If you’ve been anxious to make leaf-peeping plans, now is the time.
Mountains across Colorado are changing colors as the aspen trees undergo their fall ritual. It’s been something of an unusual season by many accounts, with trees changing earlier than is typical. But what hasn’t changed is the fact that the colors are cascading across the state, meaning locals have numerous chances to bask in the glow of gold leaves if they are willing to travel.
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Here’s the latest information on the timing of peak fall colors we have to help you plan your next leaf-peeping adventure.
20 Colorado hikes for spectacular fall color
Go this weekend: Breckenridge, Twin Lakes, Leadville, Vail, Guanella Pass, Kenosha Pass
The leaves are peaking, or at least starting to, throughout Breckenridge, according to Duke Barlow, the town’s Open Space & Trails manager. He noted the town is experiencing a “spectrum” of colors — leaves starting to fall in some places while others are just changing from green to gold — but that cumulatively, this weekend should offer prime viewing. French Gulch, Aspen Alley and McCullough Gulch are especially beautiful right now, Barlow said.
Peak leaf-peeping is approaching in Twin Lakes and Leadville, and this weekend “is going to be as good as it gets,” said Adam Ducharme, tourism and economic development director for Lake County. Recent storms even dropped a dusting of snow on the mountaintops, he said.
In Vail, about half the leaves have gone gold, and while there’s still a decent amount of green, the trees have been changing rapidly, said Christine Anneberg at the Lionshead Welcome Center. “Although we are getting some rain, I think this weekend would be a good time to come up.
“I’m encouraging my parents who live in Denver to come up,” Anneberg said.
The leaves along Guanella Pass, near Georgetown, and Kenosha Pass on Highway 285 were popping last weekend, but they aren’t lasting long with the recent rain, said Park County spokesperson Jo Keats. Both areas are currently at peak, and Keats believes this weekend will also bring the most car traffic to both. (Remember to park responsibly.)
Wait a week: Golden, Aspen, Crested Butte
Give it another week and the colors should be bright in Golden, said city marketing manager Derek Schimmel. Right now, visitors can find pops of color above 6,500 to 7,000 feet on Lookout Mountain and in Golden Gate Canyon State Park, but they are fairly limited.
“My guess, with cold coming in and rain, is they could be peaking this time next week,” he said.
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The leaves are changing in Aspen, but they have yet to reach their peak, said Eliza Voss at the Aspen Chamber Resort Association. It’s the same at Maroon Bells. “I think next week into the following weekend it will just continue to go gold.”
Crested Butte is currently pre-peak. But that should change in the next week to 10 days, according to Heather Leonard, executive director of the Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce. It’s hard to know exactly when the peak will arrive, she said, especially with rain in the forecast. She expects folks who visit the next couple of weekends to get a good show.
Go in late September: Telluride, Grand Mesa, southern Colorado
Further southwest, in Telluride, the leaves are just starting to show their first pops of gold, said Tom Watkinson, spokesperson for Visit Telluride. Attendees at this weekend’s Telluride Blues & Brews Festival will get a taste, but Watkinson expects colors to become more widespread over the next couple of weeks toward the end of the month.
On the Grand Mesa, Sept. 27 is what’s known as “Color Sunday,” and that’s when the aspens are expected to peak, said Alyssa Washburn at the visitors center. For the best viewing, head to the north side of the mesa where the aspen trees are healthiest, she said.
Trees in the southernmost parts of the state are also starting to change, according to the San Juan National Forest’s fall colors report. Near Silverton, mountainsides are patchy or have partially changed. Elsewhere, however, the trees are in their beginning stages, with color change listed as “minimal” near Durango, Dolores, Rico, and Pagosa Springs.
Bob Kuhnert, a volunteer at the San Juan National Forest Service headquarters in Durango, said peak colors have arrived in early October the last several years. Given the area had experienced significant rain recently, he thinks that could be the case again. “But, as you know, it changes daily,” he said.
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