Travel on San Juan National Forest System Roads is strongly discouraged and not advised due to life-threatening hazards.
Record flooding across Southwest Colorado has left San Juan National Forest roads, trails and other infrastructure inaccessible, severely damaged and, in many cases, unpassable.
Highways across multiple counties are closed, and evacuation and shelter-in-place orders have been issued for multiple communities.
Don’t become a statistic — rescue will not be readily available due to the current demand for search and rescue services.
“Public safety is our top priority, which is why we do not recommend travel on the San Juan National Forest at this time,” said Forest Supervisor Steve Hattenbach on Monday morning, Nov. 2. “We will not begin to assess the extent of the damage until flood waters recede and our staff can begin to assess forest conditions. What we do know is that flood waters are extremely high, many roads and bridges are completely destroyed, and unsafe conditions persist on all three San Juan National Forest districts. We encourage the public to monitor the situation closely, and to postpone or cancel plans to visit the woods until conditions improve.”
If you know of a forest visitor trapped down an unpassable road who needs evacuation help in:
• Archuleta County, call 911 or the non-emergency dispatch line at (970) 731-2160 when they are ready to be evacuated.
• La Plata County, call 911 if an emergency, or non-emergency dispatch at (970) 385-2900.
Please report abandoned property information if you are forced to leave vehicles behind by emailing the San Juan National Forest at sm.fs.sanjuannf@usda.gov with the subject line of “Personal Property.” Please provide your name, phone number, license plates, description of property and a detailed location, in addition to any other pertinent information.
For information on the San Juan National Forest, call (970) 247-4874, visit the forest website, or follow us on Facebook.
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