Wilderness Area·Colorado·75,182 acres
Indian Peaks Wilderness
Forecast issued Nov 11, 7:48am ET
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Hard frost Thursday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Indian Peaks Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Indian Peaks Wilderness around Sep 20, and the four days to aim for are Sep 19 to 22.
The wilderness runs from about 9,087 to 12,249 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 8 days: the high stands around Sep 20, the low ground around Sep 28. That's 4 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.
| Week | In the wilderness | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Nearly peak | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Peak color | 10,000 to 11,000 ft, 11,000 to 12,000 ft, 12,000 to 13,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Peak color | 9,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Just past peak | 8,000 to 9,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Fading |
- 12,000–13,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 209%
- 11,000–12,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1835%
- 10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1640%
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2212%
- 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 284%
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 4 days later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, which shifts peak color.
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 19 to Sunday, September 20
You’ll find it peak color up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 12,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 20; down at 10,000 feet they hold on until about Sep 22. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 12,000–13,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 20
- 11,000–12,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 18
- 10,000–11,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 16
- 9,000–10,000 ftNearly peakpeak Sep 22
- Where to drive
- Peak to Peak Scenic Byway (CO 7, 72 and 119), about 9 miles · Bear Lake Road, about 18 miles · Trail Ridge Road (US 34), about 24 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, willow
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen90%
- narrowleaf cottonwood6%
- willow4%
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 Indian Peaks Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Indian Peaks Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Indian Peaks Wilderness around Sep 20, and the four days to aim for are Sep 19 to 22.
- Where is the best fall color at Indian Peaks Wilderness right now?
On Nov 11 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 8,000 to 9,000 feet, around Sep 28.
- How long does peak last at Indian Peaks Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Sep 19 to 22, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 8 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 12 days.
- Is Indian Peaks Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 20, and on Nov 11 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Indian Peaks 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 Oct 16 best Oct 15 to 18
- Peak Sep 20 best Sep 19 to 22
- Peak Oct 1 best Sep 30 to Oct 3
- Peak Sep 28 best Sep 27 to 30
- Peak Oct 1 best Sep 30 to Oct 3
Fall color roads near Indian Peaks Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- Peak to Peak Scenic Byway (CO 7, 72 and 119)
Estes Park to Black Hawk along the Front Range, aspen most of the way and thickest around Allenspark and Nederland.
- Bear Lake Road
Bierstadt Moraine and the aspen below Bear Lake, the densest gold in the park. Timed entry runs through mid-October.
- Trail Ridge Road (US 34)
Rocky Mountain National Park's road over the top. The aspen are in the first miles on both sides, Hidden Valley and Horseshoe Park on the east, the Kawuneeche Valley on the west, before the road climbs above the trees.
- Guanella Pass
Georgetown to Grant. The aspen on the Georgetown side are some of the closest big groves to Denver.
- Cache la Poudre Canyon (CO 14)
Cottonwood and then aspen up the Poudre from Fort Collins toward Cameron Pass.
- 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.