--Starting Monday, the park will temporarily close the McKittrick Canyon Trail so trail crews can start their work in earnest. They hope to get the trail open for fall colors up to the Grotto.
--Temporarily, no trails will be open for horseback riding, as the only trail open to stock is not accessible from Frijole Ranch
The park's update as of last night:
Guadalupe Mountains National Park Storm Update
(Pine
Springs, TX) Park staff continues to assess the damage from last week’s
storm and flash floods, and has initiated repairs. The park opened Dog
Canyon, the Bush Mountain Trail from Dog Canyon to the Marcus Overlook,
and the Tejas Trail from Dog Canyon to the junction with the McKittrick
Canyon Trail.
Open facilities now include:
Pine Springs Visitor Center
Pine Springs Campground (Both RV and Tent Camping)
McKittrick Canyon Visitor Contact Station
Guadalupe Peak Backcountry Campground
Wilderness Ridge Backcountry Campground
Frijole Ranch (Exterior Areas Only)
Dog Canyon
Guadalupe Peak Trail
The Pinery Trail and the Pinery Butterfield Station Ruins
Guadalupe Peak Stock Trail
McKittrick Canyon Trail (First 1½ Miles to 4th Water Crossing Only)
Devil’s Hall Trail (1st mile only)
The Western Smith Spring Loop (Smith Spring Trail is Closed Between Smith Spring and Manzanita Spring)
The Manzanita Spring Trail
Bush Mountain Trail (from Dog Canyon to Marcus Overlook)
Tejas Trail (from Dog Canyon to the junction with the McKittrick Canyon Trail)
Closed Areas include:
Frijole Ranch Cultural History Museum
Ship on the Desert
McKittrick Canyon Trail Beyond the First 1½ Miles, including Pratt Cabin
Devil’s Hall Trail After the First Mile
Williams Ranch Road and Williams Ranch
Williams Road, the Salt Basin Dunes and Western Part of the Park
All Other Trails, Backcountry Campgrounds and Backcountry Areas
All trails are temporarily closed to horseback riding and stock use.
The McKittrick Canyon Trail will be temporarily closed beginning Monday, September 23,
as trail crews and equipment begin repairs. The park is working to have
this trail repaired to the Grotto in time for Fall Colors, which
attracts thousands of visitors to see the changing fall foliage in
McKittrick Canyon annually.
All park trails are temporarily closed to
horseback riding and stock use, at this time, due to safety concerns
from heavy damage to and current conditions of park trails.
Much of the park sustained rain and flood damage during last week’s
storm. The Frijole Ranch Cultural History Museum, inside the Frijole
Ranch House, and the Frijole Bunkhouse sustained heavy water damage to
the carpet and walls, and mold is growing inside. A large section of
water line was also lost in Frijole Ranch. Ship on the Desert sustained
water damage from roof leaks. Park staff is drying out the Frijole Ranch
House, Frijole Bunkhouse and the Ship on the Desert, and have initiated
repairs. Park staff hiked to Pratt Cabin and the Williams Ranch House
to conduct preliminary damage assessments. Although neither suffered
significant damage, both remain isolated, as Williams Ranch Road and the
McKittrick Canyon trail both sustained heavy damage. Approximately 45
feet of the embankment of the wash behind the Pine Springs Visitor
Center was washed away, so that it is now only 35 feet from the Pinery
Butterfield Station Ruins. One of the stone benches at Smith Spring was
washed away. Part of Williams Road and the salt flats on the park’s
western flank remain under water. A large section of fiber optic line
that the Dell Telephone Company maintains in the park’s housing area,
which was buried at least four feet underground, was washed away. Park
staff continues to assess the damage from the storm and flooding.
However, most other trails sustained damage, with many areas being
washed out or covered with debris, and remain closed. Visitors are
reminded that trails which have been opened still have loose rocks and
soft, uneven ground, and many require shallow water crossings. Hikers
and backpackers should exercise extreme caution, and all visitors are
asked not to enter closed areas, for their own safety.
The National Weather Service reported that the Bowl
recorded 12.41 inches of rain during a 24 hour period from September
11-12, while Dog Canyon recorded 9.50 inches, McKittrick Canyon recorded
7.32 inches and the Pinery recorded 5.12 inches. The Texas Tech
University West Texas Mesonet (http://www.mesonet.ttu.edu)
weather station, located near the park’s fire cache, registered 15.73
inches of rain between September 9 and 14, including 13.50 inches during
a 24 hour period on September 12-13.
Park information, including park conditions,
closures or restrictions, weather and program information, may be found
on the park’s website at www.nps.gov/GUMO/, on the park’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Guadalupe.
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