A Silverton village councillor who used to provide a shuttle service to Idaho Peak says the provincial government should restore the existing access road rather than build a new one.
Don Broughton’s comments come as the Ministry of Forests continues to look at five options for the future of access to the former Slocan Valley forestry lookout. The existing road been impassable by regular vehicle since a washout in 2020.
In addition to the possibility of reopening the existing road, three options call for a new bridge and road downstream of Sandon, while the last option would result in decommissioning the access road entirely.
The ministry sought public feedback a year ago. It says it continues to evaluate the options, but none has yet been ruled out, and there is no timeline for a decision.
Broughton feels it’s impossible for the public to properly assess the options without cost estimates, but he believes fixing the existing road will be the cheapest and quickest solution. (The ministry has said this will require buying land because the road trespasses on private property.)
Broughton said he is skeptical of the other options and wonders if timber interests or other factors are at play. From a tourism perspective, he thinks it makes more sense for the road to go through Sandon, a popular attraction itself, rather than bypass it.
“If they put the bridge in at Three Forks, I think we’re going to see less people coming into Sandon,” said Broughton, who provides tours of Sandon’s historic Silversmith powerhouse.
At the same time, he said there is a limit to how much vehicle traffic Idaho Peak can take. Many years ago he regularly drove a 15-passenger van to the trailhead, and one day discovered the parking lot was so full, he couldn’t turn around, and was forced to back down to a switchback.
“So we don’t want a lot more traffic. We just want a road so we can use again. Generations of people from all over this area have been up there. When I’m doing tours at the powerhouse, they say ‘our grandparents used to bring us up here, and we really would like to get our kids up there.'”
Broughton said he is concerned the road will remain closed for a sixth straight year. He wonders if access to Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park from the North Shore of Kootenay Lake would have stayed closed in the same circumstances.
“[Idaho Peak] doesn’t get as much use, but it does bring in tourism that we badly need. And the [government] sits on their rears saying, ‘We’re doing this, we’re doing that.’ Nope, I see nothing.”
Broughton is calling for a public meeting, feeling there has been a lack of transparency on the project. He said some people worry the consultation process will lead to the permanent closure of public access, but “it’s too important to us to be taking that attitude.”
“If we have to get a group to maintain it, at least give us that chance. But fix that road. Because this will go on for years if we allow it to go unchecked, if people don’t start asking questions.”
