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Red Rock Canyon closes after reaching visitor capacity on holiday

A traffic jam Monday afternoon shut down the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area scenic drive after the park reached its visitor capacity.

The national park, which waived its entrance fee Monday in honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, reached its visitor capacity just before 3 p.m.

It remained unclear Monday whether the scenic loop would reopen before Tuesday.

At about 2:30 p.m., the Metropolitan Police Department’s search and rescue unit responded to the canyon’s Turtlehead Peak trail, after a woman injured her ankle while hiking.

As of 3:45 p.m., rescue efforts were still underway. Metro Lt. Grant Rogers said emergency personnel were trying to locate the hiker, who told police she was stuck about a mile from the end of the trail.

Her injuries are survivable, Rogers said, but the woman was unable to walk because of a possible broken ankle.

Rogers also confirmed that the scenic loop’s closure did not appear to be related to the rescue efforts.

Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.

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