Part of Hermosa Park Road (NFSR 578) behind Purgatory Resort closed Monday for a month so that San Juan National Forest personnel can replace culverts where Sig and Relay creeks cross the road.
The closure, which will last through Sept. 13, cuts off vehicle access to the Upper Hermosa Trailhead from U.S. Highway 550.
Recreators and hunters wanting to access parts of Game Management Unit 74 and other destinations higher in the Hermosa Creek watershed will have to access the trailhead either on the Hermosa Park Road on foot or bike, or by high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicles via state Highway 145, north of Rico.
“Users should be prepared for creek crossings around the construction sites and possible short delays during the construction window,” the forest spokeswoman said in a news release.
The closure will not impact the Elbert Creek Road or the Relay Creek Road, both of which are commonly used by hunters.
The closure was first announced in February to ensure hunters were aware before the big game license draw application period began.
Although new culverts are nothing extravagant – infrastructure upgrades rarely are – the forest’s fisheries program manager, Clay Kampf, says the upgrades will be a boon to the Colorado River cutthroat trout.
“Between the two culverts, approximately 1.5 miles of new habitat will be available for cutthroat trout located downstream, which is significant because Sig and Relay Creeks regularly provide more water to the watershed than East Fork Hermosa during low flow periods,” Kampf wrote in an email to The Durango Herald.
By replacing the undersized existing culverts, which fish cannot pass through, with larger byways that mimic stream beds, the forest is reconnecting fragmented habitat for the cutthroat in East Fork Hermosa Creek.
“Access to upstream habitat provides reprieve during drought or low flow conditions and access to more pool and spawning habitat,” Kampf wrote.
When weather conditions moisten and flows reach flood stage, the new culverts will be large enough to pass heavier flows and debris during runoff, making the road network more sustainable and safer.
A project of this scale would typically cost around $1 million, Kampf wrote, although the forest was able to reduce costs by using rock developed at a gravel pit owned by the forest. The project is being jointly funded by the SJNF and Trout Unlimited.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is also a partner in the project.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
