Recent rains are damaging the roadway at Cherry Creek State Park

Mother Nature wreaked havoc in multiple locations around the Denver Metro during last week’s severe storms.

Cherry Creek State Park received six inches of rainfall over a three-day period, and the reservoir has risen 10 feet since Wednesday, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).

“I need a safe place to walk and exercise, and this is a good place,” said Pam Jones of Denver.

Jones is training for the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile hiking trail that runs through Spain, in August. To prepare, she uses the hiking trails in Cherry Creek State Park.

“This is a very popular, busy park,” Jones said.

With summer just around the corner, Jones is hoping a section of East Lake View Road will be repaired soon.

The road was severely damaged by the record rainfall. The water ripped out two large sinkholes that dented the road and broke it apart.

“This is what we call a 100-year event, and when we have those, things just can’t handle the kind of force Mother Nature exerts on us,” said Jason Trujillo, park manager for Cherry Creek State Park.

According to Trujillo, CPW has not seen damage this bad since the early 1980s. In fact, the damaged road was repaved just a few months ago.

“This street has been around for a long time. Smaller patches have been done, but never to this extent,” Trujillo said.

He says repairs could likely take months.

While Cherry Creek has suffered the worst, CPW says Castlewood Canyon is dealing with its own mess.

“There are some lanes that are still closed and footbridges that are impassable at the moment,” said Kara Van Hoose, CPW spokeswoman for the Northeast region. “They’re still judging how they look because the water level in the park hasn’t gone down yet.”

Until everything is cleaned up and reopened, CPW is asking people to keep their distance.

“To protect them, we’ve got things cordoned off so we can make sure we’re evaluating the safety of all the parks,” Trujillo said.

The east and west boat ramps are also closed due to flooding, CPW said. As for the next steps, the agency says it will be in touch with the experts to find out how the road can be repaired.

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