UPDATE: Golden Ears Provincial Park reopens along with Rolley Lake Park

Both Golden Ears Provincial Park and Rolley Lake Provincial Park are once again open to the public.

The park gates at Golden Ears were swung open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, March 14, after being closed since Thursday, Feb. 23, due to damage from a windstorm and a heavy downfall of snow.

#GoldenEarsPark will reopen tomorrow morning at 7:00am.#RolleyLakePark remains CLOSED due to hazardous road conditions. Updates will be posted once it is safe to enter.

— Alouette Parks (@AlouetteParks) March 13, 2023

As of last week there was still about 60 centimetres of snow at Alouette Campground, at the north end of the park, and they were still cleaning up with crews fixing the power as late as Thursday, March 9.

“We had campers arrive as soon as we opened our gates,” said James Hall with Alouette Park Management, who looks after both parks.

And, he noted, there were a lot more hikers out today, people who are curious about where they can explore.

“There’s still a little bit of snow on the ground but it’s safe for people to travel now,” added Hall.

However, Alouette Parks noted online that there is still no vehicle access to Mike Lake.

RELATED: Maple Ridge provincial park remains closed due to fallen trees and snow

Rolley Lake Provincial Park has also reopened as of Wednesday, March 15, to day-use visitors and camping.

As of Tuesday, Hall explained, there was still a good 10-15 centimetres on the ground there and he had s staff on site trying to shovel areas and clean up sticks.

ALSO: Reservation system open for camping at Golden Ears park in Maple Ridge

Only three trees came down in Rolley during the winter storms, said Hall, two small trees and one other off the trail.

After this, said Hall, his staff will be getting ready for the summer season. The first big weekend is the Easter long weekend, April 7-9.

“We’re just getting cleaned up and ready to accommodate,” said Hall.