Wilderness Area·Colorado·82,553 acres
Hunter-Fryingpan 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 Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness around Sep 29, and the four days to aim for are Sep 28 to Oct 1.
The wilderness runs from about 9,277 to 12,632 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 9 days: the high stands around Sep 30, the low ground around Oct 3. That's 12 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 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Nearly peak | 10,000 to 11,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 9,000 to 10,000 ft, 11,000 to 12,000 ft, 12,000 to 13,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Just past peak | |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Fading |
- 12,000–13,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 3021%
- 11,000–12,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2937%
- 10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2728%
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 311%
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 12 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.
Monday, September 28 to Tuesday, September 29
You’ll find it peak color up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 12,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 30; down at 10,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 3. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 12,000–13,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 30
- 11,000–12,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 29
- 10,000–11,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 27
- 9,000–10,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 3
- Where to drive
- Independence Pass (CO 82), about 8 miles · Maroon Creek Road, about 18 miles · Cottonwood Pass (CO 306), about 29 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, willow, water birch, thinleaf alder
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen68%
- narrowleaf cottonwood13%
- willow9%
- water birch4%
- thinleaf alder3%
- Gambel oak2%
Also named across Colorado, outside what the canopy read measures here: 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 Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness around Sep 29, and the four days to aim for are Sep 28 to Oct 1.
- Where is the best fall color at Hunter-Fryingpan 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 3.
- How long does peak last at Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Sep 28 to Oct 1, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 9 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 13 days.
- Is Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 29, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Hunter-Fryingpan 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
Buffalo Peaks Wilderness and White River are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Sep 26 best Sep 25 to 28
- Peak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
- Peak Sep 27 best Sep 26 to 29
- Peak Sep 28 best Sep 27 to 30
Fall color roads near Hunter-Fryingpan 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.
- Maroon Creek Road
The Maroon Bells over a lake ringed with aspen. Shuttle only during the season.
- 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.
- McClure Pass (CO 133)
Carbondale to Paonia through the Crystal River aspen, with Chair Mountain over the pass.
- Boreas Pass Road
Breckenridge to Como on the old railroad grade, aspen the whole way. Gravel, fine for a car.