Fall colors update -- SW Colorado
 

SW Colorado is looking great right now, with many of the large aspen groves
turning gold and orange. Get here soon if you want to catch the peak. Some
details ...

Aspen (9/23) very good at Maroon Bells, other areas. Film fest next week so
will be crowded, and road construction on 82 on the bridge just west of town so
expect delays there.

McClure Pass (9/23-24) very good especially from Redstone to the summit.

Kebler Pass (9/23-25) -- OK, but not at peak yet.

Crested Butte area (stayed there 9/23-26) -- great at Ohio Pass and at several
areas south east of town reachable by 4 WD. Best place we've seen this season.

Owl Creek Pass (9/26) -- very colorful north of the pass near Cimarron, not as
good on the south side of the pass nearer Ridgway.

Ouray (9/26) -- the "Miracle Mile" stretch about 5 miles south of town on 550
is incredible right now, miles of yellow aspens on the mountainside. Gotta be
near peak. Just incredible.

Silverton (9/26) -- not as good as Ouray for some reason, the 550 stretch from
Red Mountain Pass to Molas Pass is not nearly as good as Ouray or CB. Major
rockslide on 550 near the top of Molas, the sign says expect delays up to 45
minutes. Traffic is stopped in both directions for several minutes while they
clean up, then one lane opens, with backups of around 100 cars, trucks, busses,
RV's ... not a pretty sight.

550 south of Silverton is good between Molas Pass and Coal Bank Summit, nice
patches of orange, yellow, green aspens. That's where we are right now,
outside Durango.

Bottom line, go soon, it's near peak in many spots. Roger C emailed me that
north of I-70 was supposedly not as good, for some reason.

Bill

Fall colors update -- SW Colorado
 

Boy, everyone must be out shooting pictures!

Colorado is pretty much at peak right now. Essentially
everywhere I have been the last few days is spectacular,
from south out of Denver on highway 285 then through
Gunnison, and into the San Juans. Leaves
are starting to drop, so it won't be peak much longer.
A front is due through Wednesday and that might blow
some leaves off the trees.

I've only been southwest out of Denver the least few
days. How is Rocky Mountain National Park doing and
parts north of I70 (which were green the previous weekend)?

Roger

Fall colors update -- Northern Colorado
 

I spent Saturday in RMNP. Here's my take:

Endovalley - most aspen stands were at peak yellow. A few green stands still
stood, but 80% of the aspen were at their peak.

Hidden Valley - All aspen stands were yellow. Some had already dropped their
leaves. These were nearing the end of their peak.

Moraine Park - The large, dense stand across the street from the Moraine Park
Museum was still green. Other stands in Moraine Park were nearing peak yellow.

Sprague Lake - Most stands were at or near peak yellow.

I didn't get to Bear Lake, but overall throughout the park, most aspens were at
peak yellow. There maybe a few stands that peak next weekend, but if you
haven't been there yet, you're running out of time.

Also, the Poudre canyon was nearing peak. About 60% of aspens were peaking, and
the rest were still pretty green.

The lower elevations were pretty green throughout the northern Colorado
foothills, with only about 40% at peak yellow.


- Matt