The Golden Gate Road in Saguaro National Park west of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ has been closed permanently to motor vehicles “to provide a greater degree of naturalness through the center of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mountains,†according to Ray O’Neil, the park’s chief ranger.
The closed section of the road is a three-mile segment between Picture Rocks Road and the Sendero Esperanza Trailhead.
The route remains open for hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking.
Hard rains and washouts had caused the unpaved road to become impassable to passenger vehicles several times each year, park officials said.
“We put up barricades to close the road after rains in August 2018 and installed gates around the same time,†O’Neil said.
“Over the course of the fall, we made the decision to implement the decision made through our two planning documents 10 years ago and closed the road permanently. Signs were installed last month.â€
People are also reading…
Hikers, bikers, and equestrians who want to travel the road can park at the Sendero Esperanza Trailhead.
A parking area at the junction of Golden Gate and Picture Rocks roads is planned over the next several years.
Portions of the road have regularly washed away during hard rains, forcing the park to erect barricades. Hikers, bicyclists and equestrians can still use the route, which cuts through the center of Saguaro National Park west of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
