The week in the high country

The week at a glance

This week runs unsettled, so plan early starts and watch the sky on every outing.

Issue 2026-W28 · forecasts checked Thursday morning, July 9, 2026, heading into the weekend.

Smoke is in the forecast for 1 of the nine zones this issue. Summer smoke in Colorado means fire somewhere, and this briefing tracks weather, not fire lines. Before you commit to a trailhead, check official fire information for closures, restrictions, and evacuations, and treat every fire ban as absolute.

Official advisories in effect this issue: 9. Each one is listed in its zone's briefing below.

One catch: most of the trails we cover still carry a caution for the next three days. The trail calls in each briefing spell them out.

Briefings run by region below, riskiest region first; the riskiest zone opens each one.

Elk & Sawatch

Elk Mountains / Aspen

moderate lightning risk to open · 9,580-14,163 ft · Overnight 41°F, winds 15 to 20 mph · no wet window above 30% · live view

Opens this issue at moderate lightning risk: enough storm or shower weather around to plan an early start.

Official advisories were in effect here when this went out:

• Wildfire: Willow, 4,364 acres, its reported origin about 32 mi from the center of this zone, 16% contained.

Overnight: Scattered Rain Showers. Thursday brings Mostly Sunny then Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms.

No reported precipitation chance tops 30% on this forecast.

Standing local hazard: Maroon Bells rock crumbles where you grip it. Storms build fast; be off ridges by noon.

Trail calls for the next three days, on this zone's forecast:

• Maroon Lake Scenic Loop: Thunderstorm risk in the forecast; summit before noon.

Gear for this zone: Mountaineering Essentials.

Sawatch / Leadville

moderate lightning risk to open · 10,000-14,440 ft · Overnight 39°F, winds 10 mph · wettest: Thursday, 32% · live view

Also opens at moderate lightning risk; the same early-start advice applies.

Official advisories were in effect here when this went out:

• National Weather Service: Air Quality Alert, rated Unknown.
• Wildfire: Willow. Covered in full under Elk Mountains / Aspen above.

Overnight holds a Slight Chance Rain Showers chance over Sawatch. Thursday runs from Slight Chance Rain Showers then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, meaning unsettled conditions stretch through most of the day.

The wettest window on this forecast: Thursday, with a 32% chance of precipitation.

Standing local hazard: Highest peak in the state: the approach is forgiving, the summit ridge is not. 14er rule applies.

Summit & Gore

Gore Range / Silverthorne

moderate lightning risk to open · 9,000-12,040 ft · Overnight 46°F, winds 6 mph · wettest: Thursday, 41% · live view

Opens at moderate lightning risk here too. Start early and keep the afternoon flexible.

Official advisories were in effect here when this went out:

• Wildfire: Willow. Covered in full under Elk Mountains / Aspen above.

Overnight: Slight Chance Rain Showers. Thursday brings Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms.

Standing local hazard: Summit County storms can build in 20 minutes. Remote terrain.

Trail calls for the next three days, on this zone's forecast:

• Quandary Peak: Thunderstorm risk in the forecast; summit before noon.

Gear for this zone: Mountaineering Essentials.

Southern Colorado

San Juans / Telluride

moderate lightning risk to open · 9,545-14,158 ft · Overnight 41°F, winds 15 to 20 mph · wettest: Monday, 49% · live view

Also opens at moderate lightning risk; the same early-start advice applies.

Official advisories were in effect here when this went out:

• National Weather Service: Air Quality Alert, rated Unknown.
• Wildfire: Gold Mountain, 31,463 acres, its reported origin about 8 mi from the center of this zone, 8% contained.
• Wildfire: Ferris, 60,105 acres, its reported origin about 54 mi from the center of this zone, 19% contained.

Overnight: Isolated Rain Showers. Thursday brings Sunny then Patchy Smoke.

Different rhythm here: the wettest window lands on Monday, a 49% chance.

Standing local hazard: San Juan monsoons hit harder than the Front Range: by 11 AM in summer. Sneffels approach is loose top-to-bottom.

