National Forest·Colorado, Wyoming·2,210,078 acres
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
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 Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest around Oct 1, and the four days to aim for are Sep 30 to Oct 3.
The forest runs from about 5,555 to 10,420 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 33 days: the high stands around Sep 14, the low ground around Oct 17. That's 4 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.
| Week | In the forest | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Still green | |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn | 10,000 to 11,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Nearly peak | 8,000 to 9,000 ft, 9,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 7,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Just past peak | 6,000 to 7,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Just past peak | 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Fading | |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Leaves down |
- 10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1411%
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2125%
- 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2733%
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 219%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 85%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 177%
Height off 3DEP inside the forest’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the forest stands in it.
That’s 4 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.
Wednesday, September 30 to Thursday, October 1
You’ll find it fading up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 10,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 14; down at 8,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 2. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 10,000–11,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 14
- 9,000–10,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 21
- 8,000–9,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 27
- 7,000–8,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 2
- Where to drive
- Snowy Range Scenic Byway (WY 130), about 30 miles · Cache la Poudre Canyon (CO 14), about 55 miles · Trail Ridge Road (US 34), about 58 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, Gambel oak, bigtooth maple, serviceberry, narrowleaf cottonwood
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen69%
- Gambel oak13%
- bigtooth maple5%
- serviceberry5%
- narrowleaf cottonwood4%
- willow3%
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 Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
- When is peak fall foliage at Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest?
Our forecast puts peak color at Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest around Oct 1, and the four days to aim for are Sep 30 to Oct 3.
- Where is the best fall color at Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest right now?
On Nov 10 the forest is leaves down. The last band to peak was 5,000 to 6,000 feet, around Oct 17.
- How long does peak last at Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest?
About four days at the top, Sep 30 to Oct 3, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 33 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 37 days.
- Is Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 1, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest?
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
Comanche Peak Wilderness and Rocky Mountain and Arapaho and Roosevelt are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Sep 15 best Sep 14 to 17
- Peak Oct 1 best Sep 30 to Oct 3
- Peak Sep 21 best Sep 20 to 23
Fall color roads near Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the forest, so allow more by road.
- Snowy Range Scenic Byway (WY 130)
Centennial to Saratoga through the Medicine Bow aspen.
- Cache la Poudre Canyon (CO 14)
Cottonwood and then aspen up the Poudre from Fort Collins toward Cameron Pass.
- 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.
- Bear Lake Road
Bierstadt Moraine and the aspen below Bear Lake, the densest gold in the park. Timed entry runs through mid-October.
- 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.
- Guanella Pass
Georgetown to Grant. The aspen on the Georgetown side are some of the closest big groves to Denver.