Wildland Fire

Fire is a natural process in Mesa Verde National Park. Drought, rising temperatures, and fuel-rich old growth woodlands have supported ten large wildfires since 1989 and many smaller ignitions in and around the park. More than half of the park has experienced wildfires in the past several decades. Although fire is a natural process, more acreage is being burned than can recover thus shifting the dominant vegetation from old-growth pinyon-juniper woodland to a grassland.

 

Where to Get Current Information

For current wildland fire information and fire restrictions in Mesa Verde, please visit the Conditions and Alerts page.

When fires occur in the park they may impact your visit to Mesa Verde National Park due to road closures or hazardous air quality. Many external websites provide valuable information during wildfire season. Here are a few.

Air Quality / Smoke

• Colorado Wildfire, Smoke, Map
• Fire and Smoke map for the region and across the US fire.airnow.gov
• Air Quality Conditions & Trends https://www.nps.gov/subjects/air/park-conditions-trends.htm

Fire

• Information about large fires is found on Inciweb.
• Download the free Watch Duty App for information on new and current wildfires. This is produced by WildCAD which is a Computer-Aided Dispatch system for wildland fire agencies. It draws information from various sources such as agency Facebook pages and websites.

Webcams

The only webcam in the park was installed to monitor dust. It is on Chapin Mesa and faces southwest. It is a general view of the air quality. Click this link to see a snapshot across the mesa. The link takes you off the park website.

 

Duration:

5 minutes, 20 seconds

The Pueblo people experienced drought here at Mesa Verde, just like we do now. But as our region's climate has grown hotter and dryer over the last century, Mesa Verde is now subject to larger and more frequent wildfires.