Yates Tower Airport

The airport was closed due to obsolescence. Its sole function was to provide logistical support to the Yates Fire Lookout Tower. With advancements in wildfire detection technology, including satellite imagery and dedicated aerial patrols, the need for staffed, remote fire towers diminished. Once the Yates tower was decommissioned, the supporting airstrip no longer had a purpose and was abandoned.

The site is completely abandoned and unmaintained. Satellite imagery of the coordinates reveals the faint, straight-line clearing of the former runway, which is now significantly overgrown with shrubs and young trees. The airstrip is being reclaimed by the surrounding Boreal forest. There are no visible buildings or infrastructure remaining on the site. It is inaccessible by road and is not used for any purpose.

Yates Tower Airport was a remote, unpaved utility airstrip whose significance was tied directly to the Alberta Forest Service's wildfire management network. It was not a public airport. Its operations were seasonal (typically summer) and consisted of small bush planes (such as a de Havilland Beaver or Cessna 185) transporting fire observers, mail, food, and essential supplies to the isolated tower personnel. It was a critical link in a network of similar airstrips that allowed for the staffing and maintenance of fire lookouts across Alberta's vast northern forests before modern technology made them redundant.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening Yates Tower Airport. Its original purpose is obsolete, and its extremely remote location, far from any population centers, industry, or infrastructure, means there is no economic or logistical justification for its reconstruction or maintenance.