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National Conservation Area·Colorado·65,033 acres

Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorOct 24Aim for Oct 23 to 26
In the area today, Nov 10Fading
SepOctNov

Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.

No new reports from the ground here this week.

I-70US 6OlatheOrchard CityMontroseDeltaCedaredgePaoniaOrchard MesaRedlandsBlack Canyon of the Gunnisonpeak Oct 17Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnisonpeak Oct 4Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Areapeak Oct 13West Elk Wildernesspeak Oct 3Raggeds Wildernesspeak Oct 7Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area
I-70OlatheOrchard CityMontroseDeltaCedaredgePaoniaBlack Canyon of the Gunnisonpeak Oct 17Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnisonpeak Oct 4Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area Delta County holds most of the area and is leaves down today. That’s the county as a whole, which peaks 23 days earlier than the area’s own stands: the area is fading. Montrose County, to the southwest, is 3 days behind.
Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area fall foliage map 2026: the place and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 10. Peak forecast around Oct 24, best Oct 23 to 26.
Save or share this mapToday’s Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area fall foliage map as a picture, redrawn every morning. Free to reuse with credit to More Than Just Parks and a link back; the terms.Save the mapPin itFacebookXEmail

When is peak fall foliage at Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area around Oct 24, and the four days to aim for are Oct 23 to 26.

The area runs from about 5,258 to 7,134 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 16 days: the high stands around Oct 14, the low ground around Oct 23. That's 4 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.

Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the areaElevation at peak
Sep 28 to Oct 4Starting to turn
Oct 5 to Oct 11Starting to turn
Oct 12 to Oct 18Nearly peak6,000 to 6,500 ft, 6,500 to 7,000 ft
Oct 19 to Oct 25Peak color5,000 to 5,500 ft, 5,500 to 6,000 ft
Oct 26 to Nov 1Peak color
Nov 2 to Nov 8Just past peak
By elevation The area runs from about 5,258 to 7,134 feet. That’s 16 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 14, the low ground holds until about Oct 23, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 5,000 to 5,500 foot band.
  1. 6,500–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1411%
  2. 6,000–6,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1825%
  3. 5,500–6,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2139%
  4. 5,000–5,500 ftFadingpeak Oct 2318%

Height off 3DEP inside the area’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the area stands in it.

That’s 4 days later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, which shifts peak color.

Plan this trip

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.

Friday, October 23 to Saturday, October 24

You’ll find it just past peak up high, peak color lower down.

Up at 6,500 feet the stands peak around Oct 14; down at 5,500 feet they hold on until about Oct 23. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

  • 6,500–7,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 14
  • 6,000–6,500 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 18
  • 5,500–6,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 21
  • 5,000–5,500 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 23
Where to drive
Grand Mesa Scenic Byway (CO 65), about 28 miles · Owl Creek Pass, about 36 miles · Dallas Divide (CO 62), about 40 miles
What turns
Gambel oak, quaking aspen, bigtooth maple, serviceberry, water birch

What turns, and when

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 Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area

When is peak fall foliage at Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area?

Our forecast puts peak color at Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area around Oct 24, and the four days to aim for are Oct 23 to 26.

Where is the best fall color at Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area right now?

On Nov 10 the area is fading. The last band to peak was 5,000 to 5,500 feet, around Oct 23.

How long does peak last at Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area?

About four days at the top, Oct 23 to 26, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the area's elevations the color moves over about 16 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 20 days.

Is Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 24, and on Nov 10 it's fading.

What trees turn color at Gunnison Gorge National Conservation 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

All of Colorado

Nearby, and when they turn

Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area and West Elk Wilderness and Raggeds Wilderness are on the map above, with their own date.

  1. Curecanti National Recreation AreaCO · about 25 miles
    Peak Oct 8 best Oct 7 to 10
  2. Uncompahgre WildernessCO · about 44 miles
    Peak Sep 21 best Sep 20 to 23
  3. Mount Sneffels WildernessCO · about 46 miles
    Peak Sep 29 best Sep 28 to Oct 1

Fall color roads near Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area

Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the area, so allow more by road.

  • Grand Mesa Scenic Byway (CO 65) · about 28 miles, CO · 55 miles of road

    Cedaredge up and over Grand Mesa, aspen around the lakes on top.

  • Owl Creek Pass · about 36 miles, CO · 25 miles of road

    Ridgway to Silver Jack Reservoir on gravel, aspen under Chimney Rock and Courthouse Mountain.

  • Dallas Divide (CO 62) · about 40 miles, CO · 24 miles of road

    Ridgway to Placerville. The Sneffels Range over a hillside of aspen at the divide, the most photographed fall view in Colorado.

  • Kebler Pass Road (County Road 12) · about 42 miles, CO · 30 miles of road

    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.

  • McClure Pass (CO 133) · about 44 miles, CO · 37 miles of road

    Carbondale to Paonia through the Crystal River aspen, with Chair Mountain over the pass.

  • Last Dollar Road · about 47 miles, CO · 18 miles of road

    Telluride to Ridgway on gravel through the aspen under the Sneffels Range.