BLM reopens parts of Mesa County, keeps Ruby-Horsethief closed
Rabbit Valley, Kokopelli and Fruita Front Country reopened July 2, but Ruby-Horsethief stayed closed, forcing river and camping trips onto detours.
The Bureau of Land Management reopened Rabbit Valley, the Kokopelli Trails system, Fruita Front Country and Rattlesnake Arches on July 2, but kept the Ruby-Horsethief section of the Colorado River closed from the Loma Boat Launch to the Westwater Ranger Station. For river runners, dispersed campers and overlanders, that split meant one of western Colorado’s most reliable overnight corridors was still off the board even as other Mesa County lands came back online.
The closure order said the Snyder Fire was more than 50 percent contained when the agency moved to reopen some BLM-managed public lands north of the Colorado River and east of Mee Canyon. It also left in place a broader closure on contiguous BLM lands southeast of the Colorado River, with entry, road use and trail use prohibited inside the closed area. Stage 2 fire restrictions also remained in effect, so campfires, charcoal grills, most outdoor smoking, chainsaw use without the right gear, welding, open flame torch work and exploding targets were still banned across the region.
The practical impact showed up fast along the river. Mesa County Search and Rescue evacuated 123 rafters and campers from the Ruby-Horsethief Canyon stretch around June 27 and 28, working with BLM rangers, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, local bus drivers and Union Pacific. During that evacuation window, the Snyder Fire had surged to nearly 28,000 acres in a matter of hours, and the National Interagency Fire Center said July 1 that it had burned over 29,000 acres. By July 6, National Multi-Agency Coordination notes listed the fire at 30,200 acres and 95 percent contained.
That timeline explains why the reopening stopped short of a full reset. Grand Junction-area tourism officials said July 10 that Grand Junction, Fruita, Palisade, Grand Mesa, Colorado National Monument and most outdoor recreation areas were open, but they also warned that all lands inside the Snyder Fire perimeter remained closed. For Four Corners travelers trying to salvage a western Colorado itinerary, the message was blunt: the high-country day trips were back, but the Ruby-Horsethief float, the campsites tied to it and the roads and trails feeding that corridor were still closed, so plans had to shift before wheels hit dirt or rafts hit water.
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