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.