Travel Notice – Grizzly Creek Fire related detours thumbnail

How to get to/from the Roaring Fork Valley right now

The Grizzly Creek Fire has caused several road closures, including I-70 and several backroads. This has created limited options in and out of the valley.

Do NOT blindly trust GPS or Google as these methods may route you through roads that are either not intended for certain vehicles or may have conditions that are difficult to navigate and are best driven by a 4×4 or Off Highway Vehicle (OHV).

Please follow the two detours listed below.

8/17 UPDATE: Independence Pass has reopened as of 8/14/2020. Only passenger vehicles allowed; expect delays up to two hours. NO CMV TRAFFIC ALLOWED.

Road Closures – as of 8/20/2020 at 10 a.m.

For the latest news: Visit COTrip.org or @ColoradoDOT on Twitter for updates. The central InciWeb page for the Grizzly Creek Fire posts updates, as well as the official Facebook page.

Via CDOT and Eagle County Emergency:

🚫🚨 I-70 is CLOSED between MM 116 and MM 140 in both directions until further notice due to fire activity. Glenwood Canyon bike path is also closed). This will be an extended closure – once fire activity subsides in the area (which it hasn’t), it will take days to evaluate the highway and area structures for fire damage, rock fall and other debris. Then the clean up begins.

🟢⚠️ Independence Pass (Hwy 82 between Aspen to Twin Lakes) is OPEN to passenger vehicles ONLY with delays to two hours expected. NO CMV TRAFFIC ALLOWED. The two alternate routes are still recommended at this time. Article | Colorado DOT updates

🚫🚨 Cottonwood Pass (Hwy 113/10A between El Jebel/Basalt and Gypsum) is CLOSED until further notice due to fire activity. It too close to the fire.

🚫🚨 Eagle-Thomasville Rd, Powerline – Crooked Creek and Brush Creek Rd (between Eagle and Meredith) is CLOSED until further notice, due to misuse. NOTE: This is considered a 4X4 ONLY road, accessible to high clearance vehicles. Not all vehicles can travel down this road, so while your vehicle may make it, others may have made the road impassible.

🚫🚨 Hagerman Pass Road (#105 between Basalt and Turquoise Lake/Leadville) is CLOSED until further notice, due to misuse. NOTE: This is a 4X4 ONLY road, accessible to high clearance vehicles. Not all vehicles can travel down this road, so while your vehicle may make it, others may have made the road impassible.

News

Cottonwood Pass remains closed, turned-over truck recovery postponed – Post Independent, August 11, 2020
Glenwood Canyon closure has truckers trying Independence Pass, which is not allowed for semis – The Aspen Times, August 11, 2020
Aspen offseason: Independence Pass will remain gated as long as I-70 is closed for Grizzly Creek Fire – The Aspen Times, August 12, 2020

The Grizzly Creek Fire Shuttered I-70 And Other Routes. Even If Google Suggests It, Don’t Try To Sneak Around On Back Roads – Colorado Public Radio, August 13, 2020

Traffic seemingly back to normal Saturday on Independence Pass after brief closure – The Aspen Times, August 16, 2020

Go this way!

Below are the two recommended routes at this time to/from Denver, confirmed by CDOT and the White River National Forest. Even if you were to find a “faster” way, that route may be via narrow dirt roads with low speed limits, where you may get stuck behind a slow camper or trailer. By utilizing the methods below, you are guaranteed to be on paved roads with higher speed limits, and opportunities to safely pass slower vehicles, if needed.

North Route

View ONLY on a desktop: https://goo.gl/maps/9sgwHRvcdMyupxbS6
For some reason when you click the link on a mobile device, it may default back to the incorrect route.

To set it on a mobile device, add in a second destination (Meeker), which should then correctly re-route you.

South Route

View ONLY on desktop: https://goo.gl/maps/pXHTvWxBdTzAeZmN9
For some reason when you click the link on a mobile device, it may default back to the incorrect route.

To set it on a mobile device, add in a second destination (Gunnison), which should then correctly re-route you.

South Detour Grizzly Creek