High Rockies Trail

Completed in 2017, this approximately 80km portion of the Trans Canada Trail connects the Elk Valley of British Columbia to Banff National Park and offers breathtaking views of the Rocky Mountains. The Trail accommodates a wide variety of uses (biking, hiking, skiing, etc.) along its length and the segmented style of the trail allows users to choose a route location and length that meets their needs.

McElhanney was retained by the Alberta TrailNet Society to provide the preliminary and detailed design of the trail alignment, which considers more than 60 creek and drainage crossings, multiple avalanche run-out zones, challenging terrain features, alpine ecosystems, and wildlife, as well as integration with many existing trails and amenities. In addition, detailed design for a suspension bridge over Blackshale Creek was required. McElhanney also provided GPS mapping of the trail route that merged into GIS base mapping provided by Alberta Tourism, Parks & Recreation.