Favorite Fall Color Destinations Across Colorado
DENVER (CBS4) - In a state like Colorado, there is no such thing as a bad drive when it comes to seeking out fall color.
Most every mountain highway provides breath-taking views full of yellow, orange, red and the infamous gold.
Here are some of the more popular leaf-viewing routes broken down by region.
SOUTHWEST COLORADO
- Lizard Head Pass – Colorado 145 south of Telluride in the San Juan Mountains
- Kebler Pass – Gunnison County Road 12 in the West Elk Mountains
- U.S. 160 between Del Norte and Cortez over Wolf Creek Pass and through Pagosa Springs
- Colorado 135 betweeen Crested Butte and Gunnison
- Slumgullion Pass – Colorado 149 east of Lake City in the San Juan Mountains
- U.S. 550 over Red Mountain Pass between Ridgway and Durango
- McClure Pass – Colorado 133 south of Redstone
NORTHWEST COLORADO
- Flat Tops Trail Scenic and Historic Byway – 82 miles between Meeker to Yampa
- Willow Creek Pass – Colorado 125 near Granby in the Rabbit Ears Range
- U.S 40 in the vicinity of Rabbit Ears Pass
- Maroon Bells near Aspen
- Colorado 65 over the Grand Mesa
SOUTH-CENTRAL COLORADO
- Cottonwood Pass – Chaffee County Road 306 west of Buena Vista in the Saguache Mountains
- Gold Camp Road betweeen Colorado Springs and Victor
- Colorado 67 through Cripple Creek and Divide
- US 285 over Kenosha Pass between Fairplay and Conifer
- Top of the Rockies Scenic and Historic Byway – Minturn to Twin Lakes via Leadville
- Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
- US. 50 over Monarch Pass
Fall color at Guanella Pass on Sept. 16, 2014. (credit: Joan Tauer)
FRONT RANGE
- Peak to Peak Highway between Black Hawk and Estes Park
- Guanella Pass Scenic Byway south of Georgetown
- Squaw Pass west of Bergen Park
- Colorado 14 through the Poudre Canyon west of Fort Collins
- Fall River Road near Saint Mary's Glacier off I-70 and Exit 238
SOUTHEAST COLORADO
- Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway – Colorado 96 west of Pueblo
- Highway of Legends Scenic and Historic Byway – Colorado 12 between La Veta and Trinidad
RELATED: The Science Behind Colorado's Fall Color Show
Additional Resources
The following information was released by the Colorado Department of Transportation om September:
Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers a Rush to the Gold Brochure and other suggestions at cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/SeasonalFall.aspx.
