Recent warm weather got Gunlock Falls flowing again in southern Utah
GUNLOCK, Utah (ABC4) — For the second year in a row, rushing water from mountain snowmelt was flowing through the red sandstone chutes of Gunlock Falls in southwestern Utah.
“Having it not only as often as we’ve seen it in recent years, but two back-to-back years, is a very big deal, especially this early in the season,” said Devan Chavez, a spokesperson with Utah State Parks.
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He described the falls as a “very rare” amenity for Gunlock State Park, which is located roughly 20 miles northwest of St. George. The falls are a spillway for Gunlock Reservoir, flowing into the Santa Clara River.
Last year was a record snow year across Utah, so it wasn’t a surprise that the falls were flowing come springtime. The rushing waters helped bring more than 269,000 visitors to the park.
“Water does drive visitation, and having a good water year means a good outdoor recreation year for Utah parks,” Chavez said.
What got the falls going so early?
Earlier this month, unseasonably warm temperatures in the nearby Pine Valley Mountains led to the reservoir overflowing, with snowmelt washing into the Santa Clara River, which feeds into the reservoir.
Sam Hudson, a geology professor at Brigham Young University, said the flow on the Santa Clara was high last week, averaging about 36 cubic feet per second. For comparison, the river only averages about 5 cubic feet per second during the summer months.
“There’s two ways you get high flow in a desert stream like this. One is like what happens in August, flash floods, thunderstorms, you get flows of 1,000 cubic feet per second on the Santa Clara River sometimes,” he said. “The other is because we are unique and we are in a high desert, we also have a lot of snowpack that influences it.”
Recently, the Santa Clara’s flow was the highest on Feb. 9, and it stayed high until Monday, Hudson said. Since then it’s been on the downflow. On Friday, the falls were but a trickle.
The professor noted that this recent warm weather in the southern mountains — and subsequent snowmelt spilling out of the reservoir — doesn’t indicate what kind of spring there will be in southern Utah.
“Some years you have an early melt that’s quick and then you slowly taper off, and some years it hangs on forever and all releases at once,” Hudson said. “It’s hard to predict.”
Safety at the falls
While park-goers can hike around the rocks at the base of the falls, they are advised to be wary of slick, wet surfaces.
“The area over there is very slick, very slippery and can be very, very dangerous,” Chavez said.
Access to the state park is $10 for a vehicle day pass for Utah residents. Other water activities available at the park include boating, fishing and kayaking.
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