Father Son Backpacking trip – Colorado Advice on Campfires

If you would consider practicing with flint and steel in your backyard, instead of in the tinderbox we call wilderness, with strong and unpredictable winds, and a glut of fuel due to multiple beetle epidemics, I would be happy to share recommendations by private message.

Even when fires are allowed by law, I really see little reason to start fires for ones amusement. Practice at home, and if your stove breaks, then you will have the firestarter as emergency backup. This may sound harsh, but in recent years there have been several wildfires in Colorado that were traced back to campfires that got out of control or were not properly extinguished, and two wildfires came within 2 miles of my house so far in 2022. IMO, playing with fire is not seeming so much like fun and games anymore, and perhaps it is time to rethink what we teach our children.

@ Dan, The caution about danger of making campfires in the dry season of our high mountains is prudent. I also agree that practicing flint and steel should be done in a contained area, in your backyard, or in the BBQ units at your local well-watered city park.

But starting a fire with flint and steel is not the same as “playing with fire.”

Agree with @Dan. Colorado is not the best place for fire. Especially after a thousand homes burned in Boulder, wilderness rangers and others are enforcing fire rules very strictly. Most parks don’t allow alcohol stoves, either, since those have caused some recent wildfires.

O agree with those who suggest that the message passed along from parent to child has to change. Learning to spark a fire from flint can easily be done in a backyard. Explaining why sparking fires in summer in the wilderness is a bad idea in today’s environment… is a good idea. And then following that up, when in the wilderness, with suggesting alternative ways to ‘sit around a campfire’. I was amazed at how well a simple candle flame in a light box lit up the surrounding area, was comforting, and provided adequate sight for my immediate needs. More, there was no smoke, and it was faster for my eyes to adjust when turning away to take in the full splendor of the starry night. Yes, if it’s cold, a fire is welcome or even necessary. How often do we really use flint and steel these days? (never…?).

I will add my voice to those above. And it’s better advice than might appear on the face of it.  It’s a good thing to teach your son how to practice all wilderness techniques (and test all gear) in the backyard well before it is needed.

And if you’ve done that with fire, then you’ve done your job. Wait until the spring, when the fuel is a sodden mess, and then give him a chance…still in the backyard.

The original poster was asking for help and support.

If the local land management agency of the location where he wants to backpack is allowing fires, I see no reason to be so critical.

@ BB. Call your local US Forest Service ranger station and ask the question. Different Ranger Districts often have different rules because local circumstances differ.

If the young person has mastered flint and steel at home, starting the fire with that method is just as safe as using a fire steel.

The use of flint and steel is a standard part of many wilderness survival courses, and every outdoors person should know how to start a fire with at least three different means of ignition.  I don’t think folks need to carry flint and steel as a matter of course. But if you have learned how to light a fire with flint and steel, you know how to gather good tinder, and turn a spark into an ember, and then a flame, and eventually a fire.

It can be difficult to find reliable info on fire restrictions in Colorado.  Sometimes the forest service will have restrictions on a particular area, but more frequently, individual counties will have fire restrictions.  The county websites are usually better posted and organized than the USFS websites.  On either, typically I would assume no info = no fire ban, but that may not always be true.

I wish there was a good map to clearly show all fire restrictions.  This one gathers all the county info, but leaves out much of the USFS info, and doesn’t inspire confidence that anything is actually up to date: http://www.coemergency.com/p/fire-bans-danger.html

“No fires at XXX Lake” typically means no fires anywhere near the lake, or even in the basin the lake is in.  On the way to a particular lake in Indian Peaks Wilderness, I passed a sign on the trail that said no fires within 1/2 mile of the lake.  Lakes are heavily used camp areas, and often in high alpine areas with short tree growth seasons, and in addition to preventing wildfires, they are trying to avoid all the wood fuel from disappearing faster than it can recover, including both dead/down wood and still living wood (from irresponsible fuel gathering).

When fires are legal in an area, I would suggest using your common sense in your decision to have a fire, based conditions around you.  Lots of dead/dormant/brown vegetation around your campsite, likely a bad idea.  Lots of lush green vegetation around, probably fine to have a small controlled camp fire.  Have a source of water nearby to truly put the fire out.  I use my gravity filter water bag to dump several gallons on the hot coals.

I’ve been backpacking with kids in Colorado for the last several years, feel free to PM me with specific questions.  Lakes are often busy too, I suggest a meadow area with a nice stream for fishing.