CARLSBAD, N.M. — Sitting Bull Falls, a spot best known for its waterfalls, is temporarily closed because of ongoing staffing shortages.

“Right now, we’re kind of in that awkward between camp hosts and we’re also short-staffed on the Guadalupe ranger district of the Lincoln National Forest at this time,” said Amanda Fry, the public affairs officer for the Lincoln National Forest.

The remote site is 30 miles west of Carlsbad and relies on camp hosts to open up the gates to the park every morning.

“Without the camp host there, we don’t have the manpower to send somebody out there every day. So those camp hosts, that’s where that camp host comes in. Especially for a place like Sitting Bull Falls, you know,  it’s quite remote, you know, so it takes a while to go out there,” Fry said. “Having a camp host live on site, that enables us to keep it open and keep it monitored and much more efficiently.”

Fry says the waterfalls are a huge attraction for tourists during the summertime but you can visit the waterfalls despite the closed gates.

“The trails are always open. It is public land and it remains public land. We haven’t shut off access. Only the gate closures, they do prevent you from driving all the way up to the recreation area, but you are still able to hike in,” Fry said.

The Forest Service hopes to open the recreation area by Memorial Day weekend.

“We do understand like, it’s a cool place to visit and if you want to take your family, it is an awesome place to go. So we’re trying to get it open up as quickly as possible.”