Sheriff Sue Kurtz warns the public that all backcountry roads in San Juan County should be considered closed to motor vehicles.
While no citations are being issued, the sheriff’s office warns that patches of ice on the unmaintained mountain roads pose extreme hazards.
“It’s very dangerous,” Kurtz said. “You can’t even walk on that ice, let alone drive on it.”

Christmas-tree truck tips at Coal Bank
A load of Christmas trees has become the latest casualty of semi-truck accidents on U.S. 550, with a southbound truck losing its trailer brakes and crashing on a curve at mile marker 55 on Nov. 15.
The accident on the south side of Coal Bank Pass happened at about 5:50 a.m., according to the Colorado State Patrol. The crash caused the truck and trailer to roll onto its side. The driver, Reginald Cunningham, 31, of Tupelo, Miss., and passenger, Marcel Lewis, 38, also of Tupelo, were treated for minor injuries at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango.
Cunningham was cited for failure to maintain control of a vehicle, expired plates, a leaky exhaust and defective brakes.