Debris from flooding at Bandelier National Monument chokes a pedestrian bridge. Park cleanup continues from the Sept. 5 flash flooding that has closed several trails.
A bridge at Bandelier National Monument has water and debris flowing over it during flash flooding Sept. 5. As the cleanup continues, several trails remain closed.
Debris from flooding at Bandelier National Monument chokes a pedestrian bridge. Park cleanup continues from the Sept. 5 flash flooding that has closed several trails.
J. Martinez/Bandelier National Monument
A bridge at Bandelier National Monument has water and debris flowing over it during flash flooding Sept. 5. As the cleanup continues, several trails remain closed.
Bandelier National Monument continues to deal with widespread trail closures following a Sept. 5 flash flood that sent a deluge of water and debris down Frijoles Canyon.
The damage leaves only the visitor center, Pueblo Loop Trail up to the Long House site and some backcountry trails open to the public. The Alcove House site is still closed.
“[The recovery effort] is gonna be a long-haul situation,†said Bandelier National Monument spokesman Zachary Whitlow, calling it the worst flooding since the 2011 Las Conchas Fire.
While resource management crews have cleared a few bridges and parking lots of hazards, it is still uncertain when recovery will be complete and trails will reopen.
The Las Conchas Fire started when a gust of wind blew a 75-foot-tall aspen tree into a power line.
It burned over 75% of Frijoles Canyon before it was contained over five weeks after its ignition.
The scorching of the park’s grounds and vegetation raised concerns from officials at the time about flash flooding, prompting flood protections to be put into place to safeguard various historic buildings and trails.
Despite those protections, the August 2011 flooding — which occurred only a few weeks after fires were contained — still resulted in “catastrophic†damage, according to a National Parks Service report.
“The threat of severe flooding is not just a thing of the past,†they wrote at the time.
Bandelier also announced the temporary closure of the Tsankawi unit in the morning of Sept. 26 for traditional cultural activities.
