GRANDJEAN, Idaho — A flash flood roared through Grandjean Campground on Wednesday evening, destroying the campground and trailhead and also damaging more than a dozen vehicles.
The Sawtooth National Forest has closed the campground and trailhead, but the road to Grandjean remains open. On a positive note, the mudslide missed the Sawtooth Lodge, and there have been no reported injuries.
WATCH | The aftermath of Wednesday evening's mudslide—
"We are thankful no one was injured," said Lydia Gee, who works at the Sawtooth Lodge.
"Everyone came out safe. We are continuing to keep an eye out for everybody and get people where they need to be, but we are thankful no one was hurt."
The National Weather Service had issued a flash flood warning on Tuesday, but there is no cell service in this area. This location is the closest access to the Sawtooth Wilderness from Boise and a popular place for people to park vehicles before going on multi-day backpacking trips into the Sawtooths.
"It’s really unfortunate. We have had a lot of hikers coming in off the trailhead who really had no idea about the mudslide," said Gee. "They are coming in and kind of figuring things out, seeing their cars in the mud, and we are helping them find a way to town, but it's really heartbreaking."
The Wapiti Fire started on a ridge above Grandjean in 2024, and it ended up burning more than 129,000 acres. It left huge burn scars, and those are susceptible to flash flooding when it rains. The recent mudslide carried boulders, logs, vehicles, and everything in its path of destruction.
"It looks completely different," said Gee. "We were up there, day of, helping people out of there, and you couldn’t even recognize most of the campground. The bridge has been moved, and they are doing their best to work on it, but it’s a big bummer.”
The Sawtooth Lodge dealt with a mudslide a week ago that required cleaning up the mess, but this last mudslide missed the lodge, which remains open along with the road into Grandjean. There was even a wedding that took place on Friday.
"The lodge is open. We are functioning and ready for people to come in to get a milkshake and swim in the pool," said Gee. "The road does stop on the way to the campground, but they've marked everything so you can go where it is safe."
Highway 21 remains closed from Grandjean to Banner Summit, requiring travelers to go around through Sun Valley on their way to Stanley. The mudslide turned the South Fork of the Payette River into what looks like chocolate milk, and it stays that way all the way to at least Horseshoe Bend, 75 miles away.
