October 6 – There’s a simple reason why Argo Chakravorty and Amelia Abbott have made the journey down Hyde Park Road twice in two weeks.
“That,” said Abbott.
She pointed to a break in the trees at Aspen Vista Picnic Ground, which framed a mountainside covered in the yellow and orange leaves of aspens. The bright colors were only occasionally interrupted by the highest branches of still green conifers.
“We came here last Sunday and we wanted to come back,” Chakravorty said.
Hundreds of cars – and a few brave cyclists – meandered up the mountain Sunday to catch a glimpse of the aspens’ changing leaves. They flocked to popular picnic and hiking spots, crowding into parking lots like packed teeth.
And the visitors made the trip despite recent construction work on Hyde Park Road. New Mexico Department of Transportation workers and private contractors began repairing the pavement in September.
Half of the project is now complete — mainly the right side of the road — but the road remains closed six days a week at mile marker 12, said Kristine Bustos-Mihelcic, a spokeswoman for the Department of Transportation.
All road closures will be lifted on Sunday. That’s why several thousand visitors were able to travel all the way on Sunday to enjoy the area’s viewpoints and hiking trails on what was expected to be one of the last good days for leaf-viewing.
While road updates will continue as long as the warm weather continues, Bustos-Mihelcic said, “We also recognize that there is a need for use, and we are trying to accommodate that.”
The repaving process was initially expected to take 30 days, weather conditions permitting, the Department of Transportation announced in a news release last month.
The weather didn’t quite permit it, Bustos-Mihelcic said: The rain in mid-September briefly hampered the work.
Now crews are back at work, with plans to repave the southbound lane of the road from mile marker 12 to mile marker 16. As parts of the projects are completed, more and more of the road will reopen to traffic .
“We are prioritizing the top six kilometers up to the ski area because that is where the road is really needed most,” Bustos-Mihelcic said.
She added: “When we’re done with that part, we’ll do an assessment with temperatures and [decide] Or, you know, that’s where we’ll finish this season or we’ll try to finish those lower miles in this season.”
Even on Sunday – while the road was fully open – there was plenty of evidence of the ongoing work. There are signs along the side of the road warning of road works or upcoming closures.
At Big Tesuque Campground, the road was narrowed to one lane, partly to make room for large repaving equipment. And a surviving sign south of Hyde Memorial State Park falsely warned motorists of a road closure ahead and warned them to turn around.
But construction is not bad news for everyone.
Carol Dostert, a volunteer manning the state park visitors center Sunday, said the road closures have helped local and out-of-town visitors discover the park, which can be overlooked when looking for adjacent sites on land from the Santa Fe National Forest.
“A lot of people are discovering the state park and the trails we have here,” she said.
The fall foliage and construction have inspired more people to stop by the visitor center, Dostert said. Some come in to ask questions or grab a map. Others stay to complete a hike.
“We’ve had a lot more people come by and hike our trails. It’s just nice to have people here learning about the state park,” she said.
