This is just an update.
Have talked to friends who are able to communicate with family in Estes Park - we have been unable to contact any friends in Estes.
As you know, Estes Park is the Gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. Some 3 to 3.5 million visitors a year. The town essentially survives on tourism.
Due to the storms / floods it is severely damaged and cut off from the outside world at 7500' up in the mountains.
There is only one road open to get to it and that is Hwy 34 from the west - Grand Lake (about 9000'), which is about 50 miles away and on has to cross the Continental Divide and up over 12,000'.
That only access to Estes is currently only open to emergency vehicles and situations.
Adding to that is the fact that snows usually close the road about Oct 20th and periodically anytime up until then.
At that point, all supplies will have to be air lifted in.
People are required / requested to boil water for consumption at this point as well.
Downtown was pretty much under water.
There are three roads into Estes from the east and south - all closed due to damage. Plus a minor road which is a spinoff from a spot half way up Hwy 34 that you cannot get to.
Hwy 34 comes up from Loveland. It is known as the Big Thompson Canyon as the now severely flooded Big Thompson River flows down it. It gets the majority of the flood water from Estes. The Big Thompson is also the river that has closed I-25.
On the west end of Loveland one starts the climb to Estes and thru an area called The Narrows. Appropriately named as it is high rock canyon walls with only the river and the highway at the bottom.
Guess I don't have to tell you that the highway is about wiped out there. I have seen an aerial view of it's current status....large sections where both lanes are gone. And, of course, no place to detour - thru the canyon or anywhere around it.
I cannot seen Hwy 34 opening for a very long time. I hope I am wrong but just don't know any options.
Highway 36 is the other major route - coming up from Boulder thru Lyons.
Lyons had a mandatory evacuation of it's 2500 residents and all is shut down there and on Hwy 36 which has damage as well but do not know the details.
Hwy 7 is also washed out with no access to Estes.
I am deeply saddened to report all this as we lived in Estes for 8 years and love it up there. And have many friends there.
My fear is that is will take years to come back and many businesses simply will not make it.
And more rain is expected there today and ......... who knows? Flash flood warnings are posted thru Sunday.
"God only knows; God makes His plan....that information's unavailable to the mortal man" Paul Simon
I will not be posting anything further unless there is a serious change of some sort.
Peace.
Lauren
Have talked to friends who are able to communicate with family in Estes Park - we have been unable to contact any friends in Estes.
As you know, Estes Park is the Gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. Some 3 to 3.5 million visitors a year. The town essentially survives on tourism.
Due to the storms / floods it is severely damaged and cut off from the outside world at 7500' up in the mountains.
There is only one road open to get to it and that is Hwy 34 from the west - Grand Lake (about 9000'), which is about 50 miles away and on has to cross the Continental Divide and up over 12,000'.
That only access to Estes is currently only open to emergency vehicles and situations.
Adding to that is the fact that snows usually close the road about Oct 20th and periodically anytime up until then.
At that point, all supplies will have to be air lifted in.
People are required / requested to boil water for consumption at this point as well.
Downtown was pretty much under water.
There are three roads into Estes from the east and south - all closed due to damage. Plus a minor road which is a spinoff from a spot half way up Hwy 34 that you cannot get to.
Hwy 34 comes up from Loveland. It is known as the Big Thompson Canyon as the now severely flooded Big Thompson River flows down it. It gets the majority of the flood water from Estes. The Big Thompson is also the river that has closed I-25.
On the west end of Loveland one starts the climb to Estes and thru an area called The Narrows. Appropriately named as it is high rock canyon walls with only the river and the highway at the bottom.
Guess I don't have to tell you that the highway is about wiped out there. I have seen an aerial view of it's current status....large sections where both lanes are gone. And, of course, no place to detour - thru the canyon or anywhere around it.
I cannot seen Hwy 34 opening for a very long time. I hope I am wrong but just don't know any options.
Highway 36 is the other major route - coming up from Boulder thru Lyons.
Lyons had a mandatory evacuation of it's 2500 residents and all is shut down there and on Hwy 36 which has damage as well but do not know the details.
Hwy 7 is also washed out with no access to Estes.
I am deeply saddened to report all this as we lived in Estes for 8 years and love it up there. And have many friends there.
My fear is that is will take years to come back and many businesses simply will not make it.
And more rain is expected there today and ......... who knows? Flash flood warnings are posted thru Sunday.
"God only knows; God makes His plan....that information's unavailable to the mortal man" Paul Simon
I will not be posting anything further unless there is a serious change of some sort.
Peace.
Lauren
Hi, Ken -------
I am presuming you mean - or it is talking about Highway 7 between Hwy 72 and Estes Park.
