(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — Heavy rain on Tuesday evening, July 22, created flash flooding in the area of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, closing Medano Pass Primitive Road, and causing washouts and woody debris, according to the National Park’s social media. All popular paved road access areas of the park, such as the Dunes parking lot, visitor center, and Pinion Flat Campground remain unaffected.

According to the park service, road crews and patrol rangers were able to assess the road damage on Wednesday, July 23, and found that deep washouts and large sections of the road were covered in debris, making it impassable. Rangers patrolled the area on Wednesday morning to check for additional damages and contact any people stranded due to the road damage.

As of 2 p.m. on Wednesday, park road crews were repairing the affected sections of the Medano Primitive Road. The park service noted that many sections of the road will need to dry out before repairs can be completed. Park staff will assess the conditions on Friday, July 25, to determine next steps in reopening the road. The road remains closed between Castle Creek picnic area and the park boundary at Medano Pass.