Lawn Lake Flood - Page 3

Just below Cascade Dam and 1/3^rd mile east was Aspenglen Campground, which contained 275 campers. Campers were warned by Park Rangers of the impending flood at 6:50 a.m., 7:13 a.m. and finally an evacuation order was given at 7:23 a.m. By 7.47 a.m. the flood waters entered the campground. After evacuation, two campers re-entered the campground to gather their own possessions. Those two campers were never seen alive again. However, even though the flood waters still had a long way to go and a lot of damage to do on its way to Lake Estes and the Olympus Dam, there were no more fatalities. 

Flood waters rush across the access road to Aspenglen Campground		Aspenglen Campground access under mud and debris as water receded.		Campers cleaning up camping equipment after the flood.

Warnings along Fall River Road by patrol officers were now almost continuous. Reporters from the local AM radio station KSIR were along Fall River Road and later in downtown Estes Park providing live, minute by minute updates of the progress of the wall of water through this sometimes narrow valley. Water volume at the Fish Hatchery east of the Hydroplant was 8,520 cfs. By 8:00 a.m. the wall hit the, by then, evacuated Ponderosa Lodge ripping the two main lodge buildings from their foundations.

US 34, Fall River Road, washed out, as did the Fish Hatchery bridge further upstream.		Two of the Ponderosa Lodge buildings were swept off their foundations. Click images to enlarge.		Nicky's Resort was devastated by the flood. The restaurant and lounge were completely destroyed.

At about 8:12 the wall of water entered the west end of downtown Estes Park.

Lawn Lake, Page 4