Alberta TrailNet Society

In partnership with Stantec Engineering “Live the Athabasca” was a forward-looking recreation and tourism concept plan for Alberta’s Trans Canada Trail Arctic Water Route. This work created a tourism concept plan for the lower section of the Athabasca River from Athabasca, Alberta to  Fort McMurray, Alberta. A second project partnered with McElhanney from Fort McMurray, AB to Fort Smith, NWT.

In both projects, Legacy focused efforts on the market feasibility review, as well as on-river fieldwork including the river evaluation and classification work in the report.

Legacy Tourism Group identified significant recreation, tourism, historical and cultural features along the river including a technical assessment of all class II or higher rapids; evaluating the condition and sustainability of existing recreation and tourism features; determining the recreation and tourism experiences that the features and settings can provide visitors; identifying target markets and market demands; identifying gaps between the current recreation and tourism experiences on offer and the market expectations; highlighting potential options and scenarios to address the gaps and market the river’s features; identifying land use, environmental and other constraints to the development of the water route associated with the lower Athabasca River and Upper Slave River; determining potential resource development effects on river-based recreation and tourism opportunities and determining the order of magnitude costing of proposed infrastructure.