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Welcome to the premier online resource for Colorado fall colors!
Colorado is well known for its great palette of colors in the fall and has many great spots for viewing the aspen. I have detailed my favorite routes here which are the best of the best in the state. Please keep in mind, too, that spring is very awesome as well with the bright green leaves. Mid to late May and early June are great for those wonderful spring greens.
Why am I confident this is the best site for Colorado fall color information? Well, there are many official state sites from the various media outlets that briefly describe a multitude of routes, but you'll rarely find any pictures. And then, if you do, they're so small or not the greatest quality, so you're only left with taking the authors' word and you're left to your own interpretation, especially if they only give you a one-sentence description to go on! With my page, my pictures back up my descriptions (well, hopefully!), and I'm sure most of your are the visual type. In addition, some of the usual routes they list are most certainly less than stellar, and if you're coming from out of state, you don't need to be wasting your time trying to find the gold rush if you could be spending it in a real hot spot. In addition, as far as I know, I am the only one who provides accurate peak date information for the forests that I list, let alone any peak date information. If you're planning to travel from out of state, you will be at a real loss if you're trying to go by any other site. All the information for a well-timed Colorado fall trip is located right here for you. Finally, I am easily accessible being only an email away if you have further questions for your trip!
This page is routinely evolving and being updated throughout the course of the year. Over the past number of years, it has proven to be one of my most popular pages on the site, and it is the most popular during the fall season, by far, so I'm always looking for ways to improve it, even if it's changing a word here or there. Yes, additional drives or locations are always considered. If I believe them to be worthy, they'll eventually find a place here, too.
When To Go
Peak fall color in the main aspen forests throughout the state ranges anywhere from September 20 to October 10, with September 27th usually being a good central target date for much of the state should you plan a trip. The northern San Juans (Ridgway, Telluride) generally peak in the first week of October. Generally speaking, and I mean that loosely, trees in the northern part of the state will turn earlier than those in the southern parts, though it is not an exact science by any means and the trees will turn when they feel like it. To illustrate, in 2002, with Colorado's driest year on record, many scientists and others were predicting the aspen to turn a week or two ahead of normal because of the stress they had to endure throughout the year. It turns out that it was the latest I've seen the aspen peak since I've been going out to view them, which has been since 1997. The Telluride area, as of October 12, 2002, was just getting into peak colors. In contrast, 2001's peak date was on September 18 throughout much of the state. So, there tends to be a lot of misinformation on the Web and in the local news outlets. Many think the trees' color and their color-changing timing is related to how wet or dry, or whatever else type of weather phenomenon has happened. I can give you an absolute guarantee you that is not the case. The trees virtually turn the same time every year, give or take about three days, with every once in awhile being an odd year. Whatever the case, you'll always be able to find good fall color to shoot from about September 10 to the middle of October at least somewhere in the state. Not necessarily whole forests, but rather more intimate scenes or individual groves.
Many wonder how the quality of the color display will be on a given year. My answer to that is that it is, without question, always the same brilliant-colored yellow that you're used to seeing up against that blue Colorado sky. One pet peeve of mine is seemingly every year one of the newspapers or newscasts will mention the aspen blight disease which causes brown or black leaves. Sure, there are always some trees affected by this, but they are so very few it is never worth mentioning. In the fall of 2006, all of the Colorado mountains received a big and very wet snowstorm from September 20 through the 22nd. The amount was anywhere from about 4-14", which was the most snow I've seen that early in the season. This initially caused many of the trees to go to a very dull mustard color immediately. However, the trees that weren't already just about to shed them rebounded within a week and went back to the traditional yellow. Now if that storm didn't kill 'em, nothing will!
It is absolutely impossible to get good and reliable reports from the forest service and various chambers of commerce, whether speaking to them directly over the phone or viewing their Web sites as to what the leaves are doing and when to go. You would think they would be the best resources, but I guess they try to market their areas somehow. If you called them in mid-January they would tell you the leaves are at their peak and to get there NOW! They are worthless. So, the best places to get the information tend to be the various message boards from people who have just visited the areas and report back. The best places to keep track of the updates, without question, is the Nature Photographers of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Nature Photographers sites. We have a number of folks on both forums who have the same interests as myself and who also do quite a bit of traveling, so the updates are current and fast. I typically do a pre-run during the weekends leading up to peak color, and link all of the vital updates on this page as well.
