COLORADO SPRINGS — A massive boulder crashing off the mountain side in North Cheyenne Canon has forced the closure of Lower Gold Camp Road in Colorado Springs. "Never seen a boulder this large come off these canyon walls," said Scott Abbott with Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services. Abbot’s been caring for parks in Colorado Springs for more than 20 years.
The boulder is the size of a car. It fell with no warning Sunday afternoon. The park was crowded and a lot of visitors watched it come crashing down onto the road. "We got extremely lucky that there weren't cars or recreationalists in the way when this rock decided to find a new home," said Abbott.
Colorado Springs Parks managers are collaborating with U.S. Forest Service crews on removal. Explosives are likely. "Drill some small holes on this rock, which is typical when things like this happen in Colorado and we'll blast this rock into small pieces and we'll work with heavy equipment and get this out of the way," said Abbott.
There is time to evaluate the best and safest way to proceed. Lower Gold Camp Road is already scheduled for a month-long closure. “Mother Nature closed it a little bit early for us," said Abbott. The parking lot for the hiking and biking portion of Gold Camp Road has gotten so busy it needs upgrades and will be paved. The work is on the calendar for May.
