Smother nature

IN BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA, AS IN PROTECTED AREAS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, MANAGERS ARE STRUGGLING TO BALANCE THE DESIRE TO EXPERIENCE WILDERNESS WITH AN IMPERATIVE TO CONSERVE IT

- RYAN STUART

WAKING UP AT 5 A.M. is what mount­aineers call an alpine start. The early rise gives climbers time for a chal­lenging day in the mountains — or to travel before rising temperatures increase avalanche danger or thunder­ storm risk.

Harvey Locke’s early wake­up was for a more humble and troubling rea­ son. He just wanted to hike with his son and daughter on one of the world­ class trails near Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, Alta. Locke is no stranger to the park and the world’s natural wonders: a longtime Banff resident, he is also founder of the Yellow stone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, a plan to connect protected areas from Wyoming to northern Canada, and the past chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Commission on Protected Areas.

It was July 2019, and Canada’s oldest and most popular national park was crowded. With its snowy glaciers, tur­quoise lakes, flower­filled meadows, jagged skylines and abundant wildlife, the park nestled among the iconic Rocky Mountains has always been a popular draw: Banff accounts for about a quarter of all visitors to Canada’s 48 national parks. But in recent years, visits surged to a record 4.2­million people each year. Locke had seen the congestion of cars and people increase dramatically. He knew if his trio wanted a parking spot at the lake, they would have to get there early. Like alpine early.

It wasn’t early enough.