Due to severe road damage and life-threatening hazards on the Columbine and Pagosa ranger districts of the San Juan National Forest, roads on both districts will be closed to motor vehicles until field staff and engineers can assess each road’s status.
As soon as a road is surveyed and deemed passable, this information will be updated on the Forest Conditions webpage. These road updates along with maps will be added to the website by noon each day. Many roads have been reopened already following two days of field staff evaluations. The Dolores Ranger District’s roads will be open unless marked as closed, as this district was not as severely impacted by the rain events.
Regardless of status, travel on the San Juan National Forest is strongly discouraged due to hazards ranging from unstable landslides, high water flows, falling trees and collapsing roadbeds. Many highways and county roads are still closed, preventing public or staff from reaching forest roads. For the roads assessed so far, the vast majority have major damage such as landslides, washouts and roadbed collapses. Many roads and bridges have been destroyed, and it may take years to complete major repairs, depending on funding and the severity of the damage. Trails throughout the forest are also severely damaged, though the focus on field assessments is currently focused on major road infrastructure.
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