Fire walking

Curious how your favorite trail fared in the face of the 416 flames? In October, the San Juan National Forest is hosting three field trips within the 416 Fire burn area.

Although the 416 Fire fully is contained, portions still smolder and likely will do so until the area receives significant snowfall. As such, the burn area remains closed. However, the Columbine Ranger District, along with firefighters, will guide groups of up to 15 into the closure area.

“The Hermosa landscape has changed as a result of the fire and this is an opportunity to see first-hand some of those changes,” SJNF spokeswoman Gretchen Fitzgerald said in an email. “Moving forward, we hope we can use this fire as an opportunity to deepen our understanding of fire in our local ecosystems, and how we interact with it.”

All trips will start and end at the Lower Hermosa Creek campground. The field trips are:

• Mon., Oct. 1 – Champion Tree Hike (strenuous). This all-day trip will go to Dutch Creek and back, approximately 10 miles round trip. During this trip, hikers will visit some of the remaining Colorado “champion trees” that survived the fire.

• Tues., Oct. 2 – Bike and Hike (moderate/ strenuous.) This all-day trip will take mountain bikers around the burn perimeter. Bikes will then be left at the perimeter and the group will hike a few miles into the burn, depending on conditions.

• Sat., Oct. 13 – Old Growth Walk (moderate) - A two to three mile hike to visit old growth ponderosa pine in the burn area.

To sign up, email gfitzgerald@fs.fed.us or call 970-385-1219. The trips are first come/first served and people are asked to only sign up for one trip. Participants should wear sturdy shoes and bring water, food and other appropriate gear.