The southern half of Heil Valley Ranch in Boulder County, which was heavily impacted by the CalWood Fire in 2020, will stay closed through next spring. This includes 8 miles of trails.
The Boulder County Board of County Commissioners recently approved the recommendation from the Boulder County Parks & Open Space staff, who said this is the best option “due to continued instability in the upper watershed, the complexities of recovery projects, and the dynamic construction timeline.” There is no safe way to allow guests to return during construction, park staff said.
About eight miles of trail are closed, which includes all park amenities at the Corral trailhead, the main trailhead, the southern section of the Wapiti Trail, the Lichen Loop, the Overland Trail, the Schoolhouse Loop, and the Grindstone Quarry Trail.
About 11 miles of trail are open to the public via the Picture Rock trailhead near Lyons. This includes the Picture Rock Trail, the Wild Turkey Loop, the Ponderosa Loop, and the northern 1.2 miles of the Wapiti Trail.
The CalWood Fire burn scar in and near the park may see significant and dangerous flooding and debris flows into the late summer and fall, which could affect the park’s amenities, plus nearby roads and downstream communities, staff said. Each storm brings the possibility of visitor evacuations, which would strain first responder resources.