Valemount sits at one of the most important crossroads in western Canada. Highway 5 runs south to Kamloops and Vancouver, while Highway 16 runs east to Jasper and Edmonton and west to Prince George. Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, is a short drive up the road. After the Trans Mountain pipeline build and the 2024 Jasper wildfire, the Robson Valley is now in a different phase. Travellers, trail reopenings and a long rebuild next door drive it today. Meanwhile, the next big project is already on the table. Below, we look at what is happening in Valemount and the Robson Valley, and what it means for hospitality property in the area.

What’s Coming: The Pacific Link Pipeline

On October 1, 2026, the federal government named Pacific Link, a proposed new oil pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast, a project of national interest. The line would carry about one million barrels a day from Bruderheim, near Edmonton, to Roberts Bank in Delta. Trans Mountain and Pembina are the project partners, and the estimated cost is $35 billion or more. Its proposed corridor options generally follow the existing Trans Mountain route, which runs through Tete Jaune Cache and Valemount, then down the North Thompson to Kamloops.

The project is still in the approval stage, with conditions targeted for September 2027, the earliest construction could begin. Also, the partners have not set the final route. Still, the last time crews built a pipeline along this corridor, Valemount had about 1,700 pipeline workers in the area and no rental vacancy. If Pacific Link proceeds on the Trans Mountain footprint, the Robson Valley would see that kind of demand again later this decade.

The Crossroads of Highway 5 and Highway 16

Highway 5, the Yellowhead South, is the shortest land route between Vancouver and Edmonton. It meets Highway 16 at Tete Jaune Cache, just north of Valemount. As a result, Valemount is the natural overnight stop for traffic between the coast, the Interior and Alberta. It also serves visitors heading to Jasper and Mount Robson. In addition, crews repaved a 24 km stretch of Highway 5 in the area in 2025.

Trans Mountain: The Build Is Done, the Upgrades Remain

The expanded Trans Mountain pipeline runs through Valemount on its way from Edmonton to Burnaby. It went into service on May 1, 2024, nearly tripling capacity to 890,000 barrels a day. During construction, Valemount had about 1,700 pipeline workers in the area and essentially no rental vacancy. That peak has passed, but it left behind more than $2 million in water, sewer and road upgrades that Trans Mountain funded for the Village. In addition, the line still needs ongoing operations and maintenance along the corridor.

Berg Lake Trail Is Fully Open Again

The Berg Lake Trail in Mount Robson Provincial Park, one of the most famous backcountry hikes in Canada, suffered heavy flood damage in 2021. After reopening in stages in 2023 and 2024, the full trail reopened on June 26, 2025. Today, every hiker on Berg Lake starts at Mount Robson, about 30 minutes from Valemount, and many stay in the valley before and after the trip.

Jasper’s Rebuild Next Door

The July 2024 wildfire in Jasper National Park was hard on the whole region. At the time, Valemount took in evacuees during the fire, and local businesses felt the drop in visitors that followed. However, two years later, the rebuild in Jasper is still well underway. Parks Canada’s July 2026 progress report counts 184 building permits covering 397 homes. Of those, 46 properties are back to occupancy, 91 are under construction and 123 are still in design. With rooms in Jasper still recovering, Valemount, about an hour and a half west, remains an important base for travellers to the area.

A Four-Season Mountain Town

Valemount is a destination in its own right. Snowmobiling has long drawn riders through the winter, most of them from Alberta. In fact, a 2018 study by the Valemount Area Recreation Development Association estimated sledding was worth about $6.4 million a year to the local economy. Summer, in turn, brings hikers, mountain bikers, anglers and highway travellers. In January 2025, Valemount council adopted a 2025-2027 Resort Development Strategy to keep building the town’s year-round visitor economy.

What It Means for Robson Valley Hospitality Property

In short, hospitality in Valemount rests on the highway and the mountains rather than any single project. Through traffic on Highways 5 and 16, Mount Robson and Berg Lake, Jasper visitors, winter sledders and pipeline maintenance all feed the same rooms and restaurants. This spreads the demand across the year and across several types of guest. For an owner-operator, that mix is the appeal: a mountain lifestyle with a business that does not depend on one employer. Moreover, if Pacific Link goes ahead, a second major pipeline build would add to that base rather than replace it.

For more on activity elsewhere in the north, see our article on northern BC LNG projects from Chetwynd to Prince Rupert.

BC Commercial Group currently has properties listed in the Robson Valley:

• Robson Valley: 18-Unit Motel
• Robson Valley: 30-Unit Motel & Restaurant

Related Articles

• Northern BC LNG Projects: Chetwynd to Prince Rupert
• Prince George and Highway 16 West: Projects Driving the North

Sources

• Government of Alberta: West Coast oil pipeline
• CBC: Alberta pipeline route plan
• Daily Commercial News: Expanded Trans Mountain pipeline launches May 1
• Trans Mountain: $2.3 million for Village of Valemount infrastructure
• Housing headaches mount for Valemount employers (Rocky Mountain Goat)
• CKPG: Berg Lake Trail officially reopens
• Parks Canada: Jasper recovery, 2026 report
• Valemount businesses after the Jasper fire (Rocky Mountain Goat)
• VARDA study of sledding’s economic impact (Rocky Mountain Goat)
• Council approves Resort Development Strategy (Rocky Mountain Goat)
• Highway 5 paving and traffic management (Rocky Mountain Goat)