North Cheyenne Caon Park to reopen Saturday

A popular location for recreation in Colorado Springs will once again be available to the public this weekend after damage from September flash floods.

North Cheyenne Caon Park on the city’s southwest side is scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. Saturday. City leaders and the U.S. Forest Service conducted a media tour Wednesday to point out repairs made to flood-damaged areas.

Officials said workers scaled rocks, hauled out 280 dump truck loads of debris, repaired guardrails, stabilized creek banks and made temporary road repairs.

“There will be ongoing work that takes place, really, throughout the winter and into the spring, and those are going to be maybe some more isolated types of projects,” said Chris Lieber of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. “For some of our repairs, we’ll need warmer weather.”

Lieber said visitors should expect traffic delays and brief trail closures as repairs continue. He said freeze-thaw cycles with additional moisture in the park could cause more damage.

Officials said park repairs have cost $235,000 so far and the federal government likely will reimburse the city for most of that cost. The city also is helping the nearby Seven Falls tourist attraction repair flood damage, although the attraction remains closed.

Captain Jacks Trail, Forest Service trails around the park, the park’s uppermost parking lot and High Drive will remain closed while repairs continue, officials said.