San Juan National Forest imposes Stage 1 fire restrictions Friday

Campfires, charcoal grills and most other open flames were banned at 12:01 a.m. Friday, May 22, across the lower-elevation parts of the San Juan National Forest, including the western side of the Dolores Ranger District. The Stage 1 order means Memorial Day weekend camping, dispersed camping and work that uses heat-producing equipment all fall under the new rules in the areas shown on the forest’s maps.

Under Forest Order #02-13-00-26-04, residents and visitors may not build or use fires or charcoal grills except in approved permanent pits or grates at developed recreation sites. Gas-fueled devices are allowed only in cleared areas, enclosed metal stoves with proper spark arrestors are allowed only under strict conditions, smoking is prohibited except in enclosed vehicles, buildings or developed recreation sites, and welding, open-flame torch work, explosives and fireworks are banned. The minimum fine for violating campfire restrictions in Colorado is $530, and forest officials said fire prevention and law enforcement personnel will patrol for violations. The public was told to call 9-1-1 to report a fire.

The order targets lower country because that is where vegetation dried fastest after a wetter spring. Forest officials said peak green-up in lower elevations below 8,000 feet came around May 14, then grasses and shrubs began losing moisture quickly as hot, dry weather settled in. Upper elevations and all wilderness areas were left out of the restriction because they are still holding more moisture. Recent precipitation was limited and localized, although a quarter-inch of rain northwest of Dolores helped fire managers conduct the Salter-Carlyle prescribed fire this week.

That prescribed burn, a 1,660-acre project about 15 miles east of Cahone near Salter Y along NFSR 510 in Montezuma and Dolores counties, sits in the same broad landscape now under tighter fire rules. The forest said residents may see smoke during prescribed burns, even as it continues fuels reduction work aimed at reducing wildfire risk. The San Juan’s fire program also includes wildfire response and post-fire recovery, a reminder that the agency is balancing active burning with tighter public restrictions as conditions dry out.

The pattern is not new. The forest used the same lower-elevation-only approach in 2025, citing rapid vegetation curing and drier surface fuels in the low country while higher elevations stayed greener. For people in Dolores County, the message is direct: check the boundary maps before lighting anything, using flame, or running equipment on national forest land near Dove Creek, Cahone or anywhere else in the affected lower-elevation zones.