Fox16.com - Boozman Tours Albert Pike Campground

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Senator John Boozman toured the Albert Pike Campground Monday, nearly a year after a flood there took the lives of 20 people. The campground is no closer to opening as the Forestry Service still has many unanswered questions on how to best use it in the future.

"You don't realize the devastation until you're out here and really see the asphalt turned up, the poles bent, and just how high the water got," says Boozman, who was touring the destruction for the first time.

Seven children were among those lost when the Little Missouri River rose more than 20 feet in just a few hours last June. Today, the damage is still everywhere you look.

Tracey Farley, with the US Forestry Service, says there is a key reason why. "We are still waiting to figure out what the best use and the future use of Albert Pike is. Until we know what the end goal is, we need to hold up on the intermediate steps."

Months after the Albert Pike Flood and you can still see the damage. There is a reminder that this is still very much hallowed ground with memorials remembering those who lost their lives here.

Senator Boozman said that Washington will provide whatever resources are needed to bring the park back.

"I'm committed to doing whatever it takes. This place has been enjoyed for many generations and I want to get it in a situation where we can start enjoying it again," said Boozman.

Farley doesn't know if people will ever be back camping at Albert Pike. "We have a lot of decisions to make in the near future. We're trying to determine a lot of things as far as what needs to go on here."

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