Rocky Mountain National Park has announced its plan for a prescribed burn that will take place Friday and Saturday, if conditions allow.

Fire managers at the park have recommended a prescribed burn, based on favorable weather and fuels conditions. Firefighters plan to burn approximately 100 acres of the 334-acre headquarters unit on Friday, Nov. 1, and Saturday, Nov. 2, according to a press release from the park.

The burn unit is located inside Rocky Mountain National Park, west of the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center on the east side of the park. Fire operations near the Beavers Meadows entrance to the park may cause brief delays or divert outbound traffic through the Fall River entrance. Park visitors will not be allowed to stop along U.S. Highway 36 or walk within the burn area.

Heavy, prolonged smoke is not expected from this operation and may be visible inside and outside the park. Smoke will be visible throughout the burn, mostly during the warmest part of the day.

“Every effort will be made to minimize smoke impacts on visitors and the adjacent community; however, some smoke is anticipated to disperse east of the park,” the press release stated.

Firefighters will be on the scene for the duration of the operation and will be patrolling the burned area overnight after operations conclude each day.

The primary goal of this project is to reduce the threat of fire to adjacent communities and National Parks Service’s infrastructure by reducing the amount of fuels.

During the East Troublesome Fire in 2020 and the Fern Lake Fire in 2012, firefighters benefited from previous and existing prescribed fire and hazardous fuels treatment areas that provided a buffer between the fires and the town of Estes Park.