Iconic rock overhang collapses in Colorado mountains

A classic scene in the San Juan Mountains has been altered forever.

Last month, four-wheel drivers of Camp Bird Road mourned the loss of the rock overhang found along the popular way to Yankee Boy Basin outside Ouray. Photos circulated on social media showing the ceiling’s collapse.

“An iconic road mark is gone,” read a post from Six Basins Project Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to the region’s Jeep trails.

The comments rolled in.

“[T]hat was my favorite picture spot!” read one.

“Just glad no one was underneath when it came down,” read another.

Someone else invoked philosopher Will Durant: “Civilization exists by geologic consent, subject to change without notice.”

Photos later from the cleared road calmed the outcry. Much of the overhang still exists, Six Basins told The Gazette: “Only about 30% of the overhang was actually affected, so most of that iconic structure is still intact.”