Parts of Shawnee Forest Closed by Heavy Traffic

On Sunday afternoon, officials with the U.S. Forest Service closed a number of locations in the Shawnee National Forest because of a huge influx of vehicle traffic.

Rangers decided to close Garden of the Gods, Bell Smith Springs, and Jackson Falls after long lines of cars formed on the narrow roads. They posted on the Shawnee Forest Facebook page that officials deemed it an unsafe situation, because it would have been extremely difficult for emergency vehicles to enter those areas in the event of a serious accident or fire.

Comments on the Facebook page called it a "traffic jam," and reported that drivers were parking their cars "on the road, not on the side of the road," and then walking in traffic on the roadway.

Forest Service officials said the areas will reopen when it is safe to do so.

They remind visitors that there are many other areas of Shawnee Forest that are open, including Lake Glendale, Pennant Bar, Pounds Hollow, Rim Rock, and Iron Furnace.