Also, I recommend checking out my good friend, Brent Doerzman's, fall trips page. The links on there go into their respective picture pages. Dates are posted next to each image in his fall galleries. This greatly aids to get an idea of what the various forests look like on a given date.
The
Places To See
(all
roads listed are passenger car accessible except where noted)
Kebler Pass
Sunset
on the Beckwith mountains near mile marker 11 (9/29/2004)
The first route that should be on the top of anyone's list is undoubtedly the Kebler Pass road which goes between Paonia Reservoir, near Somerset, to the west and Crested Butte to the east. This 30-mile stretch is the centerpiece of the largest aspen forest in the world, which basically stretches between McClure Pass and Marble to the north, wraps around the Beckwith mountains, then into the West Elk Mountains to the south! Traveling from the west, you'll gently climb to some very impressive panoramas of the Raggeds to the north, the expansive view to the west and southwest, and the Beckwith mountains of the West Elks to the south (pictured above). A little further up the road, you get treated to very impressive views of Marcellina Mountain which lies on the border of the Raggeds Wilderness. Much of this road is filled with windy turns and is quite the experience if you have a sunroof (open, of course) and let some leaves fall next to your lap if there's a breeze. There just simply isn't a better place to experience aspen in the fall than this place. A number of grand scenics and limitless intimate forest shots can be taken here, not to mention literally hundreds of great dispersed camping opportunities.
Mt.
Owen, Ruby Peak & the Dyke above Kebler's signature aspen display
from
the Cliff Creek Trailhead (10/2/04)
Marcellina Mountain from near Horse Ranch Park (10/4/05)
Lost Lake Slough makes for a nice sunrise shot between mile marker 15 and 16. It lies a couple miles back in along a forest road. About five miles west of the Kebler Pass summit, and between mile markers 19 and 20, is a turnoff to the Cliff Creek Trailhead which is just a few hundred feet to the west from the Horse Ranch Park driveway. You'll be sure to want to drive the real short distance up to the trailhead and stop here as it provides a magnificent overlook to one of the most colorful patches in the state (pictured above). You can always count on a couple of those clusters to be a brilliant red and orange. Be sure to use your longest telephoto lens to zoom in and isolate the colorful group along with a wider lens to take in the entire scene. This is best photographed at sunset, but mid-morning through the rest of the day really works great, too.
Peak color note: Much of the entire length of the Kebler road is usually at peak around September 30, however the grand scene of the Beckwiths (first picture above) as seen between mile markers 10 through 13 will have a good mix of green yet in the forest at that time. It is usually all yellow around October 6th, though there will be a few smaller bare patches at that point.
East
Beckwith Mountain taken near mile marker 21 (9/28/04)
Ohio Pass
The
view to the southwest from just below Ohio Pass looking
off to the Castles and the West Elk Mountains
Just below the 10,007' Kebler Pass summit to the east is the turnoff for the Ohio Pass road that heads south to Gunnison some 25 miles down the road. The 10,101' Ohio Pass is reached just one mile south along this road, then down just a bit further provides excellent views to the Castles, the appropriately named formations in the West Elk Wilderness, as pictured above. This upper stretch of Ohio Pass is filled with a massive aspen forest of its own and limitless photo ops. Kebler Pass and Ohio Pass are an unprecedented one-two combination. As you drive further down the road and out of national forest, you'll drive next to ranch land with more impressive views over to the Castles.
Peak color note: Ohio Pass reaches peak color a couple days prior to Kebler Pass and is usually at peak around September 27th.
Fall drives
don't get much better than along the Ohio Pass road
McClure Pass
This
signature stand lies just past the Marble turnoff at the big curve before
ascending the pass.
