Grizzly Creek Fire

The Grizzly Creek Fire near Glenwood Canyon started along Interstate 70 on August 10th, and rapidly spread on both sides of the canyon and on the plateaus above.  As of August 18th, the fire was estimated to have burned about 25000 acres.  It has shut Interstate 70 indefinitely as well as closing many Forest Service roads.  The fire is burning near known karst and cave resources, and access to many caving areas on the White River plateau is limited at this time.

Currently fireline in the bottom of No Name creek has held, keeping the fire from spreading further toward Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park or the city of Glenwood Springs.  On the north side of the fire, the fire reached Coffee Pot Road in one place, but has not advanced further toward Deep Creek Canyon beyond the road.  Spread eastward toward Dotsero has also been halted for now.

The Grizzly Creek fire website gives updated information on the current fire status.  Faster updates can often be found on the Grizzly Creek Fire facebook page .  The Forest Service has a closure order active for a large area around the fire.  The BLM has closed boating access to a stretch of the Colorado River in the area of the fire.

I-70 continues to be closed between Glenwood Springs and Gypsum, with no estimated time for reopening. Forest Service Road 400, Eagle-Thomasville Road, is closed due to excessive traffic and accidents resulting from drivers attempting to use this primarily dirt road as an alternate to the I-70 closure. Cottonwood Pass Road in Garfield and Eagle counties is closed, as is Coffee Pot Road as far west as Adams Lake.  Traffic over Independence Pass may be limited.  For further highway closure information, see the Colorado Department of Transportation website.  For evacuation information, see the Garfield County website and the Eagle County website.