DENVER – Fall colors are really coming in strong across Colorado’s mountains as summer-time temps continue to hang on along the Front Range. This coming weekend is looking like a perfect time to head up to the higher elevations where peak colors are already in full display.
Denver7 meteorologists are tracking where in Colorado you can see moderate to peak colors and where the best chances have already passed.
“Currently, we have moderate color for our northern, central and southern mountains. We're really seeing the peak color right around Aspen,” said Denver7 meteorologist Stacey Donaldson.
As of Tuesday, September 24, Aspen was showing peak colors with areas of the Sawatch Range and Elk Mountain showing a mix of peak and past-peak colors, according to explorefall.com’s interactive live map.
Explorefall.com is a website that tracks fall foliage reports and shows areas of peak colors growing throughout Colorado's high country.
This interactive map tracks where.
“We're coming into peak colors all the way from Steamboat into Vail down toward Telluride everywhere, shaded in red, that's where the peak coloring is going to be,” added Donaldson.
Taking I-70 into the high country starts off with low colors then switching over to moderate color just past Idaho Springs with peak color showing between Graymont and Silverthorne where Explore Fall’s map shows moderate to high fall colors.
As the calendar turned the page into fall over the last several days, it’s just a matter of time before fall colors start peaking closer into the Denver metro area.
“We're seeing some changes happening right on time here for the higher elevations, low color also showing up here for parts of the Front Range and the eastern plains as well,” said Donaldson.
If you need some ideas on the best places to hike, drive or take a train ride to see the colors — Denver7 has compiled this map of locations below.
Heading west from Vail, take a turn down Highway 24 through Leadville to see high-to-peak colors before switching back to low to moderate colors through Buena Vista.
Across the Park Range in northern Colorado, moderate to peak colors are showing, according to Explore Fall’s map.
The Sangre De Cristo Mountains are in low to moderate colors with portions showing peak color.
Photographers in Denver7’s Discover Colorado photography group have been dropping beautiful snapshots of the changing colors in the state, including gorgeous golden views in the Steam Boat Springs area.
South from there, Photographer Hollie Flesher Hardman shared peak colors along driving along Highway 131.
Pictures from Monica Breckenridge Photography taken at Independence Pass showed a full range of breathtaking fall colors, including one photo of the reds, yellows and greens forming a heart into the landscape.
The U.S. Forest Service updated when colors were expected to peak in the San Juan Mountains. Here's their current fall foilage report as of September 23:
San Juan Skyway
- Durango to Purgatory: Minimal
- Purgatory to Coal Bank: Patchy
- Coal Bank to Molas Pass: Partial to Near Peak
- Molas Pass to Silverton: Near Peak
- Silverton area: Near Peak
- Silverton to Red Mtn Pass: Near Peak
- Red Mtn Pass to Ouray: Near Peak
- Ouray to Telluride (Dallas Divide): Patchy
- Telluride to Lizard Head Pass: Patchy
- Lizard Head Pass to Rico: Patchy
- Rico to Dolores: Patchy
- Mancos Area: Minimal
While conditions this weekend won’t quite feel like fall, it’ll be beautiful weather to take in Colorado’s fall colors as high temperatures are expected to remain above normal for this time of the year.
If you're looking to get a glimpse of what fall colors look like in our beautiful Colorado mountains, Denver7 has put together a 15-minute reel of drone footage from past years. Click to watch the breathtaking video below.
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