Posted May 12, 2022 –
STOVE CHOICE AND FIRE BANS ON THE CT. In brief:
- Allowed stoves have on-off valves, including the canister gas stoves most CT travelers choose.
- Prohibited stoves lack an on-off valve, including alcohol stoves and also twig and esbit stoves.
More detail:
Most of the long-distance and overnight travelers on The Colorado Trail will carry a backpacking stove. It is smart to keep in mind that the Colorado mountain environment is very dry, much drier than on some other long trails. In this dry climate one needs to be ultra-careful with all flame. Wildfires start easily, spread quickly, and are really devastating.
Fire bans affect the CT almost every trail season and, going into the this trail season, bans have already begun and more will certainly come. With the many jurisdictions involved including counties and the different forests, etc., precise ban information is hard to come by. But for the Colorado Trail traveler it boils down to this. Fire bans prohibit campfires and fire bans prohibit stoves lacking an on-off valve. Fire bans prohibit alcohol, twig, and esbit stoves as they lack an on-off valve. These realities make it sensible for CT travelers to CHOOSE A CANISTER STOVE (most people’s choice) or a white gas stove, one of the stove types that has an on-off valve. Please spread the word. We hope this helps.
