Foot Bridge Opens Park For Greater Hiking Adventures
Most people know it as a jewel in Moose Jaw's crown and now with some repair work done to a foot bridge Wakamow is more complete. With all of its facets glowing.
Last week the Wakamow Valley Authority (WVA) completed repairs of the foot bridge across the Moose Jaw River and with those repairs visitors to the park are now able to hike from one end of the park to the other.
“I believe the park was just not connected and making Wakamow connected again is great as people can explore everything and stay in the valley,” said Todd Johnson general manager of the WVA.
The bridge, located just south of 4th Avenue SW, was damaged by ice and repaired last week just in time for the Victoria Day long weekend.
Wakamow Valley Authority staff stand on the low level foot bridge re-opened for repair last week - photo credit Facebook
The damaged bridge prevented hikers, bikers and walkers from walking from one end of the park to another without leaving the Valley.
Previous to repairs Connor's Park on 9th Avenue SW could only be accessed on foot by a longer detour up the hill and then along City streets.
“It is great people can now walk from one end of the park to the other end. We have 20 kilometers of trails now people can enjoy and explore without leaving the Valley,” Johnson said.
One added feature of the bridge being repaired and reopened is that it takes a lot of pressure off of the core areas of the park - adjacent the Burger Cabin, Kiwanis Park and others as people venture into what is a “new” area of the park.
Wakamow has benefited from the COVID - 19 pandemic with more and more people heading out into the park to enjoy the great outdoors. At the present time the Valley is experiencing four times the number of visitors they regularly do.
Asked about the bridge being approximately six feet wide and what problems that makes for physical distancing if people meet on the bridge Johnson said people have been very courteous to each other throughout the Valley.
“People are simply taking a breath and taking care of each other…people are taking turns crossing the bridge and respecting people's space…people are being respectful and giving each other space…it’s a balancing act I am totally amazed by especially with the park being four times as busy as it usually is. People are looking out for each other,” he said.
Due to the COVID - 19 pandemic the washroom facilities are closed throughout the park. Additionally there are signs warning people not use the benches, tables or playground apparatus as recommended by the provincial government to help prevent the potential spread of COVID - 19.
Johnson said people are following the recommendations - something they could not enforce - and providing their own solutions.
“We see lots of people coming down to the park with their own lawn chairs or blankets and spreading them out for picnics,” he said.
“We are just hoping people come out to know and enjoy the park.”
The repaired bridge now allows people utilizing the Cross Canada Trail to traverse through the park without a detour. The trails through the Wakamow Valley are part of the Cross Canada Trail which crosses the entire width of Canada and goes into the north and Arctic as well.