Moab's Whole Enchilada Trail Closed by Pack Creek Fire
Photo from Pack Creek Fire Information website.
The Pack Creek Fire that started on June 9 in due to an abandoned campfire has now grown to 8,435 acres and has cut off access to the Whole Enchilada, a classic mountain biking trail in the La Sal Mountains north of Moab in Utah.
There are 11 helicopters, 21 engines, and 11 crews with a total of 426 personal currently fighting the blaze. At this time, Utah Wildfire says that the fire is 16% contained. The latest details on the fire can be found on the government website here. The Trailforks team has overlaid the latest perimeter update of the fire onto the Trailforks map so you can see exactly where the fire currently is in relation to Burro Pass and the Whole Enchilada.
You can see an interactive version of this polygon on Trailforks here.
From what we can see in the latest update, the fire is not currently on Burro Pass, but access to the trail is closed and other trails nearby have been impacted.
 | The Pack Creek Fire is currently active. Firefighters are making good containment progress while creating control lines on the fire's perimeter to mitigate fire spread to residential areas and to reduce the likelihood of more fire growth. An excessive heat warning weather forecast is currently in place surrounding the fire area. Extreme fire danger conditions are expected to remain in place for several days. The steep, rocky terrain where the fire is burning presents special challenges to crews working for containment. |
Evacuation Orders are in effect for structures in Blue Lake, Dark Canyon and Upper Pack Creek (above the U.S Forest Service Boundary) as the fire is currently active in these areas. Homes in the lower section of Pack Creek were lifted at 6 a.m. Sunday, allowing residents of this foothills community to return to their homes for the first time since Wednesday. La Sal Mountain areas, road and trail closures on all public lands surrounding the fire area remains in place.
We wish the firefighters battling the blaze the best of luck and hope to be able to ride the classic trail once again.
You can keep an eye on the fire's progress and the latest area and road closures here.
Photos from Utah Wild Fire on Twitter.
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“An abandoned campfire”. SERIOUSLY?! In that area?! In extreme drought conditions?! Reminds me of what some Yosemite park ranger said regarding designing bear-proof trash cans. Problem is, there is considerable overlap between the intelligence of the smartest wildlife and the dumbest tourists.
if you told me you watched them flick butts into the brush, sure.
The last thing we need is more divisiveness or projecting stereotypes on to an entire group of people. I think there’s even a term for that type of thinking…
What did they end up naming that kid?
and really? flowers torched? LMFAO. GTFO. stop....just stop.
bud, go drink some draino would you?
I think you might need to look up the definition of natural.
Maybe put on a sweatshirt next time you get chilly when the temp dip to 70º at night.
Seriously, I was camping above Ned this weekend where the temps were in the 50s at night and the wind was whipping at 20mph in the evenings
every site i went by had a campfire. :shrug: can't fix stupid.
I love camp fires and all, but this has got to stop. Im actually glad they closed all dispersed camping in Crested Butte.
We have the technology to do better, it's just nostalgia holding us back.
my point was that in most of these places, open campfires are already prohibited, and the 1% of morons that don't listen ruin it for 100% of us. So simply telling people not to do something with threat of punitive damage, clearly isn't effective. Nobody said repeal, but acting like it's a long term solution just naïve.
Getting rid of rules and laws a small percentage ignore is not going to lead to more people being more responsible about anything.
Also, @WhatToBuy, nice shot at Boulder but you're barking up the wrong tree here bud. Come ride with us!
Harsher penalties, definitely needed.
Prevention, definitely needed.
Awareness, definitely needed.
we cant just say 'make it more illegal' or 'stop global warming' and dust our hands expecting any results.
Education and personal values around wilderness are important. However, some people will only care... when it becomes very expensive to continue as they please.
Which is classest and other shit.
I dont know what to do and I dont pretend to.
just a thought - if a stupid person drinks too much, gets in a car and kills someone - the consequences are pretty severe
if someone who's family tree doesn't branch abandons a fire and it torches thousands upon thousands of acres, affecting everything from wildlife all the way to life and livelihood, what should the consequence be?
probably depends on how you view human primacy or how close to home it hits
When you allow your platform users to tell a Moab bike shop to 'get the f*ck out' while our trails are literally burning;
When you virtue pose via @redbull formation that you support women, but let people say a comment must have been typed by someone's PUSSY LIPS and @sarahmoore thinks that's perfectly ok.... I don't want to support you.
Please ban me. I don't share your lack of values and integrity.
Careless disregard for nature started this and was 100% avoidable, too. Hopefully, those who started this will be found or at least come forward.
I love Moab to death, but it's been threatened for years by idiots like these guys/gals who have no respect for nature or the wilderness. It has to change, or there won't be a Moab worth taking our kids/grandkids to.
They just treat the symptoms per usual. I'd hope it would change but alas people keep voting for career politicians as if they're suddenly going to become useful.
cmon dude, you don't even have a point.
I used to live there, and it was very sad to see.
Everyone should skip moab for the next 100 years and go to Wyoming or Idaho, I hear the whole enchilada in Idaho is way better all year round.
Whatever.
I’m sorry for the Moabians who will miss these trails!
On a more serious note "we" never manage to get a fire started because we argue over where the most optimal place for the fire is, what the optimum wood stacking technique is and how far away to put the chairs based on predicted fire size, temperature and wind conditions...by then we have run out of beer, our solar powered calculators stopped working and we just go to bed.
The guy is an idiot/psychopath for sure, but don't threaten to beat and burn trans people online. Reported.
TLDR; Blaming global warming for wildfires is shortsighted and costs lives by ignoring true causes of these fires, and focusing on highly politicized long term strategies instead of short term action plans.
And ya as someone who has lost 2 homes to wildfires and is sick of seeing the same lack of prevention year after year which results in lives lost and thousands of families displaced, I felt it was worth discussing.
But put your fingers back in your ears if it makes you happier. out of sight out of mind, right?
I'd add that the amount of red tape is the biggest set back to proper abatement. I can't even clear more than a few acres of brush around my house unless I get government permission because it's 'state owned land'. Ok, so I can't clear it and because the government won't either, I just have to stare at it all year knowing that if a fire comes this way, that lot will be what burns my whole life down? awesome, thanks.