Highway 1 near Canmore, Alberta, reopened to traffic on Saturday, March 21, 2026, after a crash involving several cars and snowy weather caused a major closure. The incident began around 10:35 a.m. near Lac des Arcs, which forced both eastbound and westbound lanes to shut down for several hours.
The Canmore RCMP and Southern Alberta RCMP managed the scene while many other vehicles slid into ditches due to icy road conditions. Paramedics from Alberta Health Services assisted at the scene, though officials confirmed that no one was injured in the accidents.
The eastbound lanes were the first to open back up at noon, followed by a single westbound lane at approximately 12:31 p.m. according to reports from 511 Alberta. During the closure, motorists were encouraged to use Highway 1A as a different route to avoid the backups.
Weather experts at Environment Canada had predicted about 2 to 4 centimetres of snow for the area that day. Police continue to advise drivers to be careful on the roads as temperatures were expected to drop significantly overnight, creating more potential for icy patches.
