DENVER -- Once again, the annual gold rush has begun in the Colorado high country! In the past few days, the pictures have started filtering in from the mountains as the aspen trees start putting on their annual show.
It looks like we should see our peak color pretty much on schedule this year. The best color over the northern mountains should be from September 15th to the 30th. The central mountains will be about five days behind, with the southern mountain areas rounding out the last days of the month and the first ten days of October.
Usually the peak time to view aspen is around the last weekend of September. After that, early snows will knock down the leaves and others drop away by themselves. Aspen color does not vary nearly as much as the rich reds and purple leaves of the Midwest and East, but there is something about gold leaves against a backdrop of rich evergreen and deep blue sky that makes our fall mountains special indeed!
Populus tremuloides -- or the quaking aspen -- can be found in all eleven of Colorado's national forests and their autumn fireworks are worth the drive.
Click or tap the image below to see some of the best spots to take in fall color in Colorado.
