Coronado National Memorial has finally reopened the trail to the Coronado Cave, one of the last public trails to be reopened following the flood of July 2006.
The trail reopened on Friday, August 24th, thanks to the efforts of park maintenance staff and the Saguaro National Park trail crew. Saguaro National Park has supported the flood recovery efforts extensively during the last year as part of a regional effort to partner park programs in southern Arizona.
Coronado’s staff has been working since last summer to reopen roads, trails and public use areas heavily damaged by a flood that struck on July 30th and 31st. The park received over eight inches of rain in a 12-hour period. This was preceded by several weeks’ worth of drenching rains. as well as continued rain during and after the flood. The main park road was washed out by the rains and nearly 30 different landslides around the park contributed to destruction of trails, the picnic area, roadways and the vehicle barrier between the United States and Mexico.
The road remained closed for more than two months and public facilities have slowly reopened over the last 13 months, including several trails and the picnic area. Although technical rock work is still being completed on the trail to the cave, the public can now gain full access into one of the most popular features of Coronado National Memorial. Only the foot trail to the picnic area remains closed to the public. Replacement of low water crossings along the road will occur over the fall, but the road remains open to the public for most of the reconstruction. The vehicle barrier repair will occur within the next few weeks.
