Beaver Boardwalk rehab in Hinton nearing completion for season

The Beaver Boardwalk undergoes rehabilitation in Hinton, Alta. on Saturday, April 5, 2025. (Peter Shokeir, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter)

The Town of Hinton says winter construction for the Beaver Boardwalk’s rehabilitation is close to wrapping up for the 2024-25 season.

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A majority of the boardwalk will be fully walkable and open for public use by May 11, but some sections will remain in their pile state until the contractor returns next winter to complete the remaining work.

“This rehabilitation work is replacing aging wooden infrastructure along the boardwalk’s original footprint,” the Town stated in an April 11 update. “The new steel piles are twice the length of the originals, designed to reduce shifting and increase long-term durability as the wetland environment naturally changes.”

The Beaver Boardwalk is a freshwater boardwalk that showcases the wetland system around Maxwell Lake and allows visitors to catch a glimpse of beavers during the warmer months.

According to the Town, the rehabilitation of the attraction was originally pitched as a three-phase plan, which is now reflected as current work underway from 2024 to 2026 and future work planned outside the scope of the current contract.

Because frozen ground is required for work within the wetland footprint, the current contract spans two winter construction seasons.

In areas in or over the wetland, crews wore waders and used specialized matting to protect sensitive terrain. They installed piles and prepositioned lumber for spring decking before the ground and lake thawed.

The Town reported the contractor made steady progress this past winter despite a delayed start to frozen conditions. Framing will be completed on most sections by Wednesday (April 16), and decking will begin shortly after.

Due to the ground softening and the ice melting, crews will soon remove the matting and move construction activities to areas where they can safely work from existing boardwalk structures without direct contact with the wetland.

The Town noted this marked a shift from construction to maintenance.

“The Beaver Boardwalk remains an active construction site,” the Town added. “Residents and visitors are reminded to respect all signage and closures to ensure safety and allow crews to work efficiently.”

Sections U and V, which are located on the southwest side of the boardwalk and have the most challenging terrain, have their steel piles installed but intentionally left uncut. These remaining areas will be revisited next winter to complete framing and decking.

The project is being carried out under the Town’s Water Act approval from Alberta Environment and Protected Areas and is funded through a grant from the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta.

Peter Shokeir, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Jasper Fitzhugh