organizations, will support Alberta’s commitment to improve recreational infrastructure and services in the Canmore area and the Bow Valley, ensuring that local trails may be enjoyed now and for years to come.

Status

  • Open

  • Results under review

  • Completed

Who is listening

Ministry of Forestry and Parks

Get informed

  • About the area

    The Bow Valley surrounding the Town of Canmore has a multitude of uses and the area’s trails serve as a familiar daily playground for outdoor enthusiasts and a destination for visitors from near and far. It is also an important wildlife corridor in the central Rocky Mountains and is viewed as an extended backyard by residents of and visitors to one of North America’s most desirable mountain communities.

  • About the plan

    When complete, the trails plan will establish a trail system for lands across the Bow Valley that supports nearby wildlife corridors and habitats, while improving outdoor recreation and visitor experience. The plan makes recommendations for trail network additions, improvements, management and operations which will lead to:

    • improvements in the quality of wildlife habitat by shifting trails to concentrate human use and reduce human use in critical wildlife habitat
      • The trails plan will coordinate with the work of the Bow Valley fireguard and targeted fuel reduction which will also improve wildlife habitat quality.
    • a network of over 500 kilometers of designated trails that will address the evolving demand for trail-based experiences (downhill mountain biking, beginner trails, adaptive trails) and purposefully designed trails for different activity types
    • the network will provide a diversity of recreation options for different uses and experience levels
    • decommissioning 275 kilometers of trails where they intersect critical wildlife habitat, are not sustainably built and/or a similar experience is provided elsewhere in the proposed designated trail system
    • updates to trail governance and management processes to better support community involvement

    Building a more intentional, modernized recreational system will help give users a better idea of what to expect when enjoying their favourite activities which will make experiences more accessible, safe and enjoyable.

Timeline

  • Phase 1

    Gathered baseline information and inventory of trails.

    Summer 2023
  • Phase 2

    Developed draft project Terms of Reference.

    Spring 2024
  • Phase 3

    Gathered Indigenous and public input on draft project Terms of Reference.

    Summer 2024
  • Phase 4

    Developed draft Canmore Area Trails Master Plan.

    Spring/Summer 2025
  • Phase 5

    Gathered Indigenous and public feedback on draft Canmore Area Trails Master Plan.

    Winter 2025
  • Phase 6

    Release final Canmore Area Trails Master Plan.

    Spring 2026

Input received

Online surveys

  • Albertans shared feedback on the draft master plan through an online survey from November 26, 2025 to January 21, 2026.
  • Canmore Area Trails Preliminary Engagement Summary – Albertans shared feedback on the draft project Terms of Reference through an online survey from June 24 to July 24, 2024.

Trail inventory maps

  • Albertans contributed to an interactive map to explore draft plan recommendations and provide location-specific feedback.
  • Canmore Area Trails Preliminary Engagement Summary – Albertans contributed to the Canmore Area Trail Inventory mapping exercise between June 24 and July 24, 2024, to notify us of trail opportunities and issues on designated and undesignated trails within the project area.

Webinar

A public webinar about the Canmore Area Trails Master Plan project was held on July 2, 2024. Watch the webinar recording to learn more about the project background, scope and engagement process.

How we got here

A diverse advisory group including representatives from Indigenous communities and organizations, leaseholders, area landowners and local community organizations were engaged to complete the draft project Terms of Reference and draft Master Plan for the Canmore Area Trails. This project was previously titled Canmore Area Trails Strategy.

Outcomes

Feedback will help us develop the Canmore Area Trails Master Plan, which will be a Crown land trails plan for the area. The plan will guide capital development improvements, availability of quality trail experiences and approaches to managing the positive and negative impacts of trail use in the area for the next 10 years.

The Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park trails plan will also be updated.

Contact

Connect with the Canmore Area Trails Master Plan project team:
Email: [email protected]