A group of Calgary outdoor enthusiasts is renewing pressure on the city to reopen the historic Douglas Fir Trail, a popular route in Edworthy Park that has been partially closed for years due to erosion concerns.
The trail, known for its steep slopes, narrow pathways and some of the oldest trees in Calgary, has faced intermittent closures for nearly a decade.
For many residents, the “temporary” restrictions now feel anything but.
“This does feel permanent to me because it’s been going on for nine years,” said Mike Bracko, curator of the Save Douglas Fir Trail group. “There’s a large group of people in the city who want to keep the trail open, who want to stop this kind of craziness that’s going on with the fences and the signs.”
Bracko says frustration is growing among regular park users, some of whom have begun flipping over closure signs in protest.
“Almost every time I come down here on the trail, I see signs that are turned over… people are sick of them,” he said.
The City of Calgary maintains that the closure is necessary due to ongoing slope instability and erosion along the hillside. Officials say they have no intention of permanently shutting down the trail but acknowledge that repairs have been slow.
“The trail is closed temporarily. We want to fix it,” said Amir Wazir, the city’s geotechnical engineering leader. “We are as passionate as any advocacy group or passionate users.”
“We want to open up the trail. We want to fix it with a higher standard though, with some design life in mind, and then open it up for the public.”
City staff say the next step is securing funding to complete the required stabilization work. Once funding is in place, officials plan to bring finalized designs to the public for consultation on the trail’s future.
Until then, the Douglas Fir Trail remains closed. A timeline on the city’s website says the “timing is still to be determined” under the trail’s reopening date.