Wilderness Area·Colorado·122,946 acres
Holy Cross 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.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Holy Cross Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Holy Cross Wilderness around Sep 28, and the four days to aim for are Sep 27 to 30.
The wilderness runs from about 8,731 to 12,454 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 10 days: the high stands around Sep 26, the low ground around Oct 6. 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, 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 | 8,000 to 9,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Fading |
- 12,000–13,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2614%
- 11,000–12,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2438%
- 10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2228%
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2913%
- 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 67%
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.
Sunday, September 27 to Monday, September 28
You’ll find it peak color.
That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.
- 12,000–13,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 26
- 11,000–12,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 24
- 10,000–11,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 22
- 9,000–10,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 29
- Where to drive
- Independence Pass (CO 82), about 23 miles · Boreas Pass Road, about 29 miles · Maroon Creek Road, about 33 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, willow, thinleaf alder, water birch
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen80%
- narrowleaf cottonwood8%
- willow6%
- thinleaf alder3%
- water birch3%
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.
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 Holy Cross Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Holy Cross Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Holy Cross Wilderness around Sep 28, and the four days to aim for are Sep 27 to 30.
- Where is the best fall color at Holy Cross Wilderness right now?
On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 8,000 to 9,000 feet, around Oct 6.
- How long does peak last at Holy Cross Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Sep 27 to 30, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 10 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 14 days.
- Is Holy Cross Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 28, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Holy Cross 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
Ptarmigan Peak Wilderness is on the map above, with its own date.
- Peak Sep 22 best Sep 21 to 24
- Peak Sep 22 best Sep 21 to 24
- Peak Oct 2 best Oct 1 to 4
- Peak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
- Peak Sep 20 best Sep 19 to 22
Fall color roads near Holy Cross Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- 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.
- Maroon Creek Road
The Maroon Bells over a lake ringed with aspen. Shuttle only during the season.
- 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.
- Cottonwood Pass (CO 306)
Buena Vista to Taylor Park, with the aspen on the east side of the pass.
- Guanella Pass
Georgetown to Grant. The aspen on the Georgetown side are some of the closest big groves to Denver.