A new alpine facility will be built at Robson Pass, in B.C.’s Mount Robson Provincial Park.
The Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) has the go-ahead to construct a two-storey, 12-person alpine hut near iconic Berg Lake, at the doorstep of mighty Mount Robson.
“We’re super excited,” said Keith Haberl, the ACC’s director of communications.
With the requisite approvals in place, site surveys completed and environmental impact assessments ticked off, the ACC is launching their Spiral Road campaign, 20-some years since the idea of a hut at Robson Pass was first discussed.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Haberl said.
Construction of the $1.2 million facility is on track to begin this summer.
Earlier pushes to build the hut were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic and then the closure of the Berg Lake Trail due to high water and trail washouts in 2021, Haberl said.
BC Parks is currently in the final phases of trail rehabilitation. They expect the trail to Berg Lake to be open this summer.
Meanwhile the ACC is moving their plans forward.
“We’re full steam ahead. We will be open to guests come summer 2026,” Haberl said.
When completed, the new hut will be a gateway for adventures at 1,646 m, next to the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies (Mount Robson’s summit is 3,959 m). Haberl said ACC members will be drawn to the incredible hiking and climbing opportunities in the summer, and to excellent ski touring in the winter. He noted guests will have the option of helicopter access—a continued partnership with local aviation operators.
“Berg Lake is one of the crown jewels of the Rockies,” he said. “Aside from Mount Robson, there are a number of peaks and interesting ski tour terrain that adventurers will go for in the area.”
Jasper-based ACMG-certified guide Matt Reynolds, who is president of the Jasper/Hinton section of the ACC, has expressed his support of the project in the past. In 2020 he told the Jasper Fitzhugh the location is highly sought by “hikers and mountaineers alike.”
“It’s a really popular hiking destination for people who don’t want to camp in the elements,” he said. “It really will be quite a good thing for the community as a whole.”
Haberl noted the club has had a presence in the Mount Robson area for more than 100 years— the first ascent of Mt. Robson was on an ACC camp, in 1913. The ACC has also based multiple General Mountaineering Camps out of Berg Lake over the years.
The hut will be named the Robson Pass/Byron Caldwell hut. Byron Caldwell passed away while scrambling in Kananaskis Country in 2018. He summited Mount Robson in 1988 with the ACC.
Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com
