Anyone regularly heading to Mount Revelstoke for a jog or dog walk may have to adjust their plans starting Thursday, April 17, as Parks Canada prepares to carry out prescribed burns in the national park ahead of wildfire season.

Federal fire crews will begin a controlled burn of surface vegetation to create a fuel break in the lower sections of Mount Revelstoke National Park on Friday, April 18, with local trails already closed indefinitely as of 3 p.m. Thursday.

This means the park's Soren Sorensen loop, Nels' Knickers trail, Summit Trail, Lindmark Trail and main Mount Revelstoke trail up past Highway 1 are all completely closed until further notice.

Despite trail closures, the park's Meadows in the Sky Parkway up the mountain will remain open to hikers and cyclists, Parks Canada notes. Inspiration Woods and the 23 Connector trail linked to Highway 23 are also still available.

The current fire danger for the park is posted as "high," meaning fire can easily ignite, spread and become difficult for ground crews to control.

"Fuel breaks help slow the speed of an approaching wildfire and can provide fire managers with a strategic area from which to manage an active wildfire," Parks Canada stated in a Facebook post Thursday afternoon.

The agency adds that "smoke may occasionally be visible along the lower slopes of Mount Revelstoke," with prescribed burn work expected to continue for several weeks as weather conditions allow.

Trail closure updates will be posted at .