Marten Hills Airport

The airstrip was decommissioned for operational and economic reasons. As a remote forward base for wildfire suppression, its existence was tied to provincial firefighting strategy. The closure was likely due to a combination of factors: the high cost of maintaining a remote gravel strip, the consolidation of air assets at larger, better-equipped regional airports like Slave Lake (CYZH), and evolving wildfire management tactics that rendered the base redundant.

The site is currently abandoned and unmaintained. The gravel runway is still visible from the air but is being reclaimed by vegetation, making it unusable for fixed-wing aircraft without significant restoration. There are no buildings or permanent infrastructure remaining. The land is provincial Crown land, and the former airstrip scar is all that remains of its operational history.

Marten Hills Airport was a special-purpose airstrip used almost exclusively by Alberta Wildfire (formerly Alberta Sustainable Resource Development) as a seasonal Forward Attack Base (FAB). Its strategic importance was its location deep within the boreal forest, allowing for rapid response to wildfires in the Marten Hills area. When active, it supported various firefighting aircraft, including small air tankers (like the Air Tractor AT-802) for reloading water or retardant, 'birddog' or lead aircraft that direct the tankers, and helicopters used for transporting crews (heli-tack) and water bucketing. It was a critical but temporary piece of infrastructure during peak fire seasons.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the airport. The operational need that led to its creation has been superseded by the capabilities of larger, permanent airports in the region. Re-establishing the airstrip would require significant capital investment to clear vegetation, regrade the runway, and install support facilities. Given the lack of a current strategic or economic driver, reopening is considered highly unlikely.