A ban on open fires will begin on 4/21 for the Gila National Forest. Stoves that do not have a valve to turn off and on are considered open fires. (Alcochol, Esbit, wood burning) I think the forests to the north and along the trail up to middle Colorado will follow suit soon.
bearcreek
Thanks for the post - I have been thinking of switching over to alcohol and was wondering how often fire bans like this affect SOBO hikers on the CDT during the typical SOBO season (MT and WY?)
I’m guessing plenty of alcohol stove users ignore the ban (met a few on the CT last summer during fire ban) but as a former park ranger, I tend to follow the rules.
Paddlefoot
Southbounders rarely get affected by fire bans because you are in Montana right after or during snowmelt. By the time you reach NM, the summer rains have already been and gone. OTOH, there have been fires even early in the season, so you need to be aware that some areas may close while you are out there.
Ginny
One positive side effect of the drought in the SW is that the San Juans have about 65% of average (and decreasing) right now. This should be the best opportunity in several years for a early to mid June hike without a lot of drama.
Northern Colorado is a different story. Snowfall is considerably above normal from around Salida northward.
A hiker caused a large, destructive fire in Colorado a couple of years back when he went to get water from a creek and left his Alchy stove unattended, which blew over. The USFS in Colorado has been on alert for non-compliant stoves since then.
Do the right thing and use an approved stove. Send your Alchy one to Salida and start using it again north of there.
bearcreek
Was planning to use denatured alcohol. Gonna start with jetboil instead but am flying on Monday so don’t have time to ship fuel and can’t fly with it. Is there anywhere in Lordsburg to pick one up? Thanks
Data
You can probably find something that will work in Silver City, but I am very doubtful about Lordsburg. (There is a Walmart in Silver City) I suggest that you book a room at the Lordsburg Econolodge and get cannisters shipped via ground to there, to be waiting when you arrive from Crazy Cook. The trail from CC is all on BLM and they have not enacted any fire restrictions yet. The Gila begins just north of Lordsburg.
There are suppliers on Amazon that routinely ship fuels. They just can’t be shipped via air.
bearcreek
Bearcreek, how did you hear about the fire ban in the Gila for 4/21? Nothing is listed on the Gila NF website nor Twitter account at this time (that I’ve seen). I find it strange that they wouldn’t give some advance warning, esp for a popular forest like this. Usually there’s a heads up so the word gets out before the implementation date.
hiker to town
First announced on the CDTC website. They have been meeting with USFS agencies in the area.
bearcreek