National Monument·Colorado·43,233 acres
Browns Canyon National Monument
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 Browns Canyon National Monument in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Browns Canyon National Monument around Oct 15, and the four days to aim for are Oct 14 to 17.
The monument runs from about 7,633 to 9,795 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 15 days: the high stands around Oct 2, the low ground around Oct 14. That's 10 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.
| Week | In the monument | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Still green | |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Starting to turn | 9,500 to 10,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Nearly peak | 8,000 to 8,500 ft, 8,500 to 9,000 ft, 9,000 to 9,500 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Peak color | 7,500 to 8,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Just past peak |
- 9,500–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 212%
- 9,000–9,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 510%
- 8,500–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 819%
- 8,000–8,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1133%
- 7,500–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1423%
Height off 3DEP inside the monument’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the monument stands in it.
That’s 10 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.
Wednesday, October 14 to Thursday, October 15
You’ll find it fading up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 9,500 feet the stands peak around Oct 2; down at 8,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 14. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 9,500–10,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2
- 9,000–9,500 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 5
- 8,500–9,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 8
- 8,000–8,500 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 11
- 7,500–8,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 14
- Where to drive
- Cottonwood Pass (CO 306), about 23 miles · Independence Pass (CO 82), about 40 miles · Boreas Pass Road, about 49 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, Gambel oak, narrowleaf cottonwood, willow, bigtooth maple
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen50%
- Gambel oak15%
- narrowleaf cottonwood11%
- willow7%
- bigtooth maple7%
- serviceberry7%
Also named across Colorado, outside what the canopy read measures here: 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.
Questions people ask about Browns Canyon National Monument
- When is peak fall foliage at Browns Canyon National Monument?
Our forecast puts peak color at Browns Canyon National Monument around Oct 15, and the four days to aim for are Oct 14 to 17.
- Where is the best fall color at Browns Canyon National Monument right now?
On Nov 10 the monument is leaves down. The last band to peak was 7,500 to 8,000 feet, around Oct 14.
- How long does peak last at Browns Canyon National Monument?
About four days at the top, Oct 14 to 17, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the monument's elevations the color moves over about 15 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 19 days.
- Is Browns Canyon National Monument past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 15, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Browns Canyon National Monument?
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
Collegiate Peaks Wilderness and Fossil Ridge Wilderness and Mount Massive Wilderness and Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 6 best Oct 5 to 8
- Peak Sep 26 best Sep 25 to 28
Fall color roads near Browns Canyon National Monument
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the monument, so allow more by road.
- Cottonwood Pass (CO 306)
Buena Vista to Taylor Park, with the aspen on the east side of the pass.
- Independence Pass (CO 82)
Aspen to Twin Lakes up the Roaring Fork. The pass closes for the winter around the first of November.
- Boreas Pass Road
Breckenridge to Como on the old railroad grade, aspen the whole way. Gravel, fine for a car.
- 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.
- Maroon Creek Road
The Maroon Bells over a lake ringed with aspen. Shuttle only during the season.
- Kebler Pass Road (County Road 12)
Home to one of the largest aspen groves on earth. The drive from Crested Butte to Paonia is a wall of gold in late September.