Should I Cancel My National Park Trip Because of Wildfires?

Last weekend when I was camping the wind picked up and a thick cloud of wildfire smoke blew in. The sky turned orange and my dog started sneezing. By the time I went to bed, I felt like I was breathing through a barbecue. Smoky camping and hiking trips have become a more and more frequent experience in the West. While dealing with wildfire smoke is unpleasant and can be hazardous to health, I felt grateful that I wasn’t camping in the path of the half-dozen wildfires that broke out in Colorado during the last weekend of June 2026. At the time of publication in early July, a large fire near Colorado National Monument had already killed three wildland firefighters, a fire threatened downtown Ouray and one evacuated the Colorado Trail near Leadville. Fires are burning up and down the neighboring state of Utah, including one in Bears Ears National Monument that’s approaching Canyonlands National Park.

Amid one of the worst drought years on record for much of the Mountain West, and increasing fire danger across the country, wildfires need to become a consideration when you’re planning a national park trip, especially in the summer months. Here’s what you need to know when considering whether or not to cancel your trip.

From Yosemite to Glacier to Rocky Mountain national parks, it’s not uncommon to encounter smoky summer skies. Nearby fires often impact air quality, but weather patterns can bring smoke into an area even from huge distances away. It’s often hard to predict smoky conditions more than a few days out, so cancelling a trip before the no-refund date often isn’t possible. So, how do you decide whether to cancel due to smoke?

People who have sensitivities to smoke including those with asthma, bad allergies, young children or the elderly may want to cancel their trips ahead of time if it’s forecasted to be a bad fire season, like summer 2026. Planning trips fall through spring will usually avoid any wildfire smoke. If you don’t fall into one of these groups, we recommend waiting until a few days before you’re scheduled to travel to make a final decision. Recreation.gov, which manages bookings for most national park campgrounds, plus many surrounding campgrounds, allows visitors to cancel campsites up until 12 a.m. on the day the reservation begins. You’ll be refunded everything besides your initial reservation fee and a $10 cancellation fee. If you cancel on the day of your arrival, you’ll be responsible for the first night’s camping fee in addition to the above.

How to Check Air Quality in National Parks

Check the air quality index a couple days ahead of your trip. This will give you a good idea of what conditions are like right now, and what the forecast is for your travel dates. The Environmental Protection Agency has created a system to measure and categorize air pollution. Here’s what the air quality index means for outdoor activities like hiking:

• Green (0-50) indicates good; it’s safe to be active outside
• Yellow (51-100) indicates moderate; if you’re unusually sensitive to smoke, it’s best to stay inside, otherwise recreate like normal
• Orange (101-150) indicates unhealthy for sensitive groups; if you have heart or lung disease or issues; are an older adult, a child or a teenager, or are pregnant, it’s best to limit outdoor activities to short periods and keep an eye on the quality of your breathing.
• Red (151-200) indicates unhealthy for everyone; avoid outdoor activities if possible, or limit the amount of time and intensity.
• Purple (201+) indicates very unhealthy or hazardous; usually this means a fire is actively burning in the immediate area.

Air quality can be extremely localized. Valleys that don’t get much air movement can trap smoke, making the conditions much worse than they’d be on a higher ridge with a breeze. Check an interactive air quality map so you can explore different locations. In Yosemite National Park, Yosemite Valley is notorious for holding smoke, while Tuolumne Meadows is higher and gets better air circulation.

Don’t forget to consider the kind of trip you’ve planned. If you have a hotel room with air conditioning, dealing with wildfire smoke will be easier. Alternately, f you’re planning to tent camp, nights with bad air quality can make sleeping rough. If you plan to focus mostly on scenic drives and viewpoints, smoke won’t affect you as much as if you’re planning to hike lots. A backpacking trip is especially risky when the smoke is bad as it’s harder to call it quits and leave early if the conditions change.

If you have your heart set on postcard views, wildfire smoke can also affect that. Depending on thickness, smoke may obstruct iconic views completely, or make them look less crisp and defined. Check park webcams if you’re curious what the views currently look like.

Breathing wildfire smoke isn’t good for your health. It can cause lung and heart damage, increase inflammation and infection, create pregnancy risks, trigger itchy and irritated skin and worsen mental health. Ultimately, the decision is up to you whether a long awaited trip in smoky conditions is worth it.

If you do decide to cancel, be mindful of the small businesses your decision affects. Respect their cancellation policies, even if that means you don’t receive a refund, and when possible opt for a credit for a future trip instead of an outright reimbursement. Bad weather has a notoriously big impact on small businesses in the tourism sector.

