Poorly extinguished campfire likely cause of Interlaken Fire near Twin Lakes, CO

As of the morning of June 14th, 2024, the Interlaken Fire just outside of Twin Lakes, Colorado stood at some 578 acres and was zero percent contained. Considering that the epic 2020 Colorado fire season saw over 665,000 acres burned across the state, that 578 acre number might seem a bit insignificant in the grand scheme.

Perhaps it will be, and this one will end up a mere footnote in Colorado’s quickly growing wildfire history. To the folks who live in and around Twin Lakes, though, the combination of the fire’s quick ignition and the dry terrain around it has already prompted some evacuations, as Joe Wertz of Colorado Public Radio noted.

While the fire remains small by most standards – and is fortunately burning in an area mostly devoid of densely-packed structures – it’s already become a problem for outdoor enthusiasts. For one, it’s location just south of the twin lakes outside of Leadville puts it squarely in the path of those hiking both the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT).

Both the CDT and Colorado Trail share a path from Breckenridge south through the Mount Massive Wilderness and south past Leadville towards Twin Lakes, at which point the CDT breaks west (as does the Collegiate Peaks West rout of the Colorado Trail) after the end of Segment 11 of the Colorado Trail, whose main route stays east. As a result, both the CDT and Colorado Trail have closed at the location, as many of the other re-route options have also been closed due to the Interlaken Fire’s expected growth area.

The area sits just south of both Mount Elbert (14,438 feet) and Mount Massive (14,427 feet), the two tallest peaks in Colorado and the second and third highest peaks in the continental United States behind Mount Whitney. With a huge cluster of other 14ers in the area – like La Plata, Mounts Belford and Oxford, Huron Peak, and Missouri Mountain – it’s an area that’s both hard to simply find a new route around for through hikers. On top of that, the number of 14ers prompts peak-baggers galore this time of year as the snow begins to melt off the peaks, and they now face the possibility of breathing in much smokier air than they’d like as they attempt to ascend into the thinner-air of high elevation peaks.

It’s a terribly frustration situation, one that will ultimately command the need for some 200 firefighers, according to the Leadville Herald. There’s a chance that storms predicted to hit the area over the coming days could drench it with much needed rain, but that’s a scenario that also opens the door for stronger winds and lightning that could exacerbate the existing fire (and cause more).

Speaking of lightning, it’s most concerning that this particular fire was not caused by such natural occurence. Multiple reports are out that it was sparked by an abandoned – and poorly extinguished – campfire near the Interlaken Trailhead just south of Twin Lakes on National Forest land. It’s another frustrating example of just how important making sure you Leave No Trace can be when in the wilderness, and how simple oversight of something that significant can cause ramifications felt far and wide.