SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. — Avalanche debris removal will finally begin along the Tenmile Canyon National Recreation Trail.
Summit County announced Thursday morning that it had “received the green light” from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center to begin clearing debris from the trail between Frisco and Copper, which typically opens by Memorial Day.
The process will take three weeks and will remain closed until the work is complete. Frisco and the U.S. Forest Service will help with the cleanup.
The Vail Pass Bike Path, which runs between Copper and Vail, is cleared of snow and open to the public.
The series of winter storms in March brought large amounts of snow to the areas above the recreational trails, and as a result, 23 avalanches tumbled down the slopes and crossed over the pathway. In some places, it was buried by a few feet of debris. In other area, there was more than 20 feet.
“It was an unprecedented event for the Summit County Recpath system,” said Open Space & Trails Senior Resource Specialist Jason Lederer. “Given the scale of the cleanup, we have hired a construction contractor to assist with the debris removal.”
Summit County hired Gypsum-based RPM Construction to do the work.
Open Space & Trails Director Brian Lorch said they hope to open the Tenmile Canyon path as soon as RPM finished the cleanup, as long as the pathway isn’t damaged.
For more information, contact the Open Space & Trails Department at 970-668-4060, or visit www.SummitCountyCO.gov/OpenSpace.