Trails Closed due to Colorado Wildfires

Nov 29, 20203 min read

This year was a horrific year for the wildfires out west. When I first moved here from Michigan I knew what I was getting into; from the cold weather to the wildfire season. This year however I did not anticipate the wildfires to reach the magnitude they did.

I am pulling some of the information from the Fire Weather Avalanche site in order to provide the accurate data but the pictures are from my personal camera roll and what I have witnessed.

To begin, the wildfires this year broke numerous records, the Cameron Peak fire is now known as the largest wildfire in Colorado History. The second largest is now the East Troublesome fire and then other fires this season happen to be the Grizzly Creek fire, Mullen fire, Cherry Canyon fire, and the Williams Fork fire. These happen to have been the most talked about fires and what happened to be the fires surrounding the small town in Northern Colorado that I currently live in. Only touching on three of the known ones....

The Cameron Peak fire hit a record breaking 208,913 acres and is still burning. This fire is currently 94% contained thanks to the help of snow and the amazing first responders that showed up to help! To gain better understanding on how long these fires can burn for, this one started on August 13th, 2020 and today's date is November 29th, 2020. They hope to have this fire 100% contained by December 5th, 2020.

Not more than 10 miles away from the Cameron Peak fire happens to be the East Troublesome Fire. This is now the second largest wildfire in Colorado History as of 2020 and has affected my life the most. Just like the Cameron Peak fire, this one is still under investigation as the cause is still unknown and may remain unknown. The East Troublesome fire really hit home once it flooded into the Grand Lake area. Grand Lake happen to be my first home and where I started making friends and memories. Listening to the scanners, the Grand Lake Lodge had been rumored that it burnt down to the ground. This historic building is celebrating 100 years of service as of this past June! Luckily the Lodge remains standing as well as the cabins and we can continue to create memories. Unfortunately the Winding River Ranch just across the street burned to the ground, hopes of reopening it and rebuilding with the help of the community will bring the area back to life! This fire is still active and is currently sitting at 193,812 acres. It started on October 14th, 2020. and grew very fast reaching 100,000 acres overnight. At 72% containment they hope to have it 100% contained by tomorrow, November 30th, 2020. This fire has not grown and there is no growth expected.

Fun Fact: This fire jumped the Continental Divide in the National Park, it was originally supposed to only stay on one side but it grew quick once it made it over.

After the fire:

The Mullen fire is the last one I would like to touch on. This one is crazy, it crossed the border from Wyoming into Colorado in early October and is fully contained on our side, 97% in Wyoming. I say this one was crazy because although it burned through 176,878 acres, you can see this state line from the top of the mountain in the Rocky Mountain National Park. I personally would drive up there to watch the sunset and look at the stars, such a beautiful view, it was sad to see it in flames. My cousin came to visit just two days before the road was shut down into the park.