BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — A deceased person was found on Tuesday afternoon near Boulder Falls, which has remained closed to the public due to dangerous conditions caused by a rockfall last fall.
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office said it received two Apple Alert SOS notifications from that area just before noon on Tuesday. Shortly afterward, a person called 911 to report that they had found a person who appeared to be deceased.
Several agencies responded to the scene, including sheriff's office deputies, Boulder County Parks and Open Space rangers, City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks rangers, and American Medical Rescue.
At the scene, they found an unresponsive male on the east side of Boulder Falls. He was pronounced deceased, the sheriff's office said. It is not clear how he died.
Due to the complex terrain, the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group was called in to recover the body.
The Boulder County Coroner's Office will determine the identity of the person, as well as his cause and manner of death. As of now, the death does not appear suspicious, the sheriff's office said.
The trail to Boulder Falls closed after November's "catastrophic" rockfall, which left the area in "a very unstable and dangerous condition," according to Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP). The trail to the falls, which is about 11 miles west of Boulder, is a short walk off the north side of Boulder Canyon Drive.
The slide damaged key trail infrastructure that was designed to capture rocks and sediment from the hillside.
Denver7 reached out to OSMP in July to follow-up on the progress and heard back from Jeff Haley, deputy director of visitor experience and infrastructure for OSMP. He said, in short, the falls area remains closed with no timeline for reopening. The severe rockfall, combined with the geologic conditions within the narrow canyon leading up to the falls, mean the area remains unstable and dangerous, he said.
Visitors to Boulder parks can check for current trail closures on this map or this website.
The Boulder Open Space Board of Trustees will meet Wednesday, and are scheduled to discuss the Boulder Falls closure around 7 p.m.
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