A portion of the River’s Edge Trail was closed Jan. 8 to repair an area damaged by a small mudslide.

City crews completed the work on Jan. 8, so that section of trail will be open normally on Friday.

The closure was between the caboose trailhead and Giant Springs Road and was due to a small mudslide caused by natural springs on the south side of the trail.

Kevin Vining, city parks supervisor, told The Electric that water continued to flow through the area, causing slip hazards on the trail surface.

On Jan. 9, Park and Recreation department crews were able to quickly mobilize a city-owned excavator due to favorable weather conditions to remove some soil and construct a drainage area next to the trail to direct moisture away from the trail, Vining said.

Giant Springs Road slide repair begins this week [2025]

The work should help reduce future runoff, minimizing similar problems for a few years.

“Acting promptly helps us mitigate safety risks and prevent potential accidents,” Vining said and the project is considered routine maintenance funded through Park and Rec’s trails and parks maintenance operating budgets.

Park and Rec updates: Contract awarded to fix trail slide; park projects continuing; more on proposed joint pool facility [2020]

The slide is in the same general area that’s had previous issues to natural springs that “recurring challenges, especially during freeze-thaw cycles, which lead to water and ice buildup and, eventually, mudslides,” Vining said.

The repaired mudslide area is circled below, courtesy of Park and Rec.