Warm Weather Venues Delay Opening Due To Rain, Cold
DENVER (CBS4)- Several warm weather venues scheduled to open Memorial Day weekend have delayed their opening day because of cool, wet weather. That has many rethinking their holiday plans.
Weeks of continuous rain have put a damper on traditional Memorial Day weekend activities like camping, swimming and hiking.
Some places aren't letting Mother Nature hamper their plans. Elitch Gardens has already opened for the season and the amusement park's water park will open on Saturday.
"This is unprecedented," said Chatfield Reservoir Park Ranger Lauren Turpin. "It's built for water retention but we're just holding a lot of water right now."
Turpin said Chatfield Reservoir is about eight feet above the flood level which is flooding some parking lots, getting close to some buildings and swallowing up the swim beach.
"The Army Corp of Engineers is letting out water as quickly as they can without flooding downstream, but we're still getting water in as quickly as it gets out," said Turpin.
"I've never seen it like this where the water is up to the road," said resident Ben Archuleta.
Chatfield is open to campers and boaters but parts of the park are closed including a few picnic areas, the South Boat Ramp and the Swim Beach.
Other places that have delayed their openings this weekend include Water World, Broomfield Bay Aquatic Park, Lakewood City Pools and Golden's Splash Park.
Many park rangers are asking hikers to stay off the trails until things dry up.
"We would just assume that people stay off our trails right now. Most of our parks are wet and muddy and people using the trails can cause damage. People don't like walking in mud," said Jeffco Open Space Park Ranger Mark Oline.
Numerous hiking trails and wildlife areas will be closed because of the flooded areas from Waterton Canyon, some of the Boulder Open Space trails and Horsetooth Mountain Open Space.
The City of Denver public pools are not scheduled to open until June 8, after Denver Public Schools end for the school year.
