Calgary 
Alberta’s government is making a significant investment in the provincial trail system, aiming to boost recreation, tourism, and economic development by repurposing the historic 109 km Rocky Mountain House to Nordegg Rail Trail into a multi-use recreational trail.
Taunton Trestle/Credit: Clearwater County
The Rail Trail, taking 30 years to materialize, traverses a section of the historic Canadian Northern Western Railway.
The Brazeau Branch rail line and the Taunton Trestle bridge, operational from 1914 to 1985, have been rejuvenated for recreational use.
Clearwater County initiated this transformation in 2009 with the Rocky to Nordegg Trail concept plan, receiving Alberta’s government support through a $2.4 million investment for developing 45 kilometres of trails in the project’s initial two phases.
Upon completion, the trail will feature amenities like rest stops, picnic sites, and remote campsites. Per the news release, it will be accessible to hikers, mountain bikers, off-highway vehicles, and in winter, for activities like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and dogsledding.
Multiple access points will be available, including the Saunders and Harlech Provincial Recreation Areas and the Nordegg Industrial Park.
The next three years will see continued work on the trail.
Phase 3 involves linking Sunset Creek to Chambers Creek Provincial Recreation Area, including a parking area near Taunton Trestle, with completion expected by late 2025.
Phase 4 will connect Chambers Creek to Rocky Mountain House with an additional 20 kilometers of trail, pending approvals, with construction starting in fall 2026.
Taunton Trestle/Credit: Clearwater County
Taunton Trestle Bridge’s redecking and handrail installation (220 m) was completed last year. The Taunton Bridge was built in the early 1930s of riveted steel to replace a wooden structure over a deep gorge and is named after the creek below. The line was eventually abandoned after the decline of the coal industry.
The 109-kilometer Rail Trail is a significant part of Alberta’s $33.7 million Crown Lands Trails and Tourism capital investment commitment over seven years.
Credit: Clearwater County
Clearwater County has contributed $900,000, as well as two industrial lots valued at $90,000 and nine kilometres of trail valued at approximately $60,000, while the Alberta government has pledged about $6 million for design and construction work over the next three to five years.
is the trail open from rocky to nordegg to saundera for side by sides if you can send it to me at 306-276-7989 nipawin sk.thank you