Front Range

Mt. Bierstadt / Guanella

low lightning risk to open · 11,600-14,060 ft · Overnight 40°F, winds 9 mph · wettest: Thursday, 45% · live view

Opens this issue at low lightning risk, a quiet start.

Overnight: Mostly Cloudy. Thursday brings Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms.

Standing local hazard: 14er rule: summit before noon without exception. Lightning is fatal above treeline.

Trail calls for the next three days, on this zone's forecast:

• Mount Bierstadt: Thunderstorm risk in the forecast; summit before noon.

Gear for this zone: 14er Essentials.

Boulder / Front Range

low lightning risk to open · 6,800-8,500 ft · Overnight 61°F, winds 6 mph · wettest: Thursday, 52% · live view

Overnight: Mostly Cloudy. Thursday brings Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms.

Standing local hazard: Exposed ridge above Flatirons: afternoon lightning from June-Aug.

Trail calls for the next three days, on this zone's forecast:

• Thunderstorm risk in the forecast; summit before noon: Bald Mountain (Pines to Peaks Loop), Bear Peak, Bobolink / South Boulder Creek, Chautauqua Trail, Enchanted Mesa, Flagstaff Mountain, Green Mountain, Mount Sanitas, NCAR Walter Orr Roberts Weather Trail, Royal Arch, Sanitas Valley, South Boulder Peak, and Wonderland Lake.

Gear for this zone: Day Hike Essentials.

Pikes Peak / Colorado Springs

low lightning risk to open · 6,720-14,115 ft · Overnight 42°F, winds 10 to 15 mph · wettest: Thursday, 53% · live view

Official advisories were in effect here when this went out:

• Wildfire: Aspen Acres, 96,031 acres, its reported origin about 57 mi from the center of this zone, 15% contained.

Overnight: Partly Cloudy. Thursday brings Slight Chance Rain And Snow Showers then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms.

Standing local hazard: Cog rail and highway access don't soften the altitude. 13 miles up Barr Trail; summer storms hit by 1 PM.

RMNP & Indian Peaks

Indian Peaks / Brainard

low lightning risk to open · 10,400-13,500 ft · Overnight 41°F, winds 7 to 10 mph · wettest: Thursday, 44% · live view

Overnight: Mostly Cloudy. Thursday brings Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms.

Standing local hazard: Open alpine basin, no shelter once storms build. Start early.

Trail calls for the next three days, on this zone's forecast:

• Thunderstorm risk in the forecast; summit before noon: Diamond Lake, Lake Dorothy, Lake Isabelle, Long Lake, and Mitchell Lake.

Gear for this zone: Mountaineering Essentials.

Rocky Mountain NP

low lightning risk to open · 8,500-12,183 ft · Overnight 49°F, winds 10 mph · wettest: Thursday, 64% · live view

Official advisories were in effect here when this went out:

• Park alert, Park Closure: A Fire Ban (Stage 2 Fire Restrictions) Are In Effect. Due to very high fire danger, the extended weather forecast, and current fire activity in the State of Colorado, Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are now in effect within Rocky Mountain National Park. When S…

Overnight skies run Mostly Cloudy above Rocky Mountain NP. Thursday starts with Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, making an early turnaround the safe call.

Standing local hazard: Fastest storm pattern in Colorado. Be below treeline by noon.

Trail calls for the next three days, on this zone's forecast:

• Thunderstorm risk in the forecast; summit before noon: Bear Lake, Emerald Lake, Longs Peak, Nymph Lake, and Sprague Lake.

Gear for this zone: Day Hike Essentials.

What we can't promise

Everything above is a forecast, not a promise. Typical conditions are still the plan; check again before you drive.

Nothing here claims past the next 7 days; the forecast window ends there.

Trail lines ride their zone's forecast, the nearest of the nine zones to each trailhead. They are not per-trail point forecasts.

Advisory lines are official notices from the National Weather Service, the National Park Service, and the national wildfire incident feed, read when this issue went out. They are notices, not forecasts, and they change without warning: check official fire and park information before you go.

Each issue is dated, stands as published, and is superseded by the next; the live conditions dashboard is always the fresher read.