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.
- The Lower Tonahutu Trail from the Kawuneeche Visitor Center to the North Inlet Trail.
- Moraine Park Road to the Fern Lake Road turnaround.
- The Bierstadt Trail System, except for the sections that drop into the Mill Creek Basin.
- The Upper Beaver Meadows Trail in the Moraine Park area, with the exception of the Beaver Mountain Trail and Ute Trail.
The Fern Lake Road, Fern Lake Trail and Cub Lake Trail remain closed.
In a news release, Rocky Mountain National Park said roughly 30,000 acres – or 9% of the park – was impacted by this year’s Cameron Peak and East Troublesome Fires, which are the two largest in Colorado history.
>>> The video above shows damage in Rocky Mountain National Park due to the fires.
The East Troublesome Fire caused evacuations everywhere from Grand Lake to Estes Park when it grew dramatically the night of Oct. 21, crossing the Continental Divide in the process.
A snowstorm on Oct. 24 and 25 helped slow the fire’s dramatic growth, and allowed many evacuees to return.
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