Crater Airport

The closure was due to economic and operational reasons. Crater Airport was a private aerodrome built and operated by an energy company (Gulf Canada Resources and later ConocoPhillips) to support oil and gas exploration and extraction activities. The airstrip was likely deemed no longer necessary or cost-effective once the primary drilling and exploration phase it supported was complete, or when ground access became sufficient for ongoing, lower-intensity operations.

The site is abandoned as an aviation facility. High-resolution satellite imagery shows that the 3,500-foot gravel runway is still clearly visible but is unmaintained and is being slowly reclaimed by vegetation. The surrounding area remains an active oil and gas field, and the old runway is now likely used as an access road for service vehicles and equipment moving between wellheads and other infrastructure.

Crater Airport's significance is directly tied to the exploration of the Steen River impact crater, a geological structure created by a meteorite impact millions of years ago. Such craters can create ideal 'structural traps' for oil and gas. The airport was a critical logistical hub in a very remote and inaccessible part of northern Alberta, enabling the transport of personnel (geologists, engineers, drilling crews), time-sensitive cargo, and emergency services. It primarily handled charter flights using rugged, STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) capable aircraft, such as the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter or Dash 7/8, which could operate from its gravel runway.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Crater Airport. Its original purpose was highly specialized and tied to a phase of industrial development that has passed. Without a nearby community to serve and with established ground and helicopter access for current energy operations, there is no practical or economic driver for its reactivation as a fixed-wing airfield.