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Santaquin Canyon Road closed indefinitely

Posted at 3:28 PM, May 01, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-01 17:28:12-04

SANTAQUIN, Utah – The U.S. Forest Service has closed Santaquin Canyon Road indefinitely after a mudslide brought down a wall of debris and damaged the road.

The Forest Service said the closure is necessary for public safety due to the high water flow coming down the canyon and debris covering the road.

The closure begins at the Trumbolt day-use site and goes east approximately 1.5 miles to the Tinney Flat campground and all foot, bicycle, equestrian and vehicular traffic is prohibited.

The closure could remain in place for weeks.

“It’s going to take some heavy equipment to get it out of the way,” Sgt. Spencer Cannon with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said. “The road is probably going to need some repair so even if they were able to get it all started today we’re probably looking at a couple of weeks before they get close to being able to it open it back up.”

The slide began in a side canyon that historically has produced avalanches in the canyon, according to the Forest Service. The size and scope of this slide was due to the heavy snowpack from this winter.

No injuries were reported to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office from the avalanche but more slides could be coming over the next few weeks and Cannon warned people to be careful.