Fall Color Drives
It’s leaf peeping season! Fall Color Drives get you closer to nature and crisp mountain air.
Highway of Legends Scenic and Historic Byway
Wrapping around the West and East Spanish Peak, the road takes you from La Veta to Trinidad on Colorado 12 for some of the most breathtaking views in the state.
Peak to Peak
This scenic byway takes you along the Continental Divide and past the mining towns of Black Hawk and Central City en route to Estes Park. The route offers unparalleled views and dramatic fall colors. There are plenty of place to stop and take in the views including Rocky Mountain National Park, Golden Gate Canyon State Park, the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, and the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area.
Trail Ridge Road
The highest continuous paved road in North America winds through Rocky Mountain National Park from Estes Park to Grand Lake. With more than 8 miles above 11,000 feet and a maximum elevation of 12,183 feet, Trail Ridge Road is an amazing point for those seeking a spectacular show of fall colors and is a favored spot for photographers.
Telluride
Catch the free gondola to gain a perfect vantage point for viewing the fall colors in this picturesque town and surrounding canyons and valleys. If you prefer to keep your feet on the ground, there are multiple options for hiking and taking in the scenery including the Jud Wiebe Trail, a 3-mile loop that winds through large aspen groves and passes by Comet Falls.
Kebler Pass
From Crested Butte, go west on County Road 12 and feast your eyes on the abundance of autumn colors against the Ruby Range. At Colorado 133, you can go north toward McClure Pass for more leaf peeping.
Maroon Bells
Located just southwest of Aspen, these iconic peaks are the perfect pairing when fall colors are ablaze. Check shuttle bus schedules that leave from Aspen to take visitors to the site or reserve a campsite along Maroon Creek Road.
Grand Junction to Grand Mesa
This drive will produce stands of changing aspens as well as cottonwood trees along the Colorado River. From Grand Junction, go east and then south through the canyons before reaching Grand Mesa at the top, where the views are spectacular.
Gold Belt Scenic Byway
Traveling from Canon City to the historic mining towns of Cripple Creek, Victor and Florissant will not only give you the fall fix you are looking for but a lesson in Colorado history.
Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historia Byway
West of Pueblo, take Colorado 96 to the Wet Mountains and the Wet Mountain Valley.
Fall River Road
Take I-70 west to exit 238 which is Fall River Road and travel to the St Mary’s Alice trailhead for spectacular alpine views and changing fall colors.
Top of the Rockies
The scenic and historic byway will take you along US 24 from Minturn through Leadville to Twin Lakes via Colorado 82, and back to Colorado 91 over Fremont Pass to Copper Mountain.
West Elk Loop
This popular byway that takes you on a journey near the West Elk Mountains and passes by three national forests through Paonia, Gunnison, Crested Butte, and Carbondale.
San Juan Skyway
This breathtaking 236-mile loop through the San Juan Mountains offers visitors an amazing display of fall colors and includes a 70-mile stretch know famously as the Million Dollar Highway. The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad also offers rides for a different perspective.
Kenosha Pass
Travel 15 miles from Denver to Conifer and then take Route 285 along Kenosha Pass to Fairplay, where changing aspens contrast with the vast amounts of towering pine and fir trees.
Cache La Poudre – North Park
Drive from Fort Collins to the North Park Valley and take in the scenery including deer, elk, moose and the Cache La Poudre River.
La Veta Pass
At an altitude of more than 9,400 feet at the peak, La Veta Pass on U.S. Route 160 is one of the most scenic drives in the state during the fall season. Golden aspens stand proud with dark green pine tress against a backdrop of Spanish Peaks and Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
For maps and directions, visit the Colorado Department of Transportation website.
If you make it along one of these drives, take a picture or two and share your adventure with us! https://cobbteamcolo.com/contact/
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Fall Color Drives
American Lifestyle Magazine
Photo by Lydia Torrey
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