The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office says most of the campers trapped by floodwaters in Oak Creek Canyon were able to evacuate Wednesday morning from Cave Springs Campground after water levels receded.
About 65 campers and camp hosts were trapped for four days when rain swelled Oak Creek and made low water crossings impassable.
In a media release Wednesday morning, the sheriff’s office said all campers are expected to depart throughout the day Wednesday.
Crews with the U.S. Forest Service cleared logs, stumps and boulders from the roadway, left there by the flooding.
Visitors to Cave Springs Campground had been trapped since Sunday when water levels rose.
County officials say rain commonly swells Oak Creek and blocks the crossings. But it’s rare that levels stay so high for several days.
Before water levels receded, an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter dropped two days' worth of food to campers Tuesday. County officials said, however, the resupply was largely precautionary.
The National Weather Service says nearly 4.5 inches of rain have fallen across parts of the Oak Creek watershed since Saturday.
The creek peaked at more than 2,500 cubic feet per second Tuesday morning — about 5 times its average flow.
