Скачать или смотреть South Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison opens to the Montrose community and the world

For the first time since July 10, the South Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park was closed to the public, and Monday was a special one for recreationists and mostly for the community of Montrose County. 

Some cars had been waiting in line since 7 a.m. for the park to open.

“It's a huge relief. I know I can't speak for everyone in Montrose, but I can tell you that a large portion of Montrose thought that this wasn't going to happen the rest of the year,” said William Woody, the public information officer with the City of Montrose.

Visitors from all over the county and the world flock to the South Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Even a family from new jersey who decided to stop along their road trip.

Robert Camarda, the father of the Camarda family visiting from New Jersey, states, “We've been checking for about a month because we were coming out here and we had planned our route, and it was taking a step, saying the South Road was closed, and last night I checked, and I was very excited to see that it was opening up, but I wasn't sure about what date and what time we saw that it was opening today at 7:00 in the morning.”

As soon as the good news hit, the Camarda family was ready!

Lindsay, the mother of the Camarda Family, states, “so we were up around five and out the door by, like, 5:45. And we're just so excited because we've been chasing national parks."

“My favorite part about national parks is the views in the Junior Ranger read,” Nicholas “Niko” Camarda said

But only two points are open in the park, Tomichi and Gunnison Point along with the visitor's center; they will be open for the time being

“Campgrounds are going to remain closed the rest of the year. And another thing will be closed right there. There will be East Portal Road; that's the only road that goes down into the gorge itself. Those remain closed the rest of the year just because of the level of damage incurred by the fire or the instability of the rock,” said the Superintendent for the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Stuart West.

West suggests that about three-quarters of affected sites could be occupied, but due to ongoing damage, they will photograph everything and post it online. They will keep the site closed until other work is completed. The park plans to expand its open areas over time.

As visitors are driving or walking through the designated charred areas, they don't have to look too far to find that life is already starting to grow from the burn spots.
WesternSlopeNow was able to ask West, ‘How did the National Park Service determine whether it was safe for people to return to the park?’
“But the reality is up here on the top surface where everybody goes and we're allowing the public to stay is perfectly safe because there's a lot of burnt area in between where they are and down in the canyon where it's still burning and places,” West said.