Just look for the 10 other cars at the big pullout! (9/29/04)
McClure Pass, in combination with Kebler and Ohio passes, would be my recommendation if you only had a single weekend for which to view fall colors. I could easily spend a week or two in this area alone. Starting near Redstone on the north side and ending approximately due west of Ragged Peak near the turnoff for Collbran lie a string of great photo ops. The divide itself is pretty low by Colorado standards, only topping out at 8,763', but it does provide some pretty spectacular views off to either side, including one of Mt. Sopris. The beautiful Chair Mountain and Ragged Peak dominate the skyline as you descend the southern side. You might even take a stab at composing a scene with the brilliant red scrub oak which is plentiful from here to Paonia.
If you have time, drive the seven miles back in to Marble, and Crystal as well for that matter, providing you have a high clearance vehicle. There are plenty more aspen along that route awaiting you to arrive with your camera, namely the iconic Crystal Mill. Immediately south of the Marble turnoff on the west side of the highway is a set of intense scarlet red trees. Then, just a short distance later to the south is a large hairpin turn. Here, you'll see on of the great aspen stands for which to photograph on the inside of the turn. Overcast skies will provide the best pictures, by far.
Peak color note: This section has the wonderful green, red, orange and yellow mix around September 29th, as pictured above. If you wait another four to five days (October 4th), you'll have red and yellows only (peak color). Shooting from McClure's summit to the east at sunset will reward you with intense warm light on the aspen-covered hillside as it will from just a few miles down the road from where the best shots of Chair Mountain and Ragged Peak lie.
Warm
sunset light bathes the hillside to the east from McClure Pass' summit
(9/26/03)
Chair Mountain
and Ragged Peak
Maroon Bells
Maroon
Bells from Maroon Lake (9/24/06)
What Colorado fall color trip would be complete without a stop to our most fabled destination—the Maroon Bells, out of Aspen? Be sure to get here for sunrise and stay until late morning. Shooting sunrise can be tough here if the skies are clear since there is a high ridge at your back. A blended exposure may work best since the slope to the left of the lake will be solid black otherwise. Or, zoom in far enough that you aren't including any of the protruding hillsides, which would then be conducive to using a graduated filter. Your best hope for a wider shot is to have a big cloud bank overhead that can not only provide brilliant color at sunrise, but provide enough reflected light on the dark areas to give you a much better exposure. Be prepared to share the Maroon Lake shoreline with at least 50 other photographers on most mornings. On the picture above, as taken on a most memorable and magical Sunday morning of September 24th, 2006, there was quite possibly a record crowd of photographers here lined up before and at sunrise—I would hazard a guess of around 130 people! It was the most I've seen here, by far, which many others have also attested. After shooting the Bells, on your way back out, there are a few pullouts that offer great vantage points for some other areas along Maroon Creek.
Since you'll be in the Aspen area when you travel down Maroon Creek Road to the Bells, when you come back out, you might want to consider taking Castle Creek Road which heads down the next valley to the east, accessed from the same round-about intersection. There are some huge aspen forests towards the end of this road on the hills, and stopping in at the neat preserved ghost town of Ashcroft will be worth a couple of shutter clicks as well. If you have four-wheel drive, you can drive up to Taylor Pass and on into Taylor Park, though the trees will be at their best at the very start of this road.
Peak color note: The aspen forest that lies within the classic Maroon Bells shot, like shown above, peaks earlier than most everything else in the state. The normal peak date is around September 25th. This makes the Bells a good destination to start your Colorado fall trip.
Capitol Creek
Mt.
Daly and Capitol Peak (10/1/05)
If you happen to be on your way over to McClure Pass as you head up to the road to Carbondale when departing Aspen, another awesome road heads out of Snowmass (not Snowmass Village) which eventually leads to the grand vista of one of Colorado's finest peaks—Capitol Peak (14,130'). Turn at the only light in Snowmass, then when you come to a "T" intersection, turn right on to Capitol Creek Road and you'll be on your way. There is a nice aspen forest that you'll drive through just prior to getting your first glimpses of Capitol through the trees from which you can shoot, but the real treat is of the grand Colorado scene when the view opens up to Capitol with the golden forest below near the Capitol Peak trailhead. The road is passenger car accessible to this point, but the road will be a bit rough. After the trailhead, 4WD and high clearance are usually required to ascend a hill with some ruts. The picture above was taken from along this hill. Should you drive to the end of the road, there is another great vantage point of the peak.
