High water events in the autumn of 2013 caused significant damage to the Rainbow Bridge Trail in Rainbow Bridge National Monument – a remote National Park Service site accessible only via footpath or by boat.

Repair and reconstruction of the trail required barge transport of all equipment, materials, and personnel from Page, Arizona, to the job site. To reduce transportation costs and job duration, the crew was supplied with houseboat housing, enabling them to maintain a continuous work schedule.

The trail repair and improvement process included trenching and excavating for a new gabion trail support structure and installing the gabion. To address additional erosion caused by an overhead waterfall feature during flash flood events, Loven Contracting designed and constructed a concrete pad in the water flow’s impact zone. Upon construction completion, the crew removed the temporary trail reroute and the equipment access road. Our crew conducted all site clean-up and restoration activities per National Park Service standards.