A well-liked hiking route in Squamish, British Columbia, is currently shut down following the discovery of two separate incidents of rockfall that caused damage to the park. BC Parks took the decision to close the main trail of Stawamus Chief on December 27 due to a significant portion of the trail being obstructed by debris, including rocks and fallen trees.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Environment and Parks in British Columbia mentioned that a geohazard assessment was carried out on January 2. Initially, it was thought that only one rockfall event had occurred, but the assessment revealed that there were actually two slide events. The first slide occurred on December 26 around 10:30 p.m., followed by the second slide on December 29 around 11 p.m.
The assessment identified several large rocks, approximately three to four meters in diameter, that had tumbled down, colliding with trees and carrying soil onto the trail. Geoscientist Pierre Friele, based in Squamish, suggested that the rockfall might have been triggered by a freeze-thaw cycle due to fluctuating temperatures on that day.
According to Friele, predicting such rockfall events is quite challenging, and he anticipates more rocks may fall in the area. He noted a rise in rockfalls since 2021, attributing it to either increased documentation of such events by people or shifts in climate patterns.
The park closure is indefinite, with no set timeline for cleanup. The next steps involve rock-scaling to ensure safety by removing loose rocks, followed by clearing debris, fallen trees, hazardous standing trees, soil removal, and repairing damaged structures. Visitors are advised to steer clear of the area until it is deemed safe for reopening.
