Highway 133 closure temporarily closes Paonia State Park

John Livingston
Southwest Region Public Information Officer
970-759-9590 / [email protected]
@CPW_SW

PAONIA, Colo. – Paonia State Park will be closed to the public until crews can repair damage to Colorado Highway 133 that has temporarily shut off access to the entrance of the park.

Two incidents have occurred on Highway 133 on both the north and south ends of the park. A rockslide is blocking the highway to the north of the park as it travels south out of Carbondale, while a significant sinkhole on the highway is blocking access to the park from the south coming out of Paonia near Somerset between Milemarkers 14-19.

CPW has issued full refunds to all campers with reservations at the park through May 17. CPW expects to be able to open the park no later than May 17 once the rockslide on the north side of the park has been cleared.

However, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) anticipates repairs to the sinkhole on the south side of the park could take one to two months, said Paonia State Park Manager Scott Rist.

Campers with reservations for Paonia State Park after May 17 will have to access the park from the north side until the sinkhole is repaired enough to allow traffic to move through. Campers who wish to cancel their reservations after the park is reopened will be subject to CPW’s cancellation fee.

“Access to Paonia State Park is limited to Highway 133, and we understand the sinkhole may alter some visitors’ travel plans even after access to our entrance is restored,” said Rist. “We want to thank our visitors for bearing with us while crews work hard to repair the highway and we adapt to the situation Mother Nature has dealt us early this season after the big winter we had this year.”

CDOT has asked motorists to avoid the area of the sinkhole during the safety closure. The sinkhole started April 29 and has significantly damaged the roadway.

“Spring runoff is a factor in the conditions leading to the sinkhole developing,” CDOT said in a news release. “There is also a damaged culvert near the roadway. CDOT is pursuing temporary ways of safely reopening the roadway, but those options will be limited due to ongoing spring runoff and nearby terrain.”

Travelers are encouraged to use COtrip.org for planning an alternate route around the area.

CPW plans to open the boat ramp at Paonia State Park on Monday, May 22.

“The water levels are good, and we are planning to open that boat ramp a week ahead of Memorial Day,” Rist said. “We are looking forward to a great season at the park and hope the access issues are only a temporary hurdle for the 2023 summer season.”

Paonia State Park is in Gunnison County, 17 miles northeast of the town of Paonia along Highway 133. The 1,523-acre park is popular for camping and photographers interested in capturing wildlife and wildflowers. For more information on Paonia State Park, go to: https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/Paonia.