That is the route coming up from I-70 via Blackhawk and Central City on the 119. That is one heckuva long way to get to Estes but will be the only route for quite a while. The next one to open - my guess - is Hwy 36 coming up from Boulder - but many bridges out and Lyons is about halfway and it was so bad there was a mandatory evacuation and God only knows if and when they can recover or when the road comes thru. Hwy 66 to the 36 in Lyons is an option from the I-25 but you still have the section of the 36 going to Estes that has, as I understand it, bridges out.
People, take a minute and think of this. Hwy 34 - the Big Thompson Canyon - is by far the main access to Estes Park. It is about 19 miles long. There is a spin off road - the 43 - but you have to go halfway up the canyon to get to it.
The bottom of the canyon is The Narrows and is canyon wall, river and highway - that is all. As you go further up it widens some and there are / were homes along the river and also roads / drives going up to homes a little higher up.
Highway 34 is shut down completely - end to end. Some homes and cars and whatever are in the pile of rubble at the bottom.
These people - living on the river or up higher - will not be able to get back to their homes - if they are still there - for months or even perhaps a year or two while that road is once again being re-built.
I have driven that highway hundreds of times, as has Thunder Mountain (and his former home area in Estes was also isolated within Estes due to bridge washouts - as I understand it - as well).
Estes Park will be dependent on supplies coming a long way - food and fuel the main issue - for a long time. Think of the pricing, perhaps rationing, that will be in effect. They are isolated - yes, isolated.
CO - that drop dead beautiful state where we loved living - has been ravaged by wildfires and now floods in this last year.
Be grateful it was not you; and say prayer for those it was.
It rolls over and over in my head and truly hurts me.
I am presuming you mean - or it is talking about Highway 7 between Hwy 72 and Estes Park.
That is the route coming up from I-70 via Blackhawk and Central City on the 119. That is one heckuva long way to get to Estes but will be the only route for quite a while. The next one to open - my guess - is Hwy 36 coming up from Boulder - but many bridges out and Lyons is about halfway and it was so bad there was a mandatory evacuation and God only knows if and when they can recover or when the road comes thru. Hwy 66 to the 36 in Lyons is an option from the I-25 but you still have the section of the 36 going to Estes that has, as I understand it, bridges out.
People, take a minute and think of this. Hwy 34 - the Big Thompson Canyon - is by far the main access to Estes Park. It is about 19 miles long. There is a spin off road - the 43 - but you have to go halfway up the canyon to get to it.
The bottom of the canyon is The Narrows and is canyon wall, river and highway - that is all. As you go further up it widens some and there are / were homes along the river and also roads / drives going up to homes a little higher up.
Highway 34 is shut down completely - end to end. Some homes and cars and whatever are in the pile of rubble at the bottom.
These people - living on the river or up higher - will not be able to get back to their homes - if they are still there - for months or even perhaps a year or two while that road is once again being re-built.
I have driven that highway hundreds of times, as has Thunder Mountain (and his former home area in Estes was also isolated within Estes due to bridge washouts - as I understand it - as well).
Estes Park will be dependent on supplies coming a long way - food and fuel the main issue - for a long time. Think of the pricing, perhaps rationing, that will be in effect. They are isolated - yes, isolated.
CO - that drop dead beautiful state where we loved living - has been ravaged by wildfires and now floods in this last year.
Be grateful it was not you; and say prayer for those it was.
It rolls over and over in my head and truly hurts me.
That will help some. But getting to Allenspark is not easy - main way is Hwy 7 out of Lyons. But everything helps. Soon people will need fuel for heat and food.
"The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will reopen a route for some motorists to and from Estes Park later tonight (Sept. 13) around 10 p.m. Emergency personnel, residents of Estes Park, delivery vehicles and other essential visitors will be able to access Estes Park by taking State Highway (SH) 119 north from the Blackhawk/Central City area to Nederland to SH 72 north through Ward to SH 7 and then north to Estes park through Allenspark. CDOT will establish and enforce checkpoints at varying locations along the highway to ensure that only those with critical missions can enter and exit the town until more permanent repairs can be made."
"The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will reopen a route for some motorists to and from Estes Park later tonight (Sept. 13) around 10 p.m. Emergency personnel, residents of Estes Park, delivery vehicles and other essential visitors will be able to access Estes Park by taking State Highway (SH) 119 north from the Blackhawk/Central City area to Nederland to SH 72 north through Ward to SH 7 and then north to Estes park through Allenspark. CDOT will establish and enforce checkpoints at varying locations along the highway to ensure that only those with critical missions can enter and exit the town until more permanent repairs can be made."
