Joffre Lakes Park to close for month of September

Upper Joffre Lake is seen in Pemberton, B.C.

The popular Joffre Lakes Provincial Park near Pemberton, B.C., will be closed to visitors for one month, a much shorter period than two local First Nations initially planned to use it for, the province announced Tuesday.

The Instagram-famous park also known as Pipi7íyekw will close from Sept. 3 to Oct. 3.

“The closure allows the park to recover from a busy summer and provide time and space for members of the Lil’wat Nation and N’Quatqua to reconnect with the land, carry out cultural and spiritual practices, and recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation,” a statement from the Environment Ministry reads.

The Lil’wat Nation previously said the park would close for cultural use for two months, from Aug. 22 to Oct. 23. At the time, the province said those dates had not been confirmed.

“The nations had requested additional closure dates, beyond what we were prepared to agree to,” the ministry wrote in a statement to CTV News. “After careful consideration, B.C. has confirmed a schedule that balances cultural practices, conservation goals and public access to the park.”

The province said the number of closure dates is now consistent with last year and the revised schedule means the public can visit Joffre Lakes over the Labour Day long weekend.

The park also closed to visitors from April 25 to May 16 and from June 13 to 27.

“Pipi7íyekw/Joffre Lakes Park has become one of the busiest parks in the province. As more people go to the park, there is a need for enhanced visitor-use management, ensuring the park is not degraded by heavy use,” the statement from the province reads.

“We have a responsibility to support public access to parks, as we also support First Nations cultural practices and conservation goals.”

In a joint statement, the Lil’wat and N’Quatqua nations said they “strongly denounce” the shorter closure period.

“The province’s imposed dates are a fraction of the schedule advanced by our nations and represent yet another unilateral decision that ignores our governance, our laws, and our rights,” the statement reads.

“By minimizing and dismissing our clearly stated direction for Pipi7íyekw, the province demonstrates that it does not respect our jurisdiction, our stewardship responsibilities, or our role as the rightful decision-makers in our unceded territories. This is a profound violation of our trust and an affront to the very principles of reconciliation the province claims to uphold.”