Colorado park damaged by Quarry Fire set for partial reopening May 15

CBS News

14-05-2025

The Deer Creek Canyon Park area has had wildfires before, but none that worried community members quite like the 2024 Quarry Fire. A fast moving blaze, it nearly jumped the crest of the hill on Grizzly Drive, where neighborhoods sit, before low winds and fire crews were able to contain the blaze. Nearly 10 months after the fire damaged roughly 35% of the park, Jefferson County Open Space is set to reopen part of it May 15.
"Our natural resources team is thrilled with where we are," said Matt Robbins, who works for Jeffco Open Space.
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While Deer Creek is flowing and the spring green lights up the hillsides, the burn scare is still highly visible. But residents like Chris Miller are fine living with it, knowing that the park he and his wife regularly bring their dogs to will be available to them again.
"We've been asking anytime we see somebody working at the pen space park. We're like, 'Do you know when it's gonna open? Do you have a feel?'", Miller joked. "They would never really give us a clear answer. They would just say, 'sometime this summer.' So, yes, very happy."
The park had extensive damage, especially on the upper hillside elevations. Jeffco Open Space had to work on the amount of sediment that was draining from the creeks into Chatfield Reservoir, uproot trees and move rocks that were on unstable ground after the fires and fix trails damaged by bulldozer lines used to contain the blaze.
During the partial reopening, park guests will be asked to stay on available trails until further notice.
"The park has had a tough -- really tough -- 10 months, and we want to let people into the park, but we want them to know that we need to help the park as well," Robbins said.
But the open space team knows how important this park as well as the others in the area are to residents and have been working as quickly as possible to give them back access to the space.
"They started asking almost immediately after the fire," Robbins with a laugh. "And so we're thrilled that after 10 months we're able to offer two-thirds of the park."
There will be a ceremony at Deer Creek Canyon Park May 15 to commemorate the partial reopening with a full reopening of the park expected to take place August 1.
For those like Miller who live in the area, the excitement is palpable. On the first night of the fire, he told CBS Colorado there was a concern that the park would even survive at all. To have it avoid catastrophe and be open just a season later is a win for everyone down near Ken Caryl.
"Honestly, it was fabulous that that was the end outcome," Miller concluded.