Avalanche Closures in Banff, Yoho, Kootenay Parks

Extreme avalanche conditions have triggered widespread road closures and backcountry warnings across Banff, Yoho and Kootenay national parks in Alberta and southeastern British Columbia, as an atmospheric river dumps heavy snow and rain on an unstable snowpack. The closures, which began earlier this week and are set to continue through the weekend, aim to allow crews to conduct preemptive avalanche control and protect public safety amid what forecasters describe as the largest avalanche cycle of the season.

Parks Canada reported multiple natural avalanches between Wednesday and Thursday, some reaching valley bottoms, including the Emerald Lake Slide Path in Yoho National Park. Visitor safety specialists observed these events as conditions deteriorated, prompting the agency to rate the danger as extreme across the three parks on Thursday and Friday. Avalanche Canada echoed the assessment, forecasting high to extreme risk in surrounding areas of southwestern Alberta and southeastern B.C., with a special public avalanche warning in effect through March 24 for backcountry users in Banff, Yoho, Kootenay, Jasper national parks and Kananaskis Country.