(Pine Springs, TX) Park staff continues to make great progress in
stabilizing and making emergency repairs to damage from September’s
storm and flash floods. The park has re-opened the Bear Canyon and El
Capitan Trails and the Shumard Canyon Backcountry Campground. With the
exception of Williams Road, which leads from Dell City to the Salt Basin
Dunes, and the Salt Basin Dunes Day Use Area, all park roads, trails
and facilities are now open. Park trail crews continue to work on
Williams Road, much of which remains under Linda Lake, and once they are
able to reach it again, will continue work on the Salt Basin Dunes Day
Use Area and Salt Basin Dunes Trail.
The park released the 10 members of the elite
Mexican firefighting crew, Los Diablos, which has enjoyed a strong
relationship with the National Park Service for more than 20 years, as
well as local Administratively Determined temporary trail crew members
hired to supplement Guadalupe Mountains National Park trail crews in the
aftermath of September’s historic storms. Agencies frequently use the
Administratively Determined (AD) authority to quickly hire staff, who
are not agency employees, but have training, skills and experience
necessary to respond to immediate emergencies such as fires or flooding,
as well as immediate stabilization efforts in the aftermath of those
emergencies.
Much of the park sustained rain and flood damage
during September’s storms and flash floods, and most trails sustained
heavy damage, with many areas being washed out or covered with debris.
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.
The Salt Basin Dunes remain closed from September’s
storms and flash flooding, as a portion of Williams Road to the Salt
Basin Dunes remains under water as Linda Lake slowly recedes. Hikers and
backpackers should continue to exercise extreme caution, and all
visitors are asked not to enter closed areas, for their own safety.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Superintendent Dennis A. Vsquez stated that “We are grateful to our
Maintenance Crew and everyone who has helped us stabilize and make
emergency repairs to park trails, roads and facilities so we could
re-open the park and get back to serving our visitors. This storm was
historic, and we are pleased to have it behind us. Park staff has worked
very hard to stabilize trails, and ensure that they are safe and
passable. We continue to work hard to open the Salt Basin Dunes area as
quickly as possible. We welcome everyone back to Guadalupe Mountains
National Park, and are looking forward to a busy and pleasant Spring.”
Park information, including park conditions,
closures or restrictions, weather, as well as for interpretive program
and other information, may be found on the park’s website (<www.nps.gov/GUMO/>), on the park’s Facebook page (<www.facebook.com/Guadalupe.
The Pine Springs Visitor Center is open daily (except for Christmas) from 8:00 AM until 4:30 PM.
The McKittrick Canyon, Frijole Ranch House, Dog Canyon and Salt Basin
Dunes (Dell City, TX) Visitor Contact Stations are open intermittently.
Please call the Pine Springs Visitor Center at (915) 828-3251 x2124 to find out whether they are open. For Dog Canyon, call the Dog Canyon Visitor Contact Station/Ranger Station at (575) 981-2418. For the latest weather information for Guadalupe Mountains National Park, see <http://forecast.weather.gov/
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