The Catwalk Trail Reopens In Southern New Mexico After Flood

By Mónica Ortiz Uribe
May 30, 2016
Courtesy of U.S. Forest Service
The Catwalk Trail is a walkway suspended between the walls of Whitewater Canyon outside of Glenwood, New Mexico.

The Catwalk Trail, one of southern New Mexico's most popular tourist attractions, reopened Memorial Day weekend after it was destroyed by a powerful flood three years ago.

The scenic walkway in the Gila National Forest is a mile long and suspended between the walls of a canyon once rumored to be a hideout of Geronimo. A hundred years ago it was a pathway to a water source for an old mining mill. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps modified it into a visitor-friendly attraction overlooking a stream. 

Fast forward to 2012 when the largest wildfire in New Mexico's history charred nearly 300,000 acres of vegetation, leaving the land vulnerable to flooding. That's what destroyed the Catwalk a year after the fire. The U.S. Forest Service had to wait a couple years for the forest to grow back before rebuilding The Catwalk. Construction took six months and cost $4.6 million.

The reopening is a welcome development for the neighboring town of Glenwood, where businesses derive most of their income from Catwalk visitors.