Wildfire Burning in Main Elk Creek

Driving home from Rifle yesterday, we were awed by the sight in front of us. A huge column of dark smoke was billowing skyward until it met the building storm clouds high in the atmosphere. The plumes were moving upward at what looked like a thousand feet per minute, and it looked less like a forest fire and more like a huge bomb had been dropped on Main Elk Creek. If I hadn’t been late for work, I would have stopped to take a photo and it would have no doubt won several awards, but the flat tire we got on the way out had already delayed us and responsibility was calling.

The fire is the Meadow Creek fire, which is burning in the upper reaches of Main Elk Creek. It’s close to the Fortress and Main Elk crags, but apparently a fireline has been established on the south side, which will hopefully prevent it from spreading in the direction of the cliffs (and the homes in that area as well.) The Hadley Gulch Trail is CLOSED, however, which means there is currently no access to Main Elk, the Pup Tent, or the Fortress.

For more info and a web cam of the fire you can check out the website here.