Three provincial campgrounds reopened to the public Wednesday, but many more of the government’s 20 campgrounds and 110 parks remain closed for damage cleanup and assessment following hurricane Dorian.
“There was a lot of damage,” Tara Crandlemere, the manager of parks and recreation for the lands and forestry department, said.
“With this storm so widespread ... there’s extensive damage with blow down. With some of the more heavily impacted parks we’re talking 70-plus trees down.”
She said many parks also don’t have power yet, and that means no water either.
“The top priority for us is obviously visitor safety and staff safety,” she said. “Staff on the ground are doing post-inspection assessments of the parks.”
The campgrounds at Graves Island, Mira River and Whycocomagh opened Wednesday, while the others are closed until at least Friday. They will be reassessed on Thursday.
Crandlemere said some of the more heavily damaged campgrounds were Amherst Shore, Caribou, Rissers and Blomidon. Refunds will be issued
“We’re not sure about those ones, they had extensive damage,” she said. “There is still no power and multiple trees down.”
She said assessments are still underway on day use parks and beaches, which are being opened as staff deem them to be safe.
“What visitors can expect is that some of the services may be impacted, so while the property is open, since there is no power or we’re having water issues, some of the comfort stations may remain closed.”
She said if parks are opened, people need to respect signs if trails are closed off by staff because they aren’t safe.
She said at Martinique Beach, two of eight access points to the beach have been impacted and are closed.
Heathers Beach, Cape Split and Taylor Head were some of the most heavily damaged day parks.
“We are recommending people check with the local offices to see if the parks are open,” Crandlemere said.
At Blomidon Provincial Park on Wednesday, staff were clearing some of the approximately 150 trees that fell in the campground and the hiking trails.
District supervisor Kirk Webster said there was no substantial infrastructure damage, but power was still out and some lines are snapped.
The trails have fallen trees across them and in some cases hanging above them.
He said Cape Split is also not safe yet, with about 50 trees down and some washouts on the trail system. Staff were starting to clear the trees Thursday, but expected the cleanup will take a couple of days at least.
Parks Canada said that Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site and Kejimkujik Seaside will remain closed until further notice.
It said in a release that there is still no electricity in the park and hundreds of fallen trees pose a serious risk to visitors.
Crews are focusing on removing dangerous trees in the front country areas, and hope the park can reopen to visitors next week. An update is expected next Wednesday.
Anyone with reservations will be contacted and will get a refund.
At Kejimkujik Seaside, trails have extensive damage or have been washed out and pose a risk to hikers. Workers are trying to stabilize the main trail to Harbour Rocks Beach, with an update scheduled for Friday. The Boyd’s Cove Trail and Harbour Rocks Trail to St. Catherine’s Beach will remain closed for the season due to the extensive damage sustained.
The Cape Breton Highlands National Park campgrounds and park remain open, but some trails may be closed.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada has closed its coastal hiking trail at Gaff Point, Lunenburg County, because of damage caused by the hurricane. It said there are trees over the trail, and some sections of the trail have washed away so it’s not safe for hikers. The closure will last a few weeks while repairs are made.
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