Flat Tops Scenic Byway
A
colorful scrub oak and aspen display between Meeker and Buford (10/1/06)
This 82-mile drive between Meeker and Yampa is home to a grand aspen forest that lies between Ripple Creek and Dunckley Passes, and virtually the whole route is lined with them. This byway easily rivals Kebler Pass for fall color viewing in terms of the number of aspen you'll see. It doesn't have peaks such as those found on Kebler, and you won't drive through the tunnels of aspen found on Kebler, but the Flat Tops of the White River Plateau provide for no lack of wonderful scenery. In addition, the area east of the small settlement of Buford sees little traffic, so you'll get to enjoy this landscape in relative solitude.
From Meeker, the aspen get started around 16 miles in at, oddly enough, mile marker 16. One of the great stands along this road is at mile marker 23 on the south side. From here on out, you can choose any number of aspen scenes to shoot.
Once in the White River National Forest a short while later, you'll soon come to the first campground along the way—North Fork. From the North Fork Campground, it's about seven miles to the turnoff for the beautiful Trappers Lake. Be sure to take the (roughly) eight-mile spur back to the lake if you've never been before. The lake sits in the Flat Tops Wilderness, so from the parking lot, it's a quick five-minute walk up the hill to get to the lake. The Amphitheater stands sentinel over the lake in this classic Colorado scene. I find it best to photograph in late afternoon.
Looking
southeast to Pyramid Peak (11,532') from along CR 19 (10/1/06)
Backlit
aspen and cottonwoods from along CR 19 (10/1/06)
Back on the main track, the road starts to ascend the 10,343-foot Ripple Creek Pass immediately after the Trappers Lake turnoff. A couple miles later after along the descent, you'll pass by Vaughn Lake. It's not too picturesque this time of year, but the hillside above it is a wonderful vibrant green in the springtime. Several miles down the road, you'll come to a small settlement and a junction with County Road 19 which lies in the heart of the biggest aspen forest along the byway. CR 19 heads north and parallels the East Fork of the Williams Fork River which leads towards Pagoda. I would definitely recommend at least driving the southern half, or about five miles of this road. Cottonwoods line the river down below and aspen cover the opposite, low hillside to the west. It's nice in mid-morning with front light, then in the late afternoon with backlight.
Continuing past the junction with CR 29, the road starts ascending up 9,763-foot Dunckley Pass. From the top, you gain expansive views of the surrounding forest below along with that of the White River Plateau, including Pyramid Peak. Photographing from the pass works best at sunset. Descending Dunckley Pass to the east is gradual and eventually the aspen start to fiddle out where ranch land takes over.
The
view to the south from Dunckley Pass to the White River Plateau (9/30/06)
Owl Creek Pass
Jackson
Station below High Mesa adjacent to Silver Jack Reservoir
One of my favorite backcountry routes is the Owl Creek Pass road. This road is 41 miles in length and goes between the little settlement of Cimarron (30 miles east of Montrose) and Ridgway. It is a very quiet road and one can expect to not see a lot of other travelers here. The first part of this section follows the Little Cimarron River in beautiful ranch land country. As the road gently climbs after a few miles, some nice vistas open up to the south up the valley towards Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn Peaks, two fourteeners. At the 20-mile point, you come to Silver Jack Reservoir. This area is my favorite section of the road and the images displayed here are taken adjacent to the reservoir.
This
group is part of the signature aspen stand along this route near Silver
Jack Reservoir. You won't miss it. Just look for 10 tripods planted in
the ground and the orange and red trees. (10/4/2003)
A little further up the road, there are three forks (East, Middle and West) of the Cimarron River which you can drive further to the south to near the Uncompahgre Wilderness, the first two being around six miles in length. There are many great camping possibilities along these spur roads. Just below the pass on the Ridgway side, the aspen really open up and line the road for a good distance. This is also the area of great views of Chimney Rock and Courthouse Mountain. Down the road a ways later as you start to make a somewhat steep descent, there are incredible views that open way up and let you view the entire Sneffels Range. And finally, as you're nearing Highway 550 and driving along some of the most beautiful ranch land anywhere, more possibilities of capturing the Sneffels Range await.
