Gilman Tunnels closing temporaritly to mitigate rockfall hazards. Courtesy/Buggs Photography

SFNF News:

The Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) has announced that a half-mile segment of the road that passes through the Gilman Tunnels on the Jemez Ranger District will be closed to traffic to allow crews to remove loose rock and stabilize the rock cliffs around the tunnels.

“We apologize in advance for any inconvenience caused by our work on the Gilman Tunnels. But public safety is our primary concern, and we want to mitigate the potential danger from falling rock as soon as possible,” Jemez District Ranger Brian Riley said.

Forest Road (FR) 376 will be closed from mile marker 5.0 approximately one mile north of the community of Gilman to mile marker 5.5 just north of the tunnels.  Engineers expect the work, which could begin as early as May 1, to take no more than 45 days to complete. The SFNF will issue a closure order soon.

Recreation sites and grazing allotments on FR 376 will remain accessible from NM Highway 126.

The section of FR 376 at the tunnels runs through the Guadalupe Box Canyon, giving visitors a scenic view of the Guadalupe River surging between red rock cliffs. The Gilman Tunnels were blasted out of the rock in the 1920s to provide logging and mining companies access to the railroad. More recently, the tunnels have provided a backdrop for several Hollywood productions, including “3:10 to Yuma.”

For additional information on the Gilman Tunnels project, contact the Jemez Ranger District at 575.829.3535.