WAILUKU — A steep trail to the Kalaupapa leprosy settlement in Hawaii has been closed indefinitely after a landslide took out a bridge along one of the switchbacks.
WAILUKU — A steep trail to the Kalaupapa leprosy settlement in Hawaii has been closed indefinitely after a landslide took out a bridge along one of the switchbacks.
Kalaupapa National Historical Park Acting Superintendent Rhonda Loh told The Maui News the trail is closed while officials figure out how to repair it. She says the Park Service is short-staffed because of the federal government shutdown, so officials will examine the damage when the shutdown is over.
The 3-mile trail zigzags down the steep cliffside in a series of 26 switchbacks. It provides the only land access to the isolated peninsula on Molokai’s north coast.
Hikers, mule riders and federal and state employees use the trail to access Kalaupapa.
A postal service worker discovered the bridge damage on Christmas Day.
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Information from: The Maui News, http://www.mauinews.com
