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Rocky Mountain National Park Opens More Of The Park To The Public

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More of Rocky Mountain National Park has been reopened with both the East Troublesome and Cameron Peak wildfires contained/NPS file

More areas of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado that had been closed in the wake of wildfires have been opened back up to the public.

On the west side of the park, the North Inlet Trail reopened to Cascade Falls on Tuesday and will remain closed past the Falls. The Lower Tonahutu Trail, a short section of trail from the Kawuneeche Visitor Center to the North Inlet Trail, reopened as well.     

On the east side of the park, the Moraine Park Road reopened to the Fern Lake Road winter turnaround. The Fern Lake Road, Fern Lake Trail and Cub Lake Trail remain closed. The Bierstadt Trail system has reopened. The Bierstadt Trail can now be accessed from Bear Lake, from the Bierstadt Lake Trailhead, and from the Park & Ride area. The two sections of trail that drop into the Mill Creek Basin will remain closed.

The Upper Beaver Meadows Trail has reopened to the Moraine Park area. However, the Beaver Mountain Trail and the Ute Trail from Upper Beaver Meadows remain closed. The trails between Upper Beaver Mountains Road and Deer Mountain have reopened.

For the most current status of trails, including maps, visit this page on the park's website.

On Wednesday, October 21, the East Troublesome Fire ran approximately 18 miles before it moved into the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park, and then spotted approximately 1.5 miles from the head of Tonahutu Creek on the west side of the Continental Divide to the head of Spruce Creek on the east side of the Continental Divide.

Rapid evacuations took place in Grand Lake, Colorado, on October 21. Evacuations for the majority of the Estes Valley were implemented on October 22, as weather predictions forecast major winds on the night of October 23 through October 24 pushing the fire further to the east. Firefighting actions and favorable weather on October 24 and 25 helped halt the major movement of the East Troublesome and Cameron Peak Fires.    

Approximately 30,000 acres, or 9 percent, of Rocky Mountain National Park has been impacted by the East Troublesome and Cameron Peak fires.     

Rocky Mountain National Park’s non-profit partner, The Rocky Mountain Conservancy, is accepting donations to support the park’s future restoration efforts from this season’s fires.

The East Troublesome Fire has been called 100 percent controlled and contained. The Cameron Peak Fire has been declared 100 percent contained.

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