Peak color note: The Silver Jack Reservoir side of the pass peaks about four days earlier than the Ridgway side. The trees in the immediate picture above peak earliest along the route, usually around September 28th.
Pinnacles
of High Mesa adjacent to Silver Jack Reservoir taken at the intersection
of the East Fork of the Cimarron River (10/6/05)
County Road 5, Ridgway
The majestic
Mt. Sneffels
County Road 5 starts in Ridgway and travels back into an amazing aspen forest. This road is perhaps less traveled compared to County Road 7 to the west, but certainly no less impressive. Here you will find another classic shot of Mt. Sneffels towering above the hills and forests, as pictured above. You'll know the spot when you come to is as the road turns right out in a clearing. This spot is best at sunrise, but if there are clouds at sunset, it will be great then as well. Perhaps just as great as this view is the opportunity of unlimited possibilities of intimate forest scenes of aspen, as this road is lined with them. In fact, I have found more possibilities along this route using the road as a lead-in line through the trees than any other road that I've been on. It could be that I haven't paid too much attention on other roads, but it is so much more apparent along this one! This is a another true hot spot for fall photography.
One of
the many possible road lead-in scenes you'll find along this route
County Road 7 (East Dallas Creek), Ridgway
Mt. Sneffels
from one of the most beautiful valleys in the state
County Road 7, signed as Dallas Creek from Highway 62, is one of my favorite roads in the state since it leads to my favorite spot in the state—the wonderful valley at the end at the foot of the majestic Mt. Sneffels, the crown jewel of the San Juans, and my favorite mountain. It's just so darn photogenic—from any angle! The turnoff is about four miles west of Ridgway and heads south. It is about eight miles in length and the photo ops don't really start until the last two miles of it. The signature shot comes when you round the corner and the valley opens up before you around mile marker 7. If you've never been here before, you will certainly wonder why after your first visit! I should note that this isn't a fall drive, per se, rather it is a great fall hot spot.
This is a popular area in the fall amongst photographers, so you may not be alone. Mid-morning and early evening is the ideal time to shoot here. The end of the road is about a mile further and stops at the Blue Lakes Trailhead. This area has a number of great camping spots that I've taken advantage on a number of occasions.
Near
the Blue Lakes Trailhead
For some additional spots worth checking out close by:
Take County Road 9, signed as West Dallas Creek, a mile further to the west, which travels through Ralph Lauren's ranch land (and gate at the start that you will need open and close if found that way) and to Box Factory Park under Mears Peak at the end.
Dallas Divide is about six miles up the highway from here for some more views of the mighty Sneffels Range, and is another iconic Colorado fall view. About a mile and a half to the west from the divide is a turnoff for Last Dollar Road. Take this road all the way down to Telluride for a lot more aspen and some awesome views of the San Miguels (Wilson Peak, etc.).
Million Dollar Highway (550)
Red Mountain #2, south of Red Mountain Pass
The slopes of Hayden Mountain, above Ironton Park, is the dominant aspen forest along the route (9/27/07)
From Ironton Park, which is the big, flat valley that you climb up to from Ouray, to the Purgatory resort, north of Durango, lies another stretch of high-volume aspen, with a grand forest being in Ironton Park. This also includes the highly recommended Lime Creek Road (unimproved dirt road) which bypasses Coal Bank Pass on either end. Both roads offer a multitude of scenes to point a camera at any time of year with some of the best mountain backdrops in the state, but the yellow hillsides really make the area come alive. Crystal Lake, on the northern end of Ironton Park, is a popular place to shoot looking south-southeast towards the red mountains. From here, the highway continues to the summit of Red Mountain Pass, then eventually drops into Silverton before climbing back up Molas and Coal Bank passes.
Peak color note: This particular area turns about as early as anything in the state, usually reaching peak around September 25th.
