A aerial photo of the Rabbit Creek wildfire in Prince Albert National Park, taken in August 2018. The fire started as a controlled burn in the park's southwest corner, but grew out of control and torched around 36,665 hectares. (Parks Canada/file)

By Logan Lehmann

Restrictions

Majority of Prince Albert National Park closed off due to wildfire risk

May 29, 2025 | 12:53 PM

Officials in Prince Albert National Park have closed and restricted most areas within its boundaries due to the hot, dry conditions that prompted an extreme wildfire risk.

A release posted by Parks Canada on Wednesday said that the order was issued by Superintendent of the Northern Prairies Field Unit, Jennifer Duquette, which said that all areas of the park, minus Waskesiu, Hanging Heart Lakes and select trails and campgrounds, are closed off to the public.

Areas that have been restricted include:

• All backcountry areas in Prince Albert National Park
• Kingsmere Road, west of Narrows Peninsula Trail
• Elk Trail and the Valleyview network of trails, excluding the Valley View easy and moderate trails
• All of Crean Lake, including Crean Kitchen campground and day use area
  These are the areas closed as of May 28. (Parks Canada)

Like most regions in Saskatchewan, the area is under a full fire ban, which has been in place since May 5.

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The last time a fire was sparked in Prince Albert National Park was in May 2021 when a lightning strike ignited the Phoenix fire in its southwest corner, burning around 30 hectares. That fire charred the same area as the Rabbit Creek wildfire in May 2018, however, that fire grew to approximately 36,665 hectares and started as a controlled burn.

Aggressive bear shuts down Kingsmere Wilderness Area

Earlier in the week, officials at the park were forced to close the trails around Kingsmere Lake after an aggressive black bear took over the area.

The closure included the Grey Owl trail, Kingsmere River trail, Kingsmere River, and Bagwa canoe route.

Black Bear Biologist with the Ministry of Environment Matthew Tokaruk said that black bear attacks are almost unheard of, and they’re not typically fans of people.

“Black bears don’t want to be around us any more than we want to be around them. It’s very rare to have an aggressive encounter with a black bear.”

The most recent known black bear attack within the park’s borders happened in August 2018 when a mother and her 11-year-old son crossed paths with one while biking on Grey Owl trail. The bear circled and attacked the duo three times before the mother successfully fended off the animal, and the two biked to safety.

Tokaruk said that if you encounter a black bear, you should speak in a lower, deeper voice and to not look directly at the animal. If the bear continues your way, get out of sight and to a safe place, but not up a tree, as black bears are excellent climbers. And of course, always carry bear spray when out in the wilderness, and if you need to use it, aim for the animal’s feet rather than its face, as it’s easy to overshoot the target when pointing bear spray.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

On Bluesky: @loganlehmann.bsky.social