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The trailhead and parking area for the Conundrum Creek trail is closed indefinitely, U.S. Forest Service officials announced Thursday.
David Krause/The Aspen Times file photo -
The trailhead and parking area for the Conundrum Creek trail is closed indefinitely, U.S. Forest Service officials announced Thursday.
David Krause/The Aspen Times file photo -
The trailhead and parking area for the Conundrum Creek trail is closed indefinitely, U.S. Forest Service officials announced Thursday.
David Krause/The Aspen Times file photo -
This March 10 photo, looking toward the north, shows the general vicinity of the Conundrum Trailhead and parking area. It’s buried under several feet of compacted snow. The slide wiped out the trees that surrounded the lot.
Scott Condon/The Aspen Times
The U.S. Forest Service issued a temporary closure order for the Conundrum Creek trailhead and parking area on Thursday in the aftermath of a massive avalanche.
The trailhead will be closed for an unknown amount of time, according to Aspen-Sopris District Ranger Karen Schroyer. Conditions will be assessed after 15 to 30 feet of compacted snow melts out.
“We are anticipating debris and damage at the trailhead and parking area when the snow melts,” Schroyer said in a statement. “The trees are virtually gone from both sides of the drainage. We assume that hundreds, if not thousands, of trees are buried under compacted snow and other debris. We are up against a big challenge this summer to restore vehicle access at the trailhead.”
The trail leads to the popular Conundrum Hot Springs.
An avalanche estimated at a mile wide broke on Highlands Ridge late March 8 or early March 9. The snow converged in the Five Fingers area and K-Chutes and rumbled more than 3,000 vertical feet to the valley floor. The parking area is part of a vast stretch of the valley floor where the snow and debris compacted into a surface as hard as concrete.
The parking area used to be surrounded by mature trees. Now it is barren.
One of the foremost avalanche experts in the U.S., Art Mears, visited the site last week and said he feels it could have been a 300-year event, given the volume of snow and the destruction.
Schroyer said the trailhead and parking area closure could extend into summer and fall, depending on how fast the snow melts enough to assess the amount of trees that will have to be removed and other damage.
The trail is technically open — though the Forest Service is asking people not to drive onto Conundrum Creek Road because of the absence of public parking and difficulty to turn around. In addition, it will be difficult and potentially dangerous hiking until the avalanche risk drops and the snow melts out.
“The Conundrum Creek Trail remains open, however, the trail is buried under large amounts of snow and debris and route finding is expected to be difficult,” the Forest Service statement said. “Avalanche and debris hazards exist up to Silver Dollar Pond and conditions beyond that point are unknown at this time.”
Silver Dollar Pond is about 6 miles from the trailhead. The hot springs are about 8 miles up the trail.
Shelly Grail, recreation manager for the district, said avalanches and heavy snowfall likely damaged numerous trails and Forest Service facilities in the area. The extent of the problem won’t be known until later in the spring or summer.
“We expect that downed trees and debris will be a challenge on our trails and roads across the District,” Grail said. “We will prioritize our work based on the areas of highest use, extent of damage, and employee capacity.”