Wood Buffalo National Park

Information Bulletin

Parks Canada COVID-19 Response:
All public facilities and backcountry in Wood Buffalo National Park
closed to visitation
Highway 5 remains open to through traffic

FORT SMITH, NT, March 24, 2020 – In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Parks Canada today announced stronger measures to limit public gatherings and reduce the risk of transmission. On the Parks Canada website, the following information update was posted this morning:

“Parks Canada is temporarily suspending all motor vehicle access by visitors at all national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas effective 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, until further notice. All visitor services remain suspended and all visitor facilities remain closed.

This means that all parking lots, vehicle services, trails, washrooms, day use facilities, showers, visitor centres, and all camping facilities, including oTENTiks, yurts and backcountry camping, are closed until further notice.

Highways and roadways which pass through Parks Canada places will remain open.

Parks Canada will limit its activities to basic critical operations.”

Visit the link here:

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/voyage-travel/securite-safety/covid-19-info

In Wood Buffalo National Park:

• Highway 5 between Hay River and Fort Smith remains open for through traffic. All services and facilities along this corridor are closed.
• The Pine Lake Road is closed and gated east of Peace Point.
• Traditional harvesting and Indigenous access to Wood Buffalo National Park lands may continue. Land-users should ensure they adopt social distancing measures as recommended by the Public Health Agency of Canada:
  https://www.canada.ca/en/public- health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/social-distancing.html .

For more information, please call:

Information: