The beauty of Colorado becomes even more breathtaking each year as summer fades to fall, and the leaves of the aspen trees turn the mountainsides into dazzling displays of golds and yellows.
By Jeff Crider
August 2021
Josh Berman has been lucky enough to spend more time than most enjoying the mountains of Colorado.
Last year, he wrote the sixth edition of Moon Colorado Camping: The Complete Guide To Tent And RV Camping, which details 480 campgrounds, RV parks, and camp resorts across the Centennial State. He completed the book after spending several years hiking throughout Colorado and camping in public and privately owned campgrounds. Even during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, he managed to hike a 104-mile segment of the Colorado Trail from Denver to Breckenridge.
Westerly RV Park provides access to the Million Dollar Highway, which starts in nearby Durango.
Through his many outdoor adventures, Berman has also learned about Colorado’s famous aspen trees, which can light up entire mountainsides in dazzling displays of yellow and gold as the temperatures drop and autumn makes its way across this Rocky Mountain state.
“I’ve seen the fall colors start as early as late August in the higher elevations,” Berman said. “One thing that you have to know about Colorado is that fall starts at different times, depending on the moisture in the leaves. The other thing you have to know is the elevation, because the leaves start changing in the higher elevations first and then move down.”
September and early October are great times to see the aspens turn into glorious shades of yellow and gold. And because each cluster or grouping of aspen trees is really a single organism, sharing the same root system, it’s common to observe hundreds or even thousands of aspen trees changing colors at the same time, with identical intensity.
One case in point is 10,007-foot Kebler Pass, which is approximately seven miles from the historic coal mining town of Crested Butte. “That pass is one of the most stunning aspen viewing spots in the world,” Berman said.
Durango is home to the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
With fame come crowds, however.
“The Peak to Peak Highway can get really backed up,” Berman noted, citing Colorado’s oldest scenic byway, established in 1918, which travels 55 miles from Estes Park into Rocky Mountain National Park. “If you travel on weekdays instead of weekends, it’s better,” he advised. “Also, the farther you get from Denver, the smaller crowds you’re going to get.”
The good news for RVing families seeking fall colors in the Colorado Rockies is that they will have no trouble finding aspens in all their glory, no matter where they go.
“Colorado in autumn is spectacular. There’s no other word to describe it,” said Mary Arlington, executive director of the Colorado Campground and Lodging Owners Association, which hosts CampColorado.com, a travel planning website.
In southwest Colorado, the 25-site Westerly RV Park (www.westerlyrvpark.com), which sits just five miles north of Durango, is another popular base camp for fall foliage enthusiasts, whether they are interested in aspens or other deciduous trees.
Near the mining town of the same name, Cripple Creek KOA leads to the Gold Belt Scenic and Historic Byway.
“You can’t lose in any direction,” park co-owner Eugenie Schlittgen said. “Even in the Durango Valley, there are pretty colors. It’s all stunning and all so accessible from Durango. You’d be hard-pressed to avoid the fall color, unless you go down into the desert.”
Located in the Animas River Valley, Durango is the headquarters of the historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which offers daily round-trip train rides to the silver mining town of Silverton between late May and the end of October. It also is home to the Durango Hot Springs Resort and Spa, which is located across the street from Westerly RV Park.
Schlittgen said her favorite fall color drive is heading north on U.S. 550 from Durango to Silverton and continuing northward to Ouray — a 25-mile route known as the “Million Dollar Highway.” Huge groves of aspens are visible in many areas along the highway. Situated at 9,318 feet above sea level, the entire town of Silverton is a National Historic Landmark, with much of its original architecture from the late 1800s preserved. Ouray also has a beautiful historic district with buildings that date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s.
In Kremmling, Red Mountain RV Park is a launch point for many scenic routes.
Farther north, Sara Miller says there are plenty of fall colors to see using her 7,364-foot-elevation campground, Red Mountain RV Park in Kremmling, as a base camp (www.redmtnrvpark.com).
“Any direction is beautiful,” Miller said. “You just can’t go wrong.”
Rabbit Ears Pass, at 9,426 feet above sea level, is 30 miles to the north, while 9,527-foot Gore Pass is 17 miles to the west. Ute Pass, at 9,165 feet, is 27 miles to the southwest.
Michelle Hillier, who owns and operates the Uncompahgre River RV Park (www.urrvp.com), an age-50-and-over facility in the western Colorado city of Olathe, said many of her guests leave their RVs at her park and use their towed/towing vehicle to take scenic drives to see Colorado’s aspen trees.
Campers at Middlefork RV Park (www.middleforkrvpark.com), which is nestled next to the Middle Fork South Platte River in the central Colorado town of Fairplay, often visit the tiny town of Alma. At an elevation of 10,578 feet, Alma is the highest incorporated city in the United States with a year-round population.
Autumn has begun at Cripple Creek KOA.
Driving either direction on U.S. Route 285 makes for another spectacular trip, where elk and antelope can sometimes be seen in addition to the fall color. Or, taking the 23-mile drive north on Colorado State Route 9 to Breckenridge offers beautiful mountain scenery, including views of 13,352-foot Hoosier Ridge.
Some families like using the Cripple Creek KOA (www.koa.com/campgrounds/cripple-creek), near the historic gold mining town of Cripple Creek, as their base for fall color adventures. The good news, according to campground owner Deric Gunter, is that fall isn’t the busiest time of year.
“We do get a crowd up here at that time of year. But not like a holiday weekend,” he said of his 88-site campground, which features RV and tent sites and cabins. “We do get a lot of local folks up here looking at the colors.”
Cripple Creek KOA, which is open from late May to early October, is also near the Gold Belt Scenic and Historic Byway, which connects the historic Cripple Creek and Victor Mining District with the gold mining town of Florissant to the north and the historic railroad town of Florence to the south.
Also nearby is Royal Gorge, known as the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River, which features America’s highest suspension bridge and zipline. The bridge stretches 1,270 feet across and 956 feet above the Arkansas River. Zipline riders soar even higher, at 1,200 feet above the water. A train ride recalling travels of old is also available through Royal Gorge Canyon.
Lake Isabel, not far from Aspen Creek Campground, also shows fall colors.
Campers who stay at Aspen Acres Campground in Rye (www.aspenacrescampground.com) can look outside their RV to enjoy aspens in the fall. “We’ve got an entire aspen grove at our campground,” said Jennifer Pollock, who co-owns and operates the 9,200-foot-elevation facility with her husband, Doug.
Aspen Acres Campground is only a few miles from Lake Isabel, which is popular with fishing and kayaking enthusiasts.
Pollock said her campers also like to drive State Route 165, the Frontier Pathways Scenic Byway, which traces 103 miles of early Native American and settler routes through the San Isabel National Forest, with views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
“The whole scenic byway is an amazing drive for fall colors,” Pollock said.
Mary Arlington recommends that families check the CampColorado.com website for blog posts and other updates involving Colorado campgrounds in every season. She also said it’s important to plan. While some campgrounds, such as Westerly RV Park in Durango and Middlefork RV Park in Fairplay, are open year round, others close in the fall as the weather gets cold. The Cripple Creek KOA, for example, is only open through the first Sunday of October.
As the heat of summer starts to diminish, many natural areas in Colorado begin to prepare for a dazzling fall showcase of color. Enjoy the aspens on some unforgettable driving tours.
Driving Note
Many of the scenic routes described in this article include twisting, turning, stretches of road and are best driven in a towed or towing vehicle. Before setting out, research the route online or check with local campground personnel.