Wilderness Area·Colorado·32,192 acres
Fossil Ridge Wilderness
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.
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 Fossil Ridge Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Fossil Ridge Wilderness around Sep 27, and the four days to aim for are Sep 26 to 29.
The wilderness runs from about 9,299 to 12,252 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 3 days: the high stands around Sep 28, the low ground around Oct 1. That's 8 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.
| Week | In the wilderness | 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 |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 9,000 to 10,000 ft, 12,000 to 13,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Just past peak |
- 12,000–13,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2811%
- 11,000–12,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2636%
- 10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2435%
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 119%
Height off 3DEP inside the wilderness’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the wilderness 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.
Saturday, September 26 to Sunday, September 27
You’ll find it peak color up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 12,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 28; down at 10,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 1. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 12,000–13,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 28
- 11,000–12,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 26
- 10,000–11,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 24
- 9,000–10,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 1
- Where to drive
- Cottonwood Pass (CO 306), about 16 miles · Kebler Pass Road (County Road 12), about 27 miles · Independence Pass (CO 82), about 29 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, willow, water birch
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen77%
- narrowleaf cottonwood11%
- willow8%
- water birch4%
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 Fossil Ridge Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Fossil Ridge Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Fossil Ridge Wilderness around Sep 27, and the four days to aim for are Sep 26 to 29.
- Where is the best fall color at Fossil Ridge Wilderness right now?
On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 9,000 to 10,000 feet, around Oct 1.
- How long does peak last at Fossil Ridge Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Sep 26 to 29, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 3 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 7 days.
- Is Fossil Ridge Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 27, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Fossil Ridge Wilderness?
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
West Elk Wilderness and Browns Canyon and Buffalo Peaks Wilderness and Raggeds Wilderness and Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Sep 29 best Sep 28 to Oct 1
Fall color roads near Fossil Ridge Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- Cottonwood Pass (CO 306)
Buena Vista to Taylor Park, with the aspen on the east side of the pass.
- 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.
- Independence Pass (CO 82)
Aspen to Twin Lakes up the Roaring Fork. The pass closes for the winter around the first of November.
- Maroon Creek Road
The Maroon Bells over a lake ringed with aspen. Shuttle only during the season.
- McClure Pass (CO 133)
Carbondale to Paonia through the Crystal River aspen, with Chair Mountain over the pass.
- Owl Creek Pass
Ridgway to Silver Jack Reservoir on gravel, aspen under Chimney Rock and Courthouse Mountain.