Fall Color Road Trips: Where to Go the Weekend of September 18

Mid-September is the start of the best three weeks of the Colorado year, and the weekend of September 18 through 20 is roughly when the high country begins to turn. Aspens change from the top down — the highest, coldest stands go first, then the color walks downhill over about three weeks.

Which means this weekend is a high-elevation weekend. The passes above 10,500 feet will be turning or close to it. The foothills drives are still mostly green and will be better around the first week of October.

Here is where to go, in rough order of how well they fit this particular weekend.

Guanella Pass — The One to Do This Weekend

Georgetown to Grant, roughly 22 miles, paved the whole way, topping out at 11,670 feet.

This is the closest genuinely spectacular aspen drive to Denver — about an hour to the Georgetown side via I-70 west to exit 228. The stands on the north side of the pass are extensive and the road climbs high enough that mid-September usually catches it in early to peak color.

Do it as a loop if you have the day: up from Georgetown, over the pass, down to Grant on US 285, and back to Denver through Bailey and Conifer. That way you are not fighting the same traffic twice. Stop at the Guanella Pass summit lot for the view of Mount Blue Sky, and if you want a short walk, the trailhead there is also the standard route up Square Top Lakes.

Traffic reality: the summit parking lot fills by roughly nine in the morning on a color weekend. Leave Denver by seven or plan on going in the late afternoon, which also gives you better light.

Kenosha Pass — Easiest Walk, Biggest Crowds

US 285 at about 10,000 feet, roughly 70 miles from Denver, an hour and fifteen with no traffic.

Kenosha is famous for a reason. The Colorado Trail crosses the highway right at the pass, and you can walk fifteen minutes in either direction into enormous aspen groves with South Park opening up below you. It is the single most accessible aspen hike on the Front Range, which is also the problem — on a peak Saturday the lots on both sides of 285 overflow and people park along the shoulder for a mile.

Go on Sunday morning instead of Saturday, or arrive before eight. There is a small day-use fee at the Forest Service lots; bring cash or be prepared to use the pay station app. The campground here is Forest Service and usually closed or winding down by late September.

Timing: Kenosha typically peaks in the last week of September, so this weekend you are likely looking at early color with plenty of green. Still worth it, and less crowded than it will be in seven days.

Peak to Peak Highway — The Long Scenic Cruise

Colorado 119, 72, and 7 from Black Hawk north to Estes Park, about 55 miles of designated scenic byway.

This is the drive if you want a full day with stops rather than a single destination. From Denver, take US 6 through Clear Creek Canyon to Black Hawk, then run north through Nederland, past Ward, over to Allenspark and into Estes.

Worth pulling over for: Nederland for coffee and the Carousel of Happiness, which is a restored 1910 carousel with hand-carved animals and is genuinely charming and cheap. The overlooks along CO 72 north of Ward, where the aspen stands run right up against the Indian Peaks. Brainard Lake Recreation Area, west of Ward, which is one of the best aspen-and-alpine combinations in the state — note that Brainard requires a timed-entry reservation through Recreation.gov during peak season, so check before you count on it.

Estes Park at the north end will be busy and elk are rutting in September, which means bugling bulls in the meadows around town and in Rocky Mountain National Park. It is a genuine spectacle. Keep your distance — the Park Service recommends staying at least 75 feet from elk, and during the rut the bulls are unpredictable.

If you go into Rocky Mountain National Park, check the timed-entry permit requirements for the date; the system typically runs into mid-October.

Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway — Highest Paved Road, Closing Soon

Idaho Springs up CO 103 and CO 5, topping out above 14,000 feet.

The aspens are low on this drive and the top is alpine tundra, but it is the highest paved road in North America and the views on a clear September day are absurd. The upper road requires a timed-entry reservation in season and typically closes for the winter in early to mid-October depending on snow, so the window is closing.

Echo Lake, at about 10,600 feet on the way up, is a good short stop with aspen around the lower edges.

Independence Pass — If You Want the Full Day

CO 82 between Twin Lakes and Aspen, 12,095 feet.

This is a four-hour drive from Denver each way if you go via US 285 and Leadville, so it is a long day or an overnight. But it is arguably the best aspen drive in Colorado, and mid-to-late September is its window. The pass closes for the winter, usually around early November, and the road is narrow with no guardrails in sections and no vehicles over 35 feet.

If you do this one, make it an overnight in Leadville or Buena Vista rather than a day trip, and stop at Twin Lakes on the way.

Golden Gate Canyon and Deer Creek — For a Half Day Close to Home

If you do not want to commit a full day: Golden Gate Canyon State Park, about an hour from downtown Denver via Golden, has good aspen on the Panorama Point road and an easy set of short trails. A state parks pass or day fee is required.

Deer Creek Canyon and the Lair o' the Bear corridor along Bear Creek are lower elevation and will be at their best in the first half of October, but they are twenty-five minutes from southwest Denver and make a fine Sunday morning.

Practical Notes for This Weekend

Weather in mid-September at elevation can do anything. Sixty-five and sunny at the trailhead and snowing at the summit is a normal Saturday. Bring a real jacket, and check CDOT at cotrip.org before you leave — early-season snow closures on the high passes do happen in September.

Fill the tank before you go up. Gas in Nederland, Grant, and Twin Lakes is limited and expensive.

Cell service is unreliable on Guanella, Peak to Peak north of Ward, and Independence. Download your map offline.

Leave early. This is the pattern that matters more than anything else on this list. Every one of these drives is pleasant at seven in the morning and miserable at eleven. I-70 westbound on a September Saturday backs up from the tunnel by mid-morning and stays that way, and the eastbound return between three and seven is worse.

Stay on the road and off private land. A lot of the prettiest aspen stands along these byways are private or are Forest Service land with active grazing leases. Pull off at designated areas.

Looking Ahead

If this weekend is too early for the color you want, the general Front Range pattern runs like this: the high passes above 10,500 feet peak roughly September 18 through 28. The 9,000 to 10,000 foot band — Kenosha, Peak to Peak, Brainard — peaks roughly September 25 through October 5. The foothills below 8,500 feet, plus the cottonwoods along the creeks and the maples in Denver neighborhoods, run the first two weeks of October.

Denver itself is worth a walk in mid-October. Washington Park, City Park, and the older streets in Congress Park and Park Hill have mature ash, maple, and honeylocust that put on a genuinely good show, and you do not have to fight I-70 for it.

Have a good weekend out there.