‘Hard Closure’ In Place For Santaquin Canyon After Massive Mudslide
Apr 30, 2019, 10:45 PM | Updated: May 1, 2019, 5:35 am
SANTAQUIN CANYON, Utah – The roar of spring runoff is filling the air in Santaquin Canyon, but there was another sound in this canyon from Mother Nature this winter, that has created a massive mess along the canyon road.
A massive avalanche that is being blamed on the sheer volume of heavy snowfall in the canyon.
“A lot of big logs, a lot of rocks, and a lot of snow and ice and mud,” said Gary Gray, with the Spanish Fork Ranger District of the Forest Service which manages the canyon.
He visited the slide area on Monday and describes the aftermath of the debris as being 25 feet high in some places, which stretches over several hundred feet and will require heavy equipment to clear the area.
Not only is the road likely seriously damaged underneath, part of the canyon road was washed out not far away.
It’s the unstable conditions in the canyon right now, that has the Forest Service now implementing a closure, even for those on foot, beyond the gate at Trumbolt day use area.
“It’s a hard closure for vehicles, and for people hiking and jogging, we would ask people to respect that,” he added.
As far as repairs, the Forest Service says until the ice melts, crews won’t be able to clear the debris and make repairs to the road, a process that could take until sometime in July or even later in the summer.
Access to the forest service campgrounds and a couple of private camping areas may eventually be accessible through the Nebo Loop road, once the snow in the high elevations allows that road to be opened.
