Trail clearing

New timelines for winter trail clearing

On September 27, 2022, Strathcona County Council approved an updated Winter Maintenance Policy that includes new priorities and a shorter timeframe for clearing County-maintained trails and pathways.

Read the news release.

Last modified: Sept. 27, 2022, 2:51 p.m.

Strathcona County follows a priority system to manage snow and ice on more than 232 km of trails and pathways in Sherwood Park and rural hamlets.

Image showing equipment clearing snow from a County trail

After a snowfall, it can take up to five days to clear all County-maintained trails and pathways. If it snows again, crews will return to clear trails and pathways again in order of priority.

Effective September 27, 2022

Priority	Locations	Timeframe
1	School sites, including student drop zones, school bus zones, school parks and connector pathways from residential areas	Cleared within 24 hours
2	All hard surfaced pathways and trails leading to public recreation facilities	Cleared within 48 hours
3	All remaining hard surfaced trails including trails between residential streets	Cleared within 5 days (120 hours)

Typically, the County will start clearing Priority 3 trails and pathways at the same time as Priority 2 trails

Ice control on trails and pathways

If icy conditions are an issue, crews will spread rock chips and use equipment to remove ice, where possible. Rock chips are considered a safe and effective way to manage icy trails and pathways. A sand/salt mix can be hard on pets’ feet and landscaping.

We typically do not use any chemicals on trails. In extreme circumstances, we will use an environmentally friendly ice melt, which is safe for animals. High-traffic locations near County facilities also use the same ice melt product.

Ice control around transit centres and facilities

Concrete surfaces around Bethel and Ordze transit centres, as well as areas around County facilities such as the Community Centre and Festival Place, are cleared with 24 hours following a snowfall. The updated priorities only include trails and pathways.

Common questions

1. We have such an active community—why can’t the County clear the trails faster?
Permanent link to We have such an active community—why can’t the County clear the trails faster?
We have such an active community—why can’t the County clear the trails faster?

Providing clear pathways for our residents to use safely is always important to the County. To ensure we dedicate our resources well, we use a priority system to clear trails in the most highly used areas first.

We recently updated our trail clearing approach to clear all trails and pathways within five days, an improvement from our previous standard of eight days.
2. There some trails and sidewalks that seem to never get cleared, how come?
Permanent link to There some trails and sidewalks that seem to never get cleared, how come?
There some trails and sidewalks that seem to never get cleared, how come?

Strathcona County is not responsible for all the trails in Sherwood Park. Some are maintained by residents or businesses. Also, because we use a priority system, and depending on the weather, some trails may take longer to be completed.

Any pathway that is not concrete or asphalt is not maintained by the County in the winter months. They are left as a natural pathway.
3. Why is the area around my community mailbox not cleaned?
Permanent link to Why is the area around my community mailbox not cleaned?
Why is the area around my community mailbox not cleaned?

Mailbox pathways are typically a Priority 3 trail so we may not have got to it yet. It is Canada Post’s responsibility to clean around the mailbox itself. Also, many locations have private sidewalks that connect the mailbox, which is maintained by the resident on the adjacent property.

More information:

Transportation and Agriculture Services
Phone: 780-417-7100
Submit a County Connect related to Winter Maintenance

County Connect

Ask a question, provide feedback or report an issue.

Sidewalk clearing

Last updated: Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Page ID: 50914

Trail clearing

New timelines for winter trail clearing

Ice control on trails and pathways

Ice control around transit centres and facilities

Common questions

1. We have such an active community—why can’t the County clear the trails faster?

2. There some trails and sidewalks that seem to never get cleared, how come?

3. Why is the area around my community mailbox not cleaned?

County Connect

Related pages

Sidewalk clearing

Subscribe to our Winter Roads Updates e-newsletter

Other links