Officials with the Shawnee National Forest say Garden of the Gods will be temporarily closed beginning this Monday to make necessary pavement repairs.
This will also include closing Pharaoh Campground on Sunday, to ensure there is no overnight camping.
Preparation by contractors have been underway for several weeks, but it is now necessary to close roads and parking lots. Repairs will include obliterating, reshaping, and resurfacing Forest Service roads and parking lots.
All roads and parking lots will be closed. Repairs will take approximately two to four weeks, weather dependent. Should contractors finish early, the forest will provide updates on their social media and website. Recreation staff have posted barricades at road crossings.
Trails will remain open, but hikers and equestrians should stay off road crossings, and freshly shaped road and parking lot surfaces.
The only way in and out of Garden of the Gods will be to hike trails in from Hitching Post and Golden Circle trailheads.
