Some trails around Tokai and Silvermine East reopen 1 July after devastating fires

In a post on Facebook recently, SANParks announced that some trails currently closed in Tokai and Silvermine East (including the Kalk Bay/St James/Muizenberg mountains and the Steenberg Plateau) will reopen on 1 July 2025.

However, some areas such as the picnic area, riverwalk, and boardwalk around the dam still remain closed.

The trails were closed after a fire in late April burned approximately 2,800 hectares, says SANParks.

The post reads:

"The Silvermine picnic site and boardwalk around the dam and as well as the riverwalk and other trails will remain closed as all the infrastructure at Silvermine West has been damaged and the ablution blocks burnt down. Infrastructure repairs will take some time and we will not be able to open the picnic area while there are no toilets.

Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) is currently conducting post fire hazard removal, clean-up and rehabilitation in these areas to ensure safety, as fire damage included the destruction of boardwalks and other support structures which resulted in the exposure of dangerous objects such as nails and metal.

Although some trails may appear unaffected by the fire, it is not feasible to reopen certain trails while others remain unsafe.

Allowing access to specific trails could lead to difficulty controlling which paths people use.

Additionally, it is not reasonable to allow access to some user groups such as mountain bike users and not others.

SANParks also closed Silvermine and Tokai from an ecological perspective as there has been a flush of vegetation regrowth post the fire.

These newly germinated fynbos plants need time to grow without human and dog impacts (e.g. footprints and trampling) potentially disrupting this delicate and sensitive rejuvenation."

See the full post below:

Some trails around Tokai and Silvermine East reopen 1 July after devastating fires - SANParks

Some areas such as the picnic area, riverwalk, and boardwalk around the dam will remain closed.