Some parking areas on the north side of Redington Road will be closed through mid-June as the Forest Service constructs three new lots, and builds a “beginner-friendly” trail with a view of the scenic waterfall in Tanque Verde Canyon.

The construction — between mile marker 3 and marker 4.6 — began this week. The road over Redington Pass will remain open, but delays are expected, officials said. Trails remain open, but anyone parking a vehicle should do so in areas on the south edge of the road.

“The Forest Service and our partners have wanted to improve Tanque Verde Falls for over 40 years,” Santa Catalina District Ranger Don DelMastro said in a news release. Due to limited funding and “work capacity,” the area has “not been improved as planned,” he said.

Through May and June, work in the area will include:

• Construction of three new parking areas in the lower, middle, and upper stretches of the falls area “to reduce congestion and improve safety”
• Improvement of some existing trails
• Construction of a “more beginner-friendly trail” to provide a view of the largest waterfall in the canyon
• “Rehabilitation of natural desert areas impacted by unmanaged recreation”

The new trail will “provide a safe viewing location, especially during periods of potentially dangerous flash flooding,” officials said.

Later this year, facilities such as trash bins, vault restrooms, shade structures and picnic tables will be added to the area.

“Dispersed camping” will be permanently closed between the National Forest boundary at mile marker 3 and mile marker 4.6, officials said.

The project was recognized though a process led by the Friends of Redington Pass and uses funds from the Great American Outdoors Act, a federal law enacted in 2020 for the protection and maintenance of public lands.

The project began in 2023 with the construction of trails connecting the three planned trailheads in the area.

Information on parking restrictions is available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/coronado/alerts-notices.