National Monument·Colorado·53,633 acres
Camp Hale - Continental Divide 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 Camp Hale - Continental Divide National Monument in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Camp Hale - Continental Divide National Monument around Sep 26, and the four days to aim for are Sep 25 to 28.
The monument runs from about 9,163 to 12,748 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 6 days: the high stands around Sep 26, the low ground around Sep 29. That's 8 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 7 to Sep 13 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Nearly peak | |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Peak color | 10,000 to 11,000 ft, 11,000 to 12,000 ft, 12,000 to 13,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 9,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Just past peak |
- 12,000–13,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2616%
- 11,000–12,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2434%
- 10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2227%
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2920%
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 8 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.
Friday, September 25 to Saturday, September 26
You’ll find it peak color up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 12,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 26; down at 10,000 feet they hold on until about Sep 29. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 12,000–13,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 26
- 11,000–12,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 24
- 10,000–11,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 22
- 9,000–10,000 ftNearly peakpeak Sep 29
- Where to drive
- Boreas Pass Road, about 12 miles · Kenosha Pass (US 285), about 23 miles · Guanella Pass, about 28 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, willow, water birch
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen58%
- narrowleaf cottonwood21%
- willow14%
- water birch7%
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, 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 Camp Hale - Continental Divide National Monument
- When is peak fall foliage at Camp Hale - Continental Divide National Monument?
Our forecast puts peak color at Camp Hale - Continental Divide National Monument around Sep 26, and the four days to aim for are Sep 25 to 28.
- Where is the best fall color at Camp Hale - Continental Divide National Monument right now?
On Nov 10 the monument is leaves down. The last band to peak was 9,000 to 10,000 feet, around Sep 29.
- How long does peak last at Camp Hale - Continental Divide National Monument?
About four days at the top, Sep 25 to 28, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the monument's elevations the color moves over about 6 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 10 days.
- Is Camp Hale - Continental Divide National Monument past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 26, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Camp Hale - Continental Divide 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
Buffalo Peaks Wilderness and Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Sep 20 best Sep 19 to 22
- Peak Sep 22 best Sep 21 to 24
- Peak Oct 6 best Oct 5 to 8
- Peak Sep 18 best Sep 17 to 20
Fall color roads near Camp Hale - Continental Divide National Monument
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the monument, so allow more by road.
- 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.
- Guanella Pass
Georgetown to Grant. The aspen on the Georgetown side are some of the closest big groves to Denver.
- Independence Pass (CO 82)
Aspen to Twin Lakes up the Roaring Fork. The pass closes for the winter around the first of November.
- Cottonwood Pass (CO 306)
Buena Vista to Taylor Park, with the aspen on the east side of the pass.
- Maroon Creek Road
The Maroon Bells over a lake ringed with aspen. Shuttle only during the season.