National Recreation Area·Colorado·461 acres
Molas Pass National Recreation Area
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 Molas Pass National Recreation Area in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Molas Pass National Recreation Area around Oct 3, and the four days to aim for are Oct 2 to 5.
That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.
| Week | In the recreation area |
|---|---|
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Nearly peak |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Peak color |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Just past peak |
That’s 3 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.
Friday, October 2 to Saturday, October 3
You’ll find it peak color.
That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.
- Where to drive
- Million Dollar Highway (US 550), about 10 miles · Last Dollar Road, about 21 miles · Dallas Divide (CO 62), about 27 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, willow, thinleaf alder, water birch
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen74%
- narrowleaf cottonwood11%
- willow7%
- thinleaf alder4%
- water birch4%
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.
Across Colorado as a whole: Mid-September at 10,000 feet, late September at 8,000 feet, early October in the valleys.
Questions people ask about Molas Pass National Recreation Area
- When is peak fall foliage at Molas Pass National Recreation Area?
Our forecast puts peak color at Molas Pass National Recreation Area around Oct 3, and the four days to aim for are Oct 2 to 5.
- Where is the best fall color at Molas Pass National Recreation Area right now?
On Nov 10 the recreation area is leaves down.
- How long does peak last at Molas Pass National Recreation Area?
About four days at the top, Oct 2 to 5, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive.
- Is Molas Pass National Recreation Area past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 3, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Molas Pass National Recreation 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
Nearby, and when they turn
Uncompahgre Wilderness and Powderhorn Wilderness are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 8 best Oct 7 to 10
- Peak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Peak Oct 17 best Oct 16 to 19
- Peak Sep 30 best Sep 29 to Oct 2
Fall color roads near Molas Pass National Recreation Area
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the recreation area, so allow more by road.
- Million Dollar Highway (US 550)
Between Silverton and Ouray. The aspen-covered slopes above the road at Red Mountain Pass are among the most photographed fall scenes in America.
- Last Dollar Road
Telluride to Ridgway on gravel through the aspen under the Sneffels Range.
- Dallas Divide (CO 62)
Ridgway to Placerville. The Sneffels Range over a hillside of aspen at the divide, the most photographed fall view in Colorado.
- Owl Creek Pass
Ridgway to Silver Jack Reservoir on gravel, aspen under Chimney Rock and Courthouse Mountain.
- Wolf Creek Pass (US 160)
South Fork to Pagosa Springs, aspen on the west 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.