ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK – Parts of US 36 will shut down Wednesday as fire managers perform a prescribed burn in the area Wednesday, a Rocky Mountain National Park spokesperson said Monday.
Firefighters plan to burn up to 294 acres west of the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center and near Upper Beaver Meadows Road, said RMNP spokeswoman Kyle Patterson in a news release.
Because the fuel involves mainly grasses and small shrubs, heavy and prolonged smoke is not expected, she said, adding that smoke “will be visible throughout the day of the burn, mostly during the warmest part of the day. With cooler temperatures in the evening, smoke may linger and accumulate in low-lying areas.”
But due to the proximity of burn operations near the road, US 36 will be temporarily closed between the Bear Lake Road and Deer Mountain junctions from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Beaver Meadows Entrance and Bear Lake Road will remain open, Patterson said, adding that people interested in taking the scenic drive to Many Parks Curve should plan to enter the park via Fall River Entrance/US 34.
“The primary goal of the project is to reduce the threat of wildland fire to adjacent communities and NPS infrastructure by using prescribed fire to reduce the amount of fuels available in this area,” Patterson said.
She added that previous prescribed and hazardous fuels treatments in the area helped provide a buffer that were “instrumental in stopping the fire from jumping Bear Lake Road and Trail Ridge Road.”
Nathan Hallam, a fuels specialist for RMNP, said winds Wednesday are expected “to be enough to disperse smoke but not put containment lines at risk and precipitation later in the week will help extinguish any lingering heat after operations are complete."
Firefighters will be on scene during the operation and will be patrolling the burned area, Patterson said.
Trail Ridge Road closed for the season last week.
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