A significant rockfall has closed the Stawamus Chief trail, damaging some of the trail infrastructure.
According to an item posted on the hiking website www.clubtread.com, an estimated 15 to 20 tonnes of rock fell on the lower part of the trail, about 200 metres from the trailhead, on Monday (June 18) at around 5:15 p.m.
No one was hurt, but the slab fell a minute or two after four hikers passed by, according to the post. The falling rock damaged one of the staircases that leads up the side of the granite monolith, the post said.
John Tisdale, area supervisor for B.C. Parks, on Wednesday (June 20) said B.C. Parks visited the site with a geotechnical engineer, Frank Baumann, on Tuesday (June 19). The situation was assessed, and rock scalers were set to visit Wednesday to bring down any loose rocks that may still be on the slope.
One of the two large chunks of rock on the ground is the size of a small car, he said.
One damaged a stairway and some railings on the stairs and partially blocked the trail, he said.
The trail will be closed until further notice, but the objective is to have it open by the weekend, Tisdale said.
I would ask people to plan alternate hikes for the next couple days, he said.
