U.S. Forest Service Service
The Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands is planning prescribed fire pile burning operations during the winter months of 2025/2026, pending all required approvals. Several of these are located in the Pikes Peak and South Park Ranger districts in our local area.
Fire managers estimate this work to continue through March 2026 as weather conditions allow.
The decision to proceed with each pile burn will depend on multiple factors, including snowpack, air quality, ventilation, weather and wind forecasts and resource availability. Prescribed fires help reduce overgrown vegetation to help protect local communities, infrastructure and natural resources from wildfires.
Prescribed pile burning operations planned for the area include the following:
South Platte Ranger District
· Rolling Creek – 5 miles southeast of the town of Bailey (Park County).
· Harris Park – north of County Roads 43 and 47 and adjacent to Harris Park, Elk Creek Highlands and Forest Ridge communities (Park County).
· Hatch – east of County Road 67 along the South Platte River corridor (Douglas County).
· Payne Gulch – south of the town of Bailey along County Road 64 (Park County).
· Rock Creek – along County Road 68, 3 miles southeast of the town of Bailey (Park County).
South Park Ranger District
- Cannonball – 4 miles west of Lake George (Park County).
- Warm Springs – 5 miles southwest of Fairplay (Park County).
- Praise Mountain – 5 miles southwest of Lake George (Park County).
- Pulver – 8 miles west of Lake George (Park County).
- Lake George Work Center – Lake George Work Center in Lake George (Park County).
Pikes Peak Ranger District
- West Schubarth – northside of Rampart Reservoir (El Paso County).
- North Divide – north of State Highway 24 and northeast of the town of Divide, approximately 2 miles west of Woodland Park (Teller County).
- Forest Road 331 – 2 miles southwest of Crystal Reservoir (El Paso County).
- Old Stage Road – 3 miles west of Colorado Springs (El Paso County).
- Rampart Range – 2 miles east of Woodland Park (El Paso County).
Salida Ranger District
· Cleveland Mountain Piles – 3 miles south of Poncha Springs (Chaffee County).
· Marshall Pass – 12 miles southwest of Poncha Springs (Chaffee County).
Leadville Ranger District
· Railroad Bridge Piles – 5 miles north of Buena Vista (Chaffee County).
· Sugar Loaf – 3 miles west of Leadville (Lake County).
San Carlos Ranger District
· Black Mountain – 11 miles north of Gardner (Huerfano County).
· Cuchara – 7 miles southwest of La Veta (Huerfano County).
- Greenhorn – along the crest of the Wet Mountains, 10 miles north of Gardner (Custer County).
- 12-Mile – 2 miles north of San Isabel (Custer County).
Comanche National Grassland
- Carrizo Work Center – County Road 19 and U.S. Highway 160 (Baca County).
- Sand Canyon – 1 mile north of Oklahoma state line (Baca County).
- Purgatoire River – 3 miles south of Picket Wire Corrals (Las Animas County).
Cimarron National Grassland
- Tunnerville Work Center – 3 miles north of Elkhart, Kan. (Morton County).
- Cimarron Recreation Area – 14 miles north-northwest of Wilburton, Kan. (Morton County).
- Turkey Trail – 10 miles north of Elkhart, Kan. (Morton County).
- Cimarron River Campground – 8 miles north of Elkhart, Kan. (Morton County).
Those areas may close to the public for several days for public safety. Watch for warning signs along roads near all prescribed fire areas before and during burns.
Residents may experience smoke during the prescribed pile burns. For more detailed information about air quality, go to AirNow online or download the app. When driving, slow down and turn on your headlights when you encounter smoke on the road.
Smoke levels and duration in the air will be monitored and could affect the length of active burning on any given day as 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.
We will evaluate weather conditions in the hours before a burn begins. If conditions warrant, scheduled prescribed pile burn activities may be canceled.
Stay informed about the scheduled prescribed pile burning operations through the forest and grassland website, social media channels and InciWeb, the interagency incident information system. We will notify county emergency management officials when burning begins.
About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology–and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
