National Recreation Area·Colorado·1,120 acres
Curecanti 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.
2 reports came in from Gunnison County this week, 1 of them past peak. They moved our date 8 days later. See the county on the map.
When is peak fall foliage at Curecanti National Recreation Area in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Curecanti National Recreation Area around Oct 8, and the four days to aim for are Oct 7 to 10.
The recreation area runs from about 7,344 to 9,203 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 12 days: the high stands around Sep 25, the low ground around Oct 7. That's 1 day earlier than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.
| Week | In the recreation area | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Still green | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Starting to turn | 9,000 to 9,500 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Nearly peak | 7,500 to 8,000 ft, 8,000 to 8,500 ft, 8,500 to 9,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Peak color | 7,000 to 7,500 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Just past peak |
- 9,000–9,500 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2510%
- 8,500–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2841%
- 8,000–8,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 126%
- 7,500–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 415%
- 7,000–7,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 77%
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 1 day earlier than our model alone would say. This season’s reports from the ground moved it, and they outrank us.
The place
Three reservoirs and surrounding lands make up this recreation area in western Colorado. It is a landscape of tradeoffs; natural and human made features exist together. Geologic wonders are abundant from the sagebrush shrublands to forests. Visitors can experience the park year-round on both land and water.
Established 1965.
If 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 7 to Thursday, October 8
You’ll find it fading up high, just past peak lower down.
Up at 9,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 25; down at 8,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 4. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 9,000–9,500 ftFadingpeak Sep 25
- 8,500–9,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 28
- 8,000–8,500 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 1
- 7,500–8,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 4
- Where to drive
- Owl Creek Pass, about 18 miles · Kebler Pass Road (County Road 12), about 34 miles · Dallas Divide (CO 62), about 34 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, Gambel oak, bigtooth maple, serviceberry
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen68%
- Gambel oak19%
- bigtooth maple6%
- serviceberry6%
Also named across Colorado, outside what the canopy read measures here: Narrowleaf Cottonwood, 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 Curecanti National Recreation Area
- When is peak fall foliage at Curecanti National Recreation Area?
Our forecast puts peak color at Curecanti National Recreation Area around Oct 8, and the four days to aim for are Oct 7 to 10.
- Where is the best fall color at Curecanti National Recreation Area right now?
On Nov 10 the recreation area is leaves down. The last band to peak was 7,000 to 7,500 feet, around Oct 7.
- How long does peak last at Curecanti National Recreation Area?
About four days at the top, Oct 7 to 10, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the recreation area's elevations the color moves over about 12 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 16 days.
- Is Curecanti National Recreation Area past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 8, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Curecanti 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
Powderhorn Wilderness is on the map above, with its own date.
- Peak Oct 24 best Oct 23 to 26
- Peak Sep 29 best Sep 28 to Oct 1
- Peak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
- Peak Sep 27 best Sep 26 to 29
- Peak Oct 3 best Oct 2 to 5
Fall color roads near Curecanti National Recreation Area
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the recreation area, so allow more by road.
- Owl Creek Pass
Ridgway to Silver Jack Reservoir on gravel, aspen under Chimney Rock and Courthouse Mountain.
- 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.
- Dallas Divide (CO 62)
Ridgway to Placerville. The Sneffels Range over a hillside of aspen at the divide, the most photographed fall view in Colorado.
- Last Dollar Road
Telluride to Ridgway on gravel through the aspen under the Sneffels Range.
- Million Dollar Highway (US 550)
Between Silverton and Ouray. The aspen-covered slopes above the road at Red Mountain Pass are among the most photographed fall scenes in America.
- McClure Pass (CO 133)
Carbondale to Paonia through the Crystal River aspen, with Chair Mountain over the pass.