There’s a Wildfire Burning Near My Campsite. Should I Leave?

Before and during your trip, it’s important to keep an eye on active wildfires in the area. Download the free Watch Duty app which lets you see a real-time map of current wildfires. You can set up notifications for your home, or the county you plan on recreating in to ensure that if you’re in cell service, you’ll be one of the first to know when a fire breaks out.

You can be as prepared as possible before you visit a national park, but a new fire could ignite at any moment, especially if conditions are hot, dry and windy, or there’s a storm moving through with lots of lightning.

If a fire starts nearby on your national park trip, the best thing to do is to stay informed. Emergency management teams may preemptively close areas, like they did for the Needles District of Canyonlands in June as the Babylon Fire approached. It’s important to keep an eye on and respect these closures. The reality is that a nearby wildfire makes for a dangerous and unpleasant recreation experience. If a fire breaks out close to the area you’re visiting and isn’t quickly contained, it’s best to cut your trip short and leave early. This way you won’t be dealing with unhealthy air quality, gambling on a dangerous situation or getting in the way of local residents if evacuations become necessary. This is especially important to consider if it might take you longer to easily leave. Consider factors like if you’ve set up an elaborate campsite that will take time to disassemble, are traveling in a slower vehicle like an RV, or are recreating in a spot with only one main road out. It’s better to leave early and be overprepared than get stuck in traffic during a mandatory evacuation.

How close is “close”? That entirely depends on conditions. The devastating Marshall Fire in December 2021 southeast of Rocky Mountain National Park spread exceptionally fast, fueled by winds topping 100 MPH. Other fires move more slowly and don’t spread as quickly. Check in with a park ranger if you’re concerned about a nearby fire. When in doubt, it’s a good idea to leave, especially if conditions are windy or the air quality suddenly gets much worse.

What Happens If a Wildfire Starts On My Hike?

Unfortunately, many national parks have bad cell reception, especially when you head into the backcountry on day hikes or multi-day backpacking trips. This can make getting information on new fires tricky. If you’re planning to hike long distances on your trip and you’re concerned about fire danger, the best thing you can do is get a satellite messenger, like a Garmin, that lets you communicate with the outside world even without cell service. It’s always a great idea to make sure someone knows your detailed plans before you set off into the wilderness. This includes trails you’ll be hiking and how long you plan to be gone. Have a loved one turn on Watch Duty notifications for the area you plan to hike and if they spot a new fire moving your way, they can alert you via your messenger. A messenger also helps you check in if you notice smoke or have an emergency and need to contact first responders.

Writer Terry Tempest Williams’ account of being caught at Glacier’s Granite Park Chalet as wildfire engulfed it in 2003 is permanently seared in my mind. Sometimes, the unthinkable happens and you may find yourself in an emergency situation on the trail. If you believe there’s a fire in the area, get out as quickly as possible without panicking. Consult a map and head toward the nearest road as long as it’s safe to do so. If you can assess the direction the fire is heading (take note of which way the wind is blowing and how the smoke column is bending if you can see it) and move away from its path. Wildfire travels faster uphill than down, according to the Pacific Crest Trail Association, so do not attempt to climb a ridge. If you find yourself in a situation that requires rescue, bright colored fabric (think, your tent fly if you’re camping) or reflective material can help catch the attention of air rescuers. Carrying a signal mirror (as long as you know how to use it!) can also be helpful to alert rescuers. If you need to take shelter, move to an area with less vegetation (think meadows, rock fields or lakes) as fire doesn’t spread as quickly.

Why Can’t I Have a Campfire?

Humans start almost 85% of wildfires in the United States, according to the National Park Service. As of July 1, most of Colorado and Utah were under Stage 2 Fire Bans. This means that open fires of any kind are not allowed. Even in a designated campground with a fire ring, campfires can easily get out of hand. When conditions are extremely dry and windy, a single wayward ember can start a wildfire. During Stage 2 Fire Bans, gas stoves are usually still allowed. You can make s’mores on your camp stove and bring a warm electric lantern or battery powered twinkle lights to help set the mood without risking the danger of a wildfire.

RELATED: Is It Time to Give Up Campfires for Good? We Asked the Experts.

Firetrictions often vary from area to area. As a camper, it’s your job to do your research and check whether fires are allowed where you plan to recreate. Other things you can do to help mitigate fires include securing chains on your trailers so they don’t drag and spark, avoid parking a hot car over dry grass, putting out and disposing of all cigarettes responsibly, and drowning any smoldering or illegal campfires you might find in the backcountry. Skip the fireworks, especially in the backcountry. As Smokey the Bear says, “only you can prevent forest fires.”