Single Incident Information

Pile Burning for 2024-2025:

Regular burning activity notifications will be posted on this Inciweb page under "Announcements." Current pile burning activity will also be highlighted on this main page in the "Highlighted Activity" section. For seasonal press releases, please visit the "News" section. 

Sign up to receive a weekly email newsletter about pile burning projects in your area (select Forest Health and Fire for your zone).  Have questions? See our Pile Burning FAQ or email ARPFireInfo@usda.gov.

What is pile burning?

Pile burning is a type of prescribed fire that helps remove woody debris from the forests, reducing the potential of more impactful, unplanned fire activity at other times of the year. Pile burning helps eliminate branches, limbs, twigs and small logs that can't easily be removed through other means due to topography, access or cost feasibility. Pile burning typically follows forest thinning projects in overgrown forests. If heavy machinery was used to conduct the thinning, the piles may be much larger than if thinning and piling was completed by hand using chainsaws. 

Before burning piles, fire managers track hyper-localized weather forecasts to check temperatures, snowpack conditions and wind. Snow and cooler temperatures are key tools in helping contain fire behavior while wind is an important factor in aiding smoke dispersal. Firefighters use air quality monitoring stations in areas where they plan on burning.

Smoke, flames, and glowing embers are often visible, and are a normal part of pile burning operations. Mild fire behavior between piles is expected and is also beneficial for future wildfire risk reduction. This can include forest litter between piles and lower limbs of trees.  Once burning has begun, firefighters patrol and monitor burned piles until there is no longer any heat emitted. 

This work is part of the National Wildfire Crisis Strategy effort to reduce the impacts of unplanned, large-scale fires on watersheds, wildlife habitat, recreation and communities. Fire is a natural and important part of a healthy Colorado ecosystem. With help from the Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative and our community partners, prescribed fire on the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and adjacent public and private lands is helping prepare our forests for unplanned fire when it happens. 

Learn more:

To view all prescribed fire projects across the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, check out our new interactive map. Zoom into the location you are interested in, click on a prescribed burn unit and learn more about its status. 

Fire managers work with the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division to reduce the impacts of smoke on the public. For more information on how fire smoke may affect your health, see the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. 
 
 

Areas on the Sulphur Ranger District (Grand County) with hand and machine piles ready for burning: 

Bearscat (Machine):

• 1.2 miles southeast of Horseshoe Campground (FSR 140): Map

Bottle Pass (Hand):

• Bottle Pass between Ptarmigan and Bottle Peak: Map

Blue Ridge (Hand):

• West of County Road 50 at the Horseshoe Trailhead: Map 

Devil’s Thumb (Hand):

• 1.3 miles east of Devil’s Thumb Trailhead, along trail:  Map

Fair (Hand & Machine):

• Near Fair Tracts, east of Tabernash along Water Board Road (FSR 128): Map

Friendship Drive (Machine):

• Directly east of Fraser, near Friendship Drive: Map

Kawland (Hand):

• Between Vasquez and East Elk Creeks on FSR 159, West of Winter Park Resort: Map

Kauffman (Machine):

• 1 mile south of Highway 125 and FSR 123 junction: Map

Ranch Creek (Machine):

• East of Fraser between Road 810 and the Aqueduct Road: Map

Shadow Mtn Village (Hand):

• In Grand Lake near the Shadow Mountain Picnic Area: Map

Snow Mountain (Machine):

• West of Snow Mountain Ranch: Map

Strawberry Fuels (Hand):

• 3.5 miles west of Granby, near BLM Road 2751: Map

Areas on the Clear Creek Ranger District (Clear Creek, Gilpin, and Jefferson County) with hand piles ready for burning: 

Blue Creek (Hand)

• ½ mile northwest of Empire, near Highway 40: Map

Evergreen (Hand)

• Cub Creek Trailhead, 5 miles southwest of Evergreen: Map

Yankee Hill – Eureka (Hand)

• Intersection of Highway 119 and Highway 46, east of Highway 119, and south of Highway 46: Map

Areas on the Boulder Ranger District (Gilpin and Boulder Counties) with hand and machine piles ready for burning: 

Forsythe II – Phase 5 (Hand)

