Posted: July 22, 2026

I see a lot of people asking about the Gold Mountain Fire and other fires in Colorado right now, wondering if they can actually travel through the affected areas. We just got back from a week in western Colorado (Jul 11–18) and wanted to share what conditions were actually like on the ground.
Our Route & What We Found Open
Denver → Breckenridge → Glenwood Springs → Ouray area (and back)
• I-70 from Denver to Glenwood Springs: fully open, normal traffic
• US-550 from Glenwood/Aspen area south toward Ouray: fully open (we drove this multiple times)
• Million Dollar Highway (US-550 to Silverton): completely open, hikes in the San Juan mountains around Silverton all clear
• Return route: Ouray → Montrose → Black Canyon → Gunnison → Salida → Denver — all clear, scenic, and zero issues
No road closures encountered the entire trip.
Fire visibility: We saw the Gold Mountain Fire from a distance near Ridgeway (viewpoint from far away looking at smoke), but the Ouray/Silverton corridor was not impacted. The fire activity is east/northeast of the Ridgeway-Ouray US-550 corridor—not blocking routes to the attractions most people visit down there.
What Worked & What to Know
1. Check COtrip.org before you drive. We checked it every morning. The Ridgeway-Ouray stretch is the one segment that occasionally gets closed for fire ops, but even that was clear when we traveled it. It’s worth 30 seconds to verify.
2. AppWatchDuty is your friend for real-time alerts on road closures and conditions.
3. Weather was actually nice in the western mountains. Afternoon thunderstorms (nearly every day around 2-4 PM) meant it wasn’t oppressively hot—way more comfortable than Denver/Glenwood Springs (both hit \~100°F during the day). Evenings cooled off nicely everywhere.
4. Don’t camp with open fires or have campfires. There are signs all over the national forests about this. It’s not worth it. Don’t be that person.
Bottom Line
If you’re thinking about heading to Ouray, Silverton, Telluride area, the San Juans in general, or even Maroon Bells—go. Roads are open, hikes are open, the infrastructure is normal. Yes, there are active fires in Colorado right now, but they’re not where most tourists travel. Be smart about it (check conditions, follow fire restrictions), but don’t skip your trip out of worry.
Stay safe out there.

Latest information on fires and our trip