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'Disappointing': Canada closes border at Manning Park south of Princeton

No other security measures are considered at Manning Park during this time: B.C. ministry
manning-park
Lightning Lake at E.C. Manning Provincial Park. The southern section of the park crosses the Canada-U.S. border.

Hikers on a historic trail that goes as south as the U.S.-Mexico border will no longer be able to use parts of a Princeton-area park to cross into Canada.

The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) says it has stopped issuing permits to people who wish to enter the country on the Pacific Crest Trail, which includes a section that runs from Washington's Pasayten Wilderness to Manning Provincial Park in B.C.

Hikers in the area must turn around and present themselves to a port of entry if they wish to enter Canada, the CBSA said in a press release on Jan. 27. Osoyoos and Abbotsford are the closest ports of entry.

The change aligns with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which does not allow travellers to enter the U.S. from Canada on the trail.

In an emailed statement to Black Press, B.C.'s Ministry of Environment and Parks said it was not considering any other security measures at Manning Park in response to the border closure.

"This is a federal responsibility," it said.

When asked if there was additional information tourists should know about the changes, the ministry did not comment and instead said any "enhanced security border measures should be directed to the RCMP and the CBSA."

The Pacific Crest Trail starts near Campo, Calif., and ends along the Canada-U.S. border at Manning Park, located southwest of Princeton. It spans more than 4,000 kilometres and takes the average thru-hiker about five months to walk, according to the Pacific Crest Trail Association. (PCTA)

Hundreds of thousands of people use the trail every year, PCTA estimates.

Among them is PCTA information officer Jack Haskel, who thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2006.

"This is disappointing news," Haskel wrote on PTCA's website. "That said, we can appreciate their points, and the fact that this policy is consistent with the United States’ policy which does not allow for entry into the United States via the Pacific Crest Trail."



Logan Lockhart

About the Author: Logan Lockhart

I joined Black Press Media in 2021 after graduating from a pair of Toronto post-secondary institutions and working as a sports reporter for several different outlets.
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