Fort Collins, CO wildfires
Jun 24th, 2012, 05:44 AM
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Fort Collins, CO wildfires
We leave July 20th for our Fort Collins, CO family vacation. With the news of the fires, I'm assuming we should cancel. Any thoughts/info would be appreciated. Also, does anyone have phone number/websites for an official word?
Jun 24th, 2012, 06:14 AM
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Here is the official website of the Larimer County sherrif (Larimer county is where Ft. Collins is located). It would have the most up to the minute info about the High Park fire. http://www.larimer.org/sheriff/
IMHO, since you are almost a month out from your vacation in Ft. Collins, I think it is too early to cancel. And if we get our usual monsoon season (hope, hope) it will begin raining in the afternoon in a couple of weeks which should aid the fire fighters and lessen the chance of other fires starting.
I would monitor the situation for a couple more weeks. You can also check with whatever lodging you have reserved. They should be able to tell you what is going on.
BTW--I see that you are new to this forum and that you posted your question as a trip report (which is what contributors use to report the details of their trips). I think if you e mail fodors they can remove the trip report icon.
IMHO, since you are almost a month out from your vacation in Ft. Collins, I think it is too early to cancel. And if we get our usual monsoon season (hope, hope) it will begin raining in the afternoon in a couple of weeks which should aid the fire fighters and lessen the chance of other fires starting.
I would monitor the situation for a couple more weeks. You can also check with whatever lodging you have reserved. They should be able to tell you what is going on.
BTW--I see that you are new to this forum and that you posted your question as a trip report (which is what contributors use to report the details of their trips). I think if you e mail fodors they can remove the trip report icon.
Jun 24th, 2012, 06:19 AM
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The city of Fort Collins isn't directly affected by the fire, but if you're staying in the Poudre Canyon area, there may be closures and restrictions. You also have four weeks before your trip, so it would be unlikely that the fire wouldn't be under control by then.
Here is a good website: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2904/ Also check the website for one of our local news stations: www.9news.com. Unless your destination is in the burn area, I wouldn't think you would need to cancel. Fires are an unfortunate fact of life in the west in the summer, but there is plenty to see and do that's not affected.
Here is a good website: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2904/ Also check the website for one of our local news stations: www.9news.com. Unless your destination is in the burn area, I wouldn't think you would need to cancel. Fires are an unfortunate fact of life in the west in the summer, but there is plenty to see and do that's not affected.
Jun 24th, 2012, 06:52 AM
#4
The inciweb website tekwriter provided is the best site for official information. Road closures are listed here:
http://larimersheriff.org/site-page/...ad-information
Fort Collins has been directly affected only by the smoke. There have been 2-3 days since the fire started where the smoke in town has been bad. Most days however, the air has been clear with the plume blowing to the north.
I took this photo last Sunday from near my house. The air had been terrible all day but then the wind shifted it cleared out.
http://www.pbase.com/mangoman/image/144137050/original
This morning it is smoky again. This site shows current readings and forecast:
http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?acti...ity&cityid=359
I wouldn't cancel your trip yet, but certainly keep an eye on things depending on what activities you had planned. As tekwriter said there is still plenty to do/see in the area that is not affected. Hopefully the situation will be improved by mid-July.
http://larimersheriff.org/site-page/...ad-information
Fort Collins has been directly affected only by the smoke. There have been 2-3 days since the fire started where the smoke in town has been bad. Most days however, the air has been clear with the plume blowing to the north.
I took this photo last Sunday from near my house. The air had been terrible all day but then the wind shifted it cleared out.
http://www.pbase.com/mangoman/image/144137050/original
This morning it is smoky again. This site shows current readings and forecast:
http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?acti...ity&cityid=359
I wouldn't cancel your trip yet, but certainly keep an eye on things depending on what activities you had planned. As tekwriter said there is still plenty to do/see in the area that is not affected. Hopefully the situation will be improved by mid-July.
Jun 24th, 2012, 09:16 AM
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I agree that it is too early to cancel and depends on your plans. I was in Fort Collins Thursday morning and it was beautiful and clear. You would have never known there was a fire nearby.
Friday was different. The winds shifted and I could see the plume and the haze as I drove into Fort Collins.
Keep your fingers crossed with the rest of us that we get a good monsoon season.
Friday was different. The winds shifted and I could see the plume and the haze as I drove into Fort Collins.
Keep your fingers crossed with the rest of us that we get a good monsoon season.
Jun 26th, 2012, 08:55 AM
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http://travel.usatoday.com/destinati...ips/55806328/1
This was a decent article about traveling to the area. Fort Collins is a fantastic town with so much to do - as a resident I never feel like I can participate in everything. The above article focuses on the beer culture here but the City has miles and miles of bike trails, fabulous restraunts and many family oriented activities. The shopping is great in Old Town - there is a new cheese shop called the Welsh Rabbit, an olive oil store and two spice shops, plus boutique stores and everything in between. The art scene here is also very lively. Check www.fcgov.com as a starting place for events and shopping. A nice picnic on the Poudre River in town is always a local/tourist favorite and the River is very connected to the local bike trails. Good luck and I hope you make it out!
This was a decent article about traveling to the area. Fort Collins is a fantastic town with so much to do - as a resident I never feel like I can participate in everything. The above article focuses on the beer culture here but the City has miles and miles of bike trails, fabulous restraunts and many family oriented activities. The shopping is great in Old Town - there is a new cheese shop called the Welsh Rabbit, an olive oil store and two spice shops, plus boutique stores and everything in between. The art scene here is also very lively. Check www.fcgov.com as a starting place for events and shopping. A nice picnic on the Poudre River in town is always a local/tourist favorite and the River is very connected to the local bike trails. Good luck and I hope you make it out!
