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PAYSON — A portion of the road up Payson Canyon along an area of the Nebo Loop has completely washed out.
The washed out road is near the Grotto Falls Trailhead and has been eroding over the past few days.
Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said in most years, spring runoff is more of a babbling brook that comes down from Pete Winward Reservoir.
"This is kind of cool. It's also pretty scary," said nearby resident, Caden Barney. "Pretty terrifying honestly, because I didn't realize the river even ran right there, and then the river ran over the road and then into the road with it."
However, this year the stream has been eroding away the ground beneath the road, causing it to crumble.
The road will impact access to many popular areas for camping and other recreation — places people typically spend Memorial Day.
According to the Utah County Sheriff's Office, many of the area campgrounds like Payson Lakes and Blackhawk aren't even accessible because of flooding.
Some other campgrounds like Maple Bench remain accessible, but they still are not open because they're mostly covered with water.
