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Utah Travel

Wildfires across Utah threaten tourist visits

By Associated Press
SHARE Wildfires across Utah threaten tourist visits
Ken and Dottie Wanberg inspect a map as they try to gather news of their second home, which is located inside an evacuated area in the Glacier View subdivision, on Sunday, June 24, 2012, outside The Forks in Livermore, Colo. With eight wildfires burning,

Ken and Dottie Wanberg inspect a map as they try to gather news of their second home, which is located inside an evacuated area in the Glacier View subdivision, on Sunday, June 24, 2012, outside The Forks in Livermore, Colo. With eight wildfires burning, including a fire that has scorched more than 118 square miles and destroyed at least 191 homes near Fort Collins, Colorado is having its worst wildfire season in a decade. (AP Photo/The Coloradoan, Dawn Madura) NO SALES

Associated Press
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Bill Hahnenberg, incident commander for the High Park Fire, appears during an interview on his last day in charge of firefighting operations, Sunday, June 24, 2012, at the Fort Collins Armory in Fort Collins, Colo. A new incident command team takes over o

Bill Hahnenberg, incident commander for the High Park Fire, appears during an interview on his last day in charge of firefighting operations, Sunday, June 24, 2012, at the Fort Collins Armory in Fort Collins, Colo. A new incident command team takes over on Monday, June 25. With eight wildfires burning, including a fire that has scorched more than 118 square miles and destroyed at least 191 homes near Fort Collins, Colorado is having its worst wildfire season in a decade. (AP Photo/The Coloradoan, Dawn Madura) NO SALES

Associated Press
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Smoke rises from the High Park Fire on Sunday, June 24, 2012, near Livermore, Colo. With eight wildfires burning, including a fire that has scorched more than 118 square miles and destroyed at least 191 homes near Fort Collins, Colorado is having its wors

Smoke rises from the High Park Fire on Sunday, June 24, 2012, near Livermore, Colo. With eight wildfires burning, including a fire that has scorched more than 118 square miles and destroyed at least 191 homes near Fort Collins, Colorado is having its worst wildfire season in a decade. (AP Photo/The Coloradoan, Dawn Madura) NO SALES

Associated Press
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Anne Peterson talks with High Park Fire information officer Jon Kohn on Sunday, June 24, 2012, outside The Forks in Livermore, Colo. Kohn was stationed outside the restaurant and convenience store to provide information to evacuees, as well as people like

Anne Peterson talks with High Park Fire information officer Jon Kohn on Sunday, June 24, 2012, outside The Forks in Livermore, Colo. Kohn was stationed outside the restaurant and convenience store to provide information to evacuees, as well as people like Peterson, who has been placed on pre-evacuation notice. With eight wildfires burning, including a fire that has scorched more than 118 square miles and destroyed at least 191 homes near Fort Collins, Colorado is having its worst wildfire season in a decade. (AP Photo/The Coloradoan, Dawn Madura) NO SALES

Associated Press
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People watch from Lower Gold Camp Road as a wildfire continues to burn west of Colorado Springs, Colo. on Sunday, June 24, 2012. The fire erupted Saturday and grew out of control to more than 3 square miles early Sunday, prompting the evacuation of more t

People watch from Lower Gold Camp Road as a wildfire continues to burn west of Colorado Springs, Colo. on Sunday, June 24, 2012. The fire erupted Saturday and grew out of control to more than 3 square miles early Sunday, prompting the evacuation of more than 11,000 residents and an unknown number of tourists. (AP Photo/The Colorado Springs Gazette, Susannah Kay)

Associated Press
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The sun sets as seen from Lower Gold Camp Road as a wildfire continues to burn west of Colorado Springs, Colo. on Sunday, June 24, 2012. The fire erupted Saturday and grew out of control to more than 3 square miles early Sunday, prompting the evacuation o

The sun sets as seen from Lower Gold Camp Road as a wildfire continues to burn west of Colorado Springs, Colo. on Sunday, June 24, 2012. The fire erupted Saturday and grew out of control to more than 3 square miles early Sunday, prompting the evacuation of more than 11,000 residents and an unknown number of tourists. (AP Photo/The Colorado Springs Gazette, Susannah Kay)

Associated Press
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People watch from Mesa Road as a wildfire continues to burn west of Colorado Springs, Colo. on Sunday, June 24, 2012. The fire erupted Saturday and grew out of control to more than 3 square miles early Sunday, prompting the evacuation of more than 11,000

