Highway 93 reopened: for now

Highway 93 has reopened, but for how long is anyone’s guess.

The Highway has closed and reopened several times due to smoke from the nearby Verdant Creek wildfire.

Drive B.C. does caution that visibility in the area does continue to be an issue and recommends travel between the hours of 7:00 am to 2:00 pm MST. As well, drivers should be prepared for reduced speed, possible delays and possible closures.

While it doesn’t threaten any communities at this time, smoke from the 11,000-hectare Verdant Creek wildfire is affecting an area from the U.S. border to Jasper National Park.

There are also a number of closures to help fire operations and to reduce the potential for additional fire starts.

One road to keep an eye on is Highway 93, just west of the Alberta/B.C. border to Radium, it opened and closed Saturday afternoon as the situation continued to change. Officials say you can expect closures throughout the long weekend because of smoke and firefighting efforts against the Verdant Creek wildfire. If the road becomes closed again, officials suggest continuing into Golden, turning left on Highway 95 and then following the signs as a detour.

The area northwest of Honeymoon Pass Trail including the Hawk Creek Trail and Kootenay Park Lodge has been closed in Kootenay National Park.

Starting Saturday, portions of the Rockwell Trail will be closed from the Floe Lake trailhead on Highway 93 south to Tumbling Pass, including Floe Lake and Numa Creek backcountry campgrounds.

The area to ball pass from the junction of whistling valley has also been closed in Banff National Park.

Sunshine Village will remain shut down, along with trails in the Egypt Lake area and the Brewster Creek area. A number of backcountry campgrounds are off limits as well.

A fire ban also remains in effect in Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks.