SkiHi News
This photo shows a comparison of low soil burn severity with roots and structure (top of shovel) versus high soil burn severity with no soil structure or roots to help bind soil (bottom of shovel).
Photo from the U.S. Forest Service
GRANBY The East Troublesome and Williams Fork fires scorched almost 200,000 acres across nearby Grand County this summer and fall, and new assessments from the U.S. Forest Service detail how badly the land was burned.
Soil burn severity maps cover a fire’s perimeter and serve as important reference tools that span multiple jurisdictions. For that reason, the Forest Service sees these maps as one of the most valuable work products that a Burned Area Emergency Response assessment team can produce.
More trails reopen in Rocky Mountain National Park following East Troublesome Fire
Some closures remain more than two months after the East Troublesome and Cameron Peak Fires impacted 9% of the popular national park. Author: Allison Sylte Updated: 12:37 PM MST December 22, 2020
ESTES PARK, Colo. More trails have reopened but some closures remain in Rocky Mountain National Park due to the East Troublesome Fire, which has scorched 193,812 acres since it started burning in October.
Rocky Mountain National Park was closed to visitors for multiple days in October, but parts since begun to reopen. The latest closures to be lifted include:
- The North Inlet Trail to Cascade Falls on the west side of the park, though the stretch of trail past the falls is still closed.
While the National Park Service continues to assess East Troublesome Fire damage, more of the park is now accessible, as of December 22.
The National Park Service announced via press release that on the east side of the park (near Estes Park), the popular Bierstadt Trail system has reopened, with the exception of the Mill Creek Basin area. Bierstadt Trail is accessible from the trailhead, via Bear Lake or the Park & Ride. Additionally, the Upper Beaver Meadows Trail and Moraine Park Road have reopened.
On the west side, the Lower Tonahutu Trail from Kawuneeche Visitor Center to the North Inlet Trail has reopened. You can see a full map of re-openings (and what remains closed) here.