National Recreation Area·Colorado·34,683 acres
Arapaho National Recreation Area
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Hard frost Wednesday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Arapaho National Recreation Area in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Arapaho National Recreation Area around Oct 6, and the four days to aim for are Oct 5 to 8.
The recreation area runs from about 8,276 to 10,558 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 17 days: the high stands around Sep 19, the low ground around Oct 6. That's 9 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.
| Week | In the recreation area | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Still green | |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Still green | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn | 10,500 to 11,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Starting to turn | 9,500 to 10,000 ft, 10,000 to 10,500 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Nearly peak | 8,500 to 9,000 ft, 9,000 to 9,500 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Peak color | 8,000 to 8,500 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Just past peak |
- 10,500–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 196%
- 10,000–10,500 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2320%
- 9,500–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2611%
- 9,000–9,500 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 309%
- 8,500–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 320%
- 8,000–8,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 634%
Height off 3DEP inside the recreation area’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the recreation area stands in it.
That’s 9 days later than our model alone would say. This season’s reports from the ground moved it, and they outrank us.
Plan this tripIf you can only come on certain days
Set the days you can be here. Everything under them answers for those days, not for peak.
Monday, October 5 to Tuesday, October 6
You’ll find it fading up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 10,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 23; down at 8,500 feet they hold on until about Oct 6. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 10,000–10,500 ftFadingpeak Sep 23
- 9,500–10,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 26
- 9,000–9,500 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 30
- 8,500–9,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 3
- 8,000–8,500 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 6
- Where to drive
- Peak to Peak Scenic Byway (CO 7, 72 and 119), about 17 miles · Bear Lake Road, about 18 miles · Trail Ridge Road (US 34), about 21 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, willow, water birch, thinleaf alder
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen61%
- narrowleaf cottonwood17%
- willow12%
- water birch6%
- thinleaf alder4%
Every one of these turns yellow or gold here. The shades only tell the species apart.
Also named across Colorado, outside what the canopy read measures here: Gambel Oak, Rocky Mountain Maple.
Colorado aspens are the main event, turning entire mountainsides gold and amber while Gambel oaks add russet and orange at lower elevations and cottonwoods line the rivers in yellow.
Questions people ask about Arapaho National Recreation Area
- When is peak fall foliage at Arapaho National Recreation Area?
Our forecast puts peak color at Arapaho National Recreation Area around Oct 6, and the four days to aim for are Oct 5 to 8.
- Where is the best fall color at Arapaho National Recreation Area right now?
On Nov 10 the recreation area is leaves down. The last band to peak was 8,000 to 8,500 feet, around Oct 6.
- How long does peak last at Arapaho National Recreation Area?
About four days at the top, Oct 5 to 8, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the recreation area's elevations the color moves over about 17 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 21 days.
- Is Arapaho National Recreation Area past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 6, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Arapaho National Recreation Area?
Quaking Aspen, Narrowleaf Cottonwood, Gambel Oak, Rocky Mountain Maple, Alder. Colorado aspens are the main event, turning entire mountainsides gold and amber while Gambel oaks add russet and orange at lower elevations and cottonwoods line the rivers in yellow.
This forecast is built from the species that stand here, their elevation and this September’s weather, and corrected in season by cameras, foresters and our own crew. Out here we score it against NASA's satellite record of when the canopy shuts down, read inside each unit’s own boundary: two dates in three land within 12 days of it. How this map is made
Nearby, and when they turn
Ptarmigan Peak Wilderness is on the map above, with its own date.
- Peak Oct 1 best Sep 30 to Oct 3
- Peak Oct 16 best Oct 15 to 18
- Peak Sep 28 best Sep 27 to 30
- Peak Sep 20 best Sep 19 to 22
- Peak Oct 1 best Sep 30 to Oct 3
Fall color roads near Arapaho National Recreation Area
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the recreation area, so allow more by road.
- Peak to Peak Scenic Byway (CO 7, 72 and 119)
Estes Park to Black Hawk along the Front Range, aspen most of the way and thickest around Allenspark and Nederland.
- Bear Lake Road
Bierstadt Moraine and the aspen below Bear Lake, the densest gold in the park. Timed entry runs through mid-October.
- Trail Ridge Road (US 34)
Rocky Mountain National Park's road over the top. The aspen are in the first miles on both sides, Hidden Valley and Horseshoe Park on the east, the Kawuneeche Valley on the west, before the road climbs above the trees.
- Guanella Pass
Georgetown to Grant. The aspen on the Georgetown side are some of the closest big groves to Denver.
- Cache la Poudre Canyon (CO 14)
Cottonwood and then aspen up the Poudre from Fort Collins toward Cameron Pass.
- Kenosha Pass (US 285)
The grove at the summit is the Front Range's classic aspen stop, and you can walk into it on the Colorado Trail.