Lawn Lake Flood - Page 2

Immediately below the Roaring River drainage, and just east of where the Roaring River flows into Fall River, is Horseshoe Park. Horseshoe Park is a wide mountain valley (1000 acres) created by the meandering Fall River. Because of its size and its geological make up, it acted both as a huge sponge and an even bigger bowl. During the hour and a quarter it took Horseshoe Park to fill with the water from Lawn Lake before it over-topped Cascade Dam, emergency services throughout northeastern Colorado were notified. The Town of Estes Park police department was notified just after 6:30 am of the pending flood. 

Looking west in Horseshoe Park shortly after the flood waters washed out the bridge crossing Fall River at the west end of Horseshoe Park. Part of the alluvial fan is visible at the upper left corner. Click to enlarge images.

Flood waters continue to fill Horseshoe Park. Mount Ypsilon is in the background left, with Fairchild Mountain on the right. Both are part of the Mummy Range. The alluvial fan is visible on the center left.

At the far (east) end of Horseshoe Park was the small Cascade Dam, elevation 8,400 ft., holding a reservoir of water that was used as the energy source for the Estes Park Hydroelectric Plant 433 feet downstream from that. After Horseshoe Park had filled, Cascade Dam and its control cabin became the next obstruction to be ripped away by the force of the water flowing eastward down Fall River towards Estes Park at the re-charged rate of 16,000 cubic feet per second! 

Cascade Dam being overtopped at over 16,000 cubic feet per second.		The control cabin slides off the dam into Fall River.		Now, Cascade Dam itself is gone

Lawn Lake, Page 3