People watch from Mesa Road as a wildfire continues to burn west of Colorado Springs, Colo. on Sunday, June 24, 2012. The fire erupted Saturday and grew out of control to more than 3 square miles early Sunday, prompting the evacuation of more than 11,000 residents and an unknown number of tourists. (AP Photo/The Colorado Springs Gazette, Susannah Kay)

Associated Press
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People watch from Mesa Road as a wildfire continues to burn west of Colorado Springs, Colo. on Sunday, June 24, 2012. The fire erupted Saturday and grew out of control to more than 3 square miles early Sunday, prompting the evacuation of more than 11,000

People watch from Mesa Road as a wildfire continues to burn west of Colorado Springs, Colo. on Sunday, June 24, 2012. The fire erupted Saturday and grew out of control to more than 3 square miles early Sunday, prompting the evacuation of more than 11,000 residents and an unknown number of tourists. (AP Photo/The Colorado Springs Gazette, Susannah Kay)

Associated Press
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The Waldo Canyon Fire continues to burn as seen from Mesa Road in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Monday, June 25, 2012. The Waldo Canyon fire, one of at least a half-dozen wildfires in Colorado on Monday, has blackened 5.3 square miles and displaced about 6,

The Waldo Canyon Fire continues to burn as seen from Mesa Road in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Monday, June 25, 2012. The Waldo Canyon fire, one of at least a half-dozen wildfires in Colorado on Monday, has blackened 5.3 square miles and displaced about 6,000 people since it started Saturday, June 23, but no homes have been destroyed. (AP Photo/The Colorado Springs Gazette, Susannah Kay)

Associated Press
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Ken and Dottie Wanberg inspect a map as they try to gather news of their second home, which is located inside an evacuated area in the Glacier View subdivision, on Sunday, June 24, 2012, outside The Forks in Livermore, Colo. With eight wildfires burning,
Bill Hahnenberg, incident commander for the High Park Fire, appears during an interview on his last day in charge of firefighting operations, Sunday, June 24, 2012, at the Fort Collins Armory in Fort Collins, Colo. A new incident command team takes over o
Smoke rises from the High Park Fire on Sunday, June 24, 2012, near Livermore, Colo. With eight wildfires burning, including a fire that has scorched more than 118 square miles and destroyed at least 191 homes near Fort Collins, Colorado is having its wors
Anne Peterson talks with High Park Fire information officer Jon Kohn on Sunday, June 24, 2012, outside The Forks in Livermore, Colo. Kohn was stationed outside the restaurant and convenience store to provide information to evacuees, as well as people like
People watch from Lower Gold Camp Road as a wildfire continues to burn west of Colorado Springs, Colo. on Sunday, June 24, 2012. The fire erupted Saturday and grew out of control to more than 3 square miles early Sunday, prompting the evacuation of more t
The sun sets as seen from Lower Gold Camp Road as a wildfire continues to burn west of Colorado Springs, Colo. on Sunday, June 24, 2012. The fire erupted Saturday and grew out of control to more than 3 square miles early Sunday, prompting the evacuation o
People watch from Mesa Road as a wildfire continues to burn west of Colorado Springs, Colo. on Sunday, June 24, 2012. The fire erupted Saturday and grew out of control to more than 3 square miles early Sunday, prompting the evacuation of more than 11,000
People watch from Mesa Road as a wildfire continues to burn west of Colorado Springs, Colo. on Sunday, June 24, 2012. The fire erupted Saturday and grew out of control to more than 3 square miles early Sunday, prompting the evacuation of more than 11,000
The Waldo Canyon Fire continues to burn as seen from Mesa Road in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Monday, June 25, 2012. The Waldo Canyon fire, one of at least a half-dozen wildfires in Colorado on Monday, has blackened 5.3 square miles and displaced about 6,

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. — Brutal wildfires across the West have put tourist destinations from Montana to New Mexico in danger just at the height of midsummer family road-trip season.

In Colorado, the $5 billion tourism industry is on edge as images of smoke-choked Pikes Peak and flaming vacation cabins near Rocky Mountain National Park threaten to scare away summer tourists.

But even as firefighters made progress on fires threatening structures from Utah to Montana, and some evacuated residents in Colorado were allowed to return home, tourists streamed out of some of Colorado's most popular summer sights.

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