8/20/26 Update:
San Juan County, UT, August 20, 2026—The Manti-La Sal National Forest announces today that the special closure order (#04-10-26-05-06) for the Babylon Burn Area, including all associated road and trail closures enacted on August 13, 2026, is rescinded under Order #04-10-26-05-07.
All lands within the Monticello Ranger District are now open to the public and the Babylon Fire is 100% contained. However, visitors should be aware that smoke may still be visible in isolated interior pockets, and Forest Service personnel continue to work throughout the area.
8/12/26 Update:
A new closure order (#04-10-26-05-06) will be in effect from August 13–31, 2026 for the Babylon Burn area in the Monticello Ranger District of the Manti La Sal National Forest.
View the order here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/manti-lasal/alerts
The closure includes several roads and trails across the district—both motorized and non motorized—such as portions of Causeway, Stevens Canyon, Maverick Point, South Cottonwood, Vega Point, Vega Creek Trail, Gooseberry, Chimney Park, Posey Canyon, Skyline, Tuerto, Blue Creek, and more. Please refer to the map and the order itself for full details and contact us with any questions.
Crews are still actively operating within the closure area, especially on Causeway Road, South Cottonwood Road, and Maverick Point Road. Fire personnel and heavy equipment are actively removing hazardous burned trees, patrolling for hotspots and flare ups, and assisting with initial attack on new lightning caused fire starts. San Juan County road crews have done a tremendous job repairing roads outside the closure area, we thank them for their work and for the work of our partners during these operations.
Road Closures:
Forest Road 50095 (Causeway Road) From the Junction with Forest Trail 5013 (Allen Canyon) to the
Junction with Forest Road 50088 (Elk Ridge Road)
Forest Road 50192 (Stevens Canyon Road) South of Junction 50098
Forest Road 50096 (Maverick Point) South of Junction 55186
Forest Road 50106 (South Cottonwood Road) Entire length of Forest Road from South Cottonwood County Road
Forest Road 50103 (Vega Point) Entire length
Forest Road 55436 Entire length
Forest Road 50192 (Mormon Pasture Mountain) South of Junction 50098
Forest Road 55191 Entire length
Forest Road 55443 Entire length Forest Road 55196 Entire length Forest Road 55197 Entire length Forest
Road 55191 Entire length Forest Road 55208 Entire length
Forest Road 55209 Entire length
Forest Road 55589 Entire length Forest Road 50176 Entire length
Forest Road 50102 (Chippean Ridge Road) Entire length
Forest Road 55166 Entire length
Trail Closures:
Forest Trail 5164 (Vega Creek Trail) South of Mud Canyon
Forest Trail 5455 (Gooseberry trail) Entire length
Forest Trail 5010 (Chimney Park) Entire length
Forest Trail 5430 Entire length
Forest Trail 5431 Entire length
Forest trail 5450 Entire length
Described Non-Motorized Trails
Forest Trail 5451 (Posey Canyon) Entire length
Forest Trail 5015 (Skyline Trail) Entire length
Forest Trail 5014 (Tuerto Connector Trail) Entire length
Forest Trail 5013 (Blue Creek) Entire length
Forest Trail 5011 (Tuerto Trail) Entire length
Purpose for closures:
The purpose of this Order is to protect public health and safety during Burned Area Emergency Response operations including road repair.
7/31/26 Update:
Beginning July 31, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. the Manti La Sal National Forest has issued a new Babylon Fire Closure Order (04-10-26-05-05) to reflect the current Babylon Fire footprint on the Monticello Ranger District. This updated Order replaces the previous Babylon Fire closure and updates which roads, trails, and areas inside the burn area remain closed for public safety.
The closure protects visitors while BAER and fire operations continue. Crews are actively repairing roads and addressing post fire hazards; these restrictions align with where work is currently taking place.
What’s new:
• Closure boundaries have been updated to match the current burn area footprint (this opens more lands for public use).
• This order replaces earlier Babylon Fire Closures.
Road Closures:
7/22/26 Update:
The Babylon Fire remains at 95% containment.
Starting tomorrow, Thursday, July 23, Monticello Field Office of Bureau of Land Management will remove closures from all currently closed areas except those from Brushy Basin Road north to the Forest Service boundary. This information will be under BLM Fire Prevention Order: UT-CYD-2026-0.
The Monticello Ranger District of the Manti-La Sal National Forest is removing closures from the area south of Elk Mountain/South Elk roads (Forest Service Road 50092), southwest of the Powerline road (Forest Service Road 50084), and northeast of the Hart’s Draw road (County Road B101). Additionally, Dalton Springs Campground, Buckboard Campgrounds, and Foy Lake Road (Forest service road 50101) to Foy Lake, will be opened, but all other roads and trails around Foy Lake will remain closed.
This information will be under Monticello Ranger District Closure Order #04-10-26-05-04. Please note that this reopened area is still under Stage 2 fire restrictions.
7/18/26 Update:
The Babylon fire is now 95% contained.
The Monticello Ranger District of the Manti-La Sal National Forest within San Juan County, UT remains closed with the exception for Forest Service lands, roads, and trails southeast of, and including; FS50082 (Blue Mountain Ranch) and FS50084 (Recapture).
Forest lands within the Monticello Ranger District that are now open are subject to Stage 2 Restictions per Forest Order #04-10-26-00-04.
The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park re-opened to the public at 8:00am on Saturday, July 18th. Hwy 211 has also fully re-opened. Elephant Hill, Lavender, and Davis Canyon roads will remain closed to motor vehicle traffic and bicycles.
7/6/26 Update:
Due to the Babylon fire in San Juan County, all national forest lands, roads, and trails in the Monticello Ranger District of the Manti- La Sal National Forest are closed to the public. The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park is also fully closed.
In addition, the Bureau of Land Management has temporarily closed all BLM managed public lands west of Harts Draw Road and north through the Indian Creek Corridor to Indian Creek Falls. This closure includes area such as Shay Mesa, Beef Basin, Dark Canyon, and the Sweet Alice Wilderness Study Area. Anyone not involved in the firefighting operations must stay out of these closure areas and avoid all public lands within the boundary formed by State Route 211 to the north, US Route 191 to the east, and State Route 95 to the south.
Please visit the Manti-La Sal National Forest Facebook page (opens in a new tab) or the San Juan County Emergency Management page for updates.
All other areas of San Juan County remain open including Monument Valley Tribal Park, Natural Bridges & Hovenweep National Monuments, Goosenecks & Edge of the Cedars State Parks, the San Juan River, Cedar Mesa (Southern portion of Bears Ears National Monument), and many other areas.
We remind all travelers to practice responsible recreation by adhering to the following fire safety rules:
If you have additional questions, please call San Juan County Visitor Services at: 800-574-4386