• Units 44B-44E
  • West of Gross Reservoir, 2 miles north of Wondervu, ½ mile south of Lazy Z Road: Map

James Creek (Hand)

• Ridgeline Fuelbreak 10
  • 2 miles east of Peak-to-Peak Highway on County Road 52: Map
• Ridgeline Fuelbreak 6 & 8
  • On ridgelines near Overland Mountain, west and southwest of Jamestown: Map
• Ridgeline Fuelbreak 1 & 17
  • 2 miles north/northwest of Jamestown near Balarat Road: Map

Lump Gulch (Hand)

• Units 27 & 37
  • ½ mile north of Highway 199 and South Beaver Creek Road intersection, near Pine Drive: Map
• Unit 35
  • 2 miles south of Rollinsville on west side of Highway 119: Map
• Unit 18
  • ½ mile north of Rollinsville on west side of Highway 119: Map
• Unit 38
  • Off of South Beaver Creek Road (south side), 1 mile northeast of Highway 119/South Beaver Creek Road intersection: Map

St. Vrain (Hand) 

• Unit 15
  • 5 miles west of Lyons, north side of Ralph Price Reservoir (Button Rock): Map
• Unit 10 and 12
  • In Meeker Park: Map

Areas on the Canyon Lakes Ranger District (Larimer County) with hand and machine piles ready for burning:  

Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) (Hand)

• Southwest of Estes Park: Map

Cameron Peak (Machine)

• Dunraven Glade
  • 2 miles northwest of County Road 43 and Dunraven Road intersection, along Dunraven Road: Map

Cedar Park (Hand)

• Cedar Park 1
  • 1 mile northeast of Drake from the intersection of Highway 34 and County Road 43: Map
• Cedar Park 3
  • 3 miles east of Drake and north of Highway 34 at Cedar Cove: Map

Cherokee Park

• Diamond View (Machine)
  • 11 miles northeast of Red Feather Lakes, along County Road 59 and FSR 184 (adjacent to the Mill Creek subdivision): Map
• Devils Creek Blowdown (Hand)
  • 5 miles north of Crystal Lakes subdivision; at the intersection of County Road 80C and FSR 182: Map

Chicken Park (Hand)

• 2.5 miles northeast of Crystal Lakes along roads FSR 180C, 181 and 181B: Map 

Elkhorn 3 (Machine)

• 3 miles southwest of Red Feather Lakes and west along FSR 517 (Bald Mountain Road): Map

Glen Haven (Hand)

• Glen Haven 2
  • Adjacent to Glen Haven on both sides of County Road 43: Map
• Glen Haven 3
  • Adjacent to Glen Haven on both sides of County Road 43: Map
• Glen Haven 4
  • 3 miles east of Estes Park at the intersection of Highway 34 and FSR 117, north of Glen Comfort: Map

Pierson Park – Manual (Hand)

• 3.5 miles southeast of Estes Park along Pierson Park Road and Johnny Park Road: Map

Red Feather 5 (Hand)

• 4 miles northeast of Red Feather Lakes, along County Road 67J (Prairie Divide Road): Map

Roach (Machine)

• Boswell Timber Sale
  • 1.5 miles southeast of Mountain Home, WY: Map
• Roach Timber Sale
  • 1 mile south of Mountain Home, WY, along FSR 516: Map

Thompson River (Hand)

• Thompson River 4
  • 6 miles east of Estes Park, along FSR 122 (Pole Hill Road): Map
• Thompson River 5
  • 4 miles southeast of Estes Park, at the intersection of Highway 36 and FSR 124: Map

West Crystal

• Cow Creek (Machine)
  • 4 miles west of Crystal Lakes subdivision at the intersection of FSR 169 (Pearl Beaver Road) and FSR 199: Map
• Lonesome Timber Sale (Machine)
  • 3 miles south of Crystal Lakes subdivision at the intersection of County Road 86 (Deadman Road) and FSR 300: Map
• North Fork Campground (Hand)
  • Intersection of Deadman Road and Pearl Beaver Road at North Fork Campground: Map 
• Tower Timber Sale (Machine)
  • 5 miles southwest of Crystal Lakes subdivision at the intersection of County Road 86 (Deadman Road) and FSR 170 (Deadman Lookout Road): Map