‘Significant Flooding’ Shuts Down Part of Paonia River Park

It's only April, and there's already "significant flooding" at the Paonia River Park. Some sections of the trail are inaccessible due to high water.

Look at the water level in the photo above. That photo was taken today, April 30. High water has shut down the Minnesota Creek bridge and River Park Trail system. Pedestrians should avoid attempting to cross the bridge. Judging by what I see in the photo, they won't have to tell me twice.

According to the Western Slope Conservation Center, the North Fork is currently running -5000 CFS at Lazear. Keep in mind, it's only late April. This isn't even the peak runoff.

According to Wikipedia, the average flow of the North Fork is 227 CFS. The maximum would be 3,990 CFS.

Check out this video of Paonia River Park from last year.

According to the National Weather Service, Paonia can expect a 70% chance of rain Tuesday night, and a 40% chance of rain on Wednesday.

If you were hoping to walk the trail at Paonia River Park, you might want to hold off for at least a couple of days. The Minnesota Creek bridge and River Park Trail system are out of commission for the moment.