Alluvial Fan repairs are finally underway at Rocky Mountain National Park

Andrew Kenney

Oct. 16, 2017, 10:41 a.m.

Alluvial Fan Bridge is overwhelmed by floodwaters during the Sept. 12, 2013 floods. (Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park)

Evidence of the 2013 floods is still visible across the Front Range, but Rocky Mountain National Park is finally ready to erase some of the damage.

Construction is underway now for a new paved trail through the Alluvial Fan area and across the Roaring River. The $400,000 project will restore one of the park’s most accessible and popular trails.

Ultimately, the trail will run from the east parking lot to the west lot, with the new bridge connecting the two areas. The trail will be easily accessible to people of varying abilities and it will range from five to six feet wide.

This area is called the Alluvial Fan because it was created during a major flood in 1982 following the failure of the Lawn Lake dam, which also killed a man and flooded downtown Estes Park.

The repairs of the 2013 damage are expected to last through next fall. Hiking from the Alluvial Fan parking lots will remain accessible during construction.

The project’s funded by $200,000 of federal funds and $200,000 from the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Conservancy.

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Alluvial Fan Bridge is overwhelmed by floodwaters during the Sept. 12, 2013 floods. (Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park)