A rockslide to the north of Paonia State Park on Colorado Highway 133 has been cleared, and the park will reopen to the public May 17.
Access to Paonia State Park is currently limited to visitors coming from the north and traveling south down Highway 133, as a large sinkhole on the highway south of the park has led to a safety closure from the Colorado Department of Transportation.
"With access to the park restored from one side of the highway, we are looking forward to reopening this week," said Paonia State Park Manager Scott Rist. "We are ready to welcome guests back for a great summer season."
While the park will reopen, the Spruce primitive campground site will remain closed through June 15 because of flooding. Primitive camping will still be available at the Hawsapple campground along with the Anthracite campground, which offers electricity.
"The river is still surge-flooding Spruce campground. The snowpack above the reservoir is still 132% of normal for this time of year," Rist said.
Visitors with reservations for Spruce campground are asked to call the park to cancel if they have not already been contacted by the park. Free cancellations will be offered through June 15 to those who call the park to cancel directly.
"We want to thank everyone for their patience while we adapt right now to the natural conditions," Rist said.
The Paonia State Park boat ramp will open May 22 with a full reservoir. The water will remain cold and can present danger, as hypothermia can set in quickly.
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