The photos from a flash flood in Idaho this week look like something from a natural disaster flick. Heavy rains created a mudslide that destroyed vehicles and left behind a campground covered in debris.
Local officials posted the images on Facebook this week, noting that the northeast side of Boise County was “hammered with flash floods.” For the moment, it appears that the campers in the area escaped unharmed, according to local news reports.
However, the mudslide caused massive damage to the Grand Jean Trailhead and Campground in Sawtooth National Forest. There’s been an uptick in mudslides in the area since widespread burns caused by the 2024 Wapiti Fire, officials said.
The U.S. Forest Service said the campground is “unsafe,” and has been closed for “the foreseeable future.” The trailhead is also closed, despite being the starting point for many hikes in the Sawtooth National Forest.
“This will not be an easy cleanup task,” the Boise County Sheriff’s Office wrote in an online post Friday. “Please expect some time before the Forest Service has the area reopened.”
Cleanup Details
Sawtooth National Forest isn’t the only Idaho area that saw damage from the flooding.
SH-21 remains closed from Grand Jean to Banner Summit “following a mudslide,” the Idaho Transportation Department announced on Thursday morning. Photos released by the department show the highway covered in logs and other debris, likely requiring significant manpower to remove.
“Crews are taking a closer look at the slide in the early morning light, and heavy equipment is already on the way,” the department said in a social media post. “With more rain in the forecast, we expect the highway could remain closed for about a week, though we are hopeful crews can reopen it sooner.”
As for the Grand Jean Campground, the immediate response will be rerouting water away from the campground and trailhead, Jessica Maddock, spokesperson for the Sawtooth National Forest, told the Idaho Statesman. That will dry out the area and ease the process of debris removal.
The floods in Idaho are only the latest example of natural disasters that have wreaked havoc on public lands across the country this summer. Wildfires and flooding have forced closures at several national parks, and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is still mostly closed due to active fires.
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