Hikers, Drivers Briefly Stranded By Telluride Mudslide
TELLURIDE, Colo. (CBS4) - More than 40 people were temporarily stranded Monday after a mudslide prevented travel on a popular roads and trails in Telluride. The slide occurred in the middle of the day and blocked Bridal Veil Road, according to the San Miguel County Sheriff's Office. It measured 35 feet wide and 3-5 feet deep.
At least 40 people, including more than two dozen hikers and the occupants of at least a dozen vehicles, walked out or drove out of the area after county road crews created a temporary passage.
The crew's work is not done. Bridal Veil Road, Bridal Veil Trail, and the Via Ferrata, an adventure climb, were closed for the rest of the day. The roads reopened on Tuesday morning.
"It is not safe to be on the road or trails," the San Miguel Sheriff stated in social media messages. "Boulders the size of small refrigerators were seen tumbling down and debris will require clearing."
Imogene Pass Road, a steep four-wheel-drive road that connects Telluride to Ouray over a 13,000-foot pass, is also closed until further notice.
The National Weather Service office in Grand Junction told CBS4 the area had received two inches of rain in the past several days.
A drone was used in an attempt to locate a white male wearing a yellow jacket who was reported to have been seen starting the Via Ferrata at the time the slide-producing storm rolled into town. He was not found. Anyone with information about the person is asked to call San Miguel County dispatch.
All other hikers and motorists safely exited the hillside without injury.