As the City of Calgary continues construction on the Douglas Fir Trail, its most loyal supporters are fighting for its long-term accessibility.

For nearly 30 years, Mike Bracko has laced up his running shoes or grabbed his dogs’ leashes to head for Calgary’s Douglas Fir Trail. Today, many of the paths he has relied on for decades are behind fences.

Bracko’s concerns come as the City of Calgary continues slope stabilization work and begins planning long-term repairs for the Douglas Fir Trail in Edworthy Park. While sections of the trail reopened in June, other areas remain closed because of slope stability concerns, trail conditions and active construction.

The City’s website says its long-term goal is to safely reopen the entire trail, though the larger repair project has not yet secured funding. 

Bracko, a resident of Wildwood, said what he created as a Facebook page to keep trail users updated about construction has grown into a community campaign to preserve one of Calgary’s best-known urban hiking trails as the City plans for its future.

“I wanted to get information out to the public and to people who use the trail about what’s going on with the trail in terms of closures and construction,” Bracko said.

Bracko said he originally stumbled upon the trail shortly after moving back to Calgary around 30 years ago while looking for a new running route.

“I found the Douglas Fir Trail and that changed my life,” he said.

Since then, the trail has become part of his daily routine for running, hiking, training for mountain climbing and walking his dogs.

The beginning of Douglas Fir Trail changes

About 14 years ago, Bracko said he began noticing fences and warning signs appearing on portions of the trail. His social media campaign intensified after meeting with three City engineers in October 2025.

Bracko said he left the meeting believing parts of the trail could eventually be permanently decommissioned because of liability concerns, prompting him to encourage residents to write letters to city officials.

Since then, the Save the Douglas Fir Trail Facebook page has grown to about 860 followers. Bracko said posts on the page generated more than 170,000 views last year.

Although he has criticized some of the closures, Bracko said he has noticed a shift in the City’s approach in recent months.

He pointed to the removal of fencing around one lookout section after trail users repeatedly requested the area be reopened.

“We really appreciate the city listening to us and understanding our concerns,” he said.

According to the City of Calgary’s website, it has reopened additional sections where conditions have improved. The site reads that closures continue to be monitored and could change depending on construction activity, weather, trail conditions and whether visitors comply with posted signs.

The City asks users to stay out of closed areas to protect both visitors and construction crews while work continues. 

Community groups point to the trail’s history

Kelden Formosa, secretary of the Edworthy Park Heritage Society, said the Douglas Fir Trail has been shaped by community stewardship for decades.

He said informal pathways first appeared in the 1960s after land around Edworthy Park was acquired for public use. Before that, the escarpment had served as bison jumps, Métis camps, quarry sites and part of Thomas Edworthy’s ranch.

Community advocacy also helped preserve the park itself.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, residents successfully opposed plans for an expressway through Edworthy Park by collecting roughly 8,000 signatures. That effort led to the creation of the Edworthy Park Heritage Society in 1991.

The society later raised $125,000 to formalize the user-created trails into today’s Douglas Fir Trail and helped install interpretive plaques throughout the area.

Formosa said protecting the area’s unique ecology and maintaining public access should go hand in hand.

“We believe that it’s possible to rebuild the trail in a way that keeps more people on the main trail, manages some of the water runoff that leads to erosion, and enhances the natural environment, while still maintaining public access and the wilderness character and elevation gain that make the trail unique,” he said in emailed responses.

The City’s website the Douglas Fir Trail sits on a steep hillside where erosion, drainage and unstable soils have damaged sections of the trail over many years.

A funded slope stabilization project is expected to continue through December 2026, while detailed design work is underway for broader trail repairs. Construction funding for that larger project will be considered during the 2027-2030 budget cycle, meaning a timeline for fully reopening the trail has not yet been confirmed.

Supporters understand repairs are needed but worry the process could leave one of Calgary’s signature trails inaccessible for years, Formosa said.

For Bracko, the issue is ultimately about preserving a place that has become part of everyday life for thousands of Calgarians.

Residents should continue to advocate for the trail’s future while reminding visitors to respect active construction areas, he said.

“We appreciate everyone who uses the trail,” Bracko said.

“We would really request that people obey the signs so they don’t go into the construction areas.”