Colorado’s Fall Colors Are Coming Early — Here’s When to Catch the Best Views

Colorado Fall Colors Forecast 2026: When and Where to See Peak Colors

Colorado’s annual fall color show is almost here, with the first leaves expected to begin changing in the high country in early September.

This year’s dry summer could cause some areas to change earlier than usual. Drought can also affect how vibrant the colors become and potentially shorten the season in some locations.

According to FOX31’s Pinpoint Weather team, higher elevations in central and southwestern Colorado could begin reaching peak color around the second weekend of September. From there, the colors will gradually spread through the high country, foothills and eventually into the Denver metro area.

When Colorado Fall Colors Are Expected to Peak

• Sept. 10 – Sept. 23
  • Collegiate Peaks/Sawatch Range
  • Northern San Juan Mountains
  • Aspen
  • Leadville
  • Crested Butte
  • Lake City
  • Creede
• Sept. 18 – Sept. 30
  • San Juan Mountains
  • Park Range
  • Gore Range
  • Mosquito Range
  • Elk Mountains
  • Telluride
  • Pagosa Springs
  • Gunnison
  • Vail
  • Idaho Springs
  • Granby
  • Steamboat Springs
  • Estes Park
• Sept. 27 – Oct. 5
  • Flat Tops
  • Front Range
  • Sangre de Cristo Mountains
  • Meeker
  • Rifle
  • Carbondale
  • Montrose
  • Durango
  • Alamosa
  • Salida
  • Buena Vista
• Oct. 1 – Oct. 15
  • Western Slope
  • Foothills
  • Boulder
  • Fort Collins
  • Grand Junction
  • Colorado Springs
• Oct. 10 – Oct. 22
  • Denver metro
  • Urban corridor

By mid-to-late September, many of Colorado’s most popular mountain leaf-peeping destinations should be at or near their best. The colors are then expected to move into the foothills around late September and early October before reaching lower elevations.

Denver residents will have to wait a little longer, with peak colors currently expected between October 10 and October 22.

Of course, Colorado weather can quickly change the schedule. Extended heat, strong winds, drought conditions or an early snowstorm can all affect when leaves turn and how long they stick around.

If the forecast holds, though, Coloradans should have more than a month to chase the colors — starting in the mountains in September and ending along the Front Range and Denver metro in October.