Where is the best fall color at Mount Massive Wilderness right now?

On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 12,000 to 13,000 feet, around Sep 22.

How long does peak last at Mount Massive Wilderness?

About four days at the top, Sep 20 to 23, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 4 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 8 days.

Is Mount Massive Wilderness past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Sep 21, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.

Back to the map

Wilderness Area·Colorado·26,490 acres

Mount Massive Wilderness

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorSep 21Aim for Sep 20 to 23

In the wilderness today, Nov 10Leaves down

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.

Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.

Around Mount Massive Wilderness Lake County holds most of the wilderness and is leaves down today. Pitkin County, to the west, is 11 days behind.

When is peak fall foliage at Mount Massive Wilderness in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Massive Wilderness around Sep 21, and the four days to aim for are Sep 20 to 23.

The wilderness runs from about 10,116 to 13,248 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 4 days: the high stands around Sep 19, the low ground around Sep 19. That's 4 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.

Mount Massive Wilderness, fall color week by week, 2026
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, 13,000 to 14,000 ft
Sep 21 to Sep 27	Peak color	11,000 to 12,000 ft, 12,000 to 13,000 ft
Sep 28 to Oct 4	Just past peak

By elevation The wilderness runs from about 10,116 to 13,248 feet. That’s 4 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Sep 19, the low ground holds until about Sep 19, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 11,000 to 12,000 foot band.

13,000–14,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 198%
12,000–13,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2224%
11,000–12,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2138%
10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1927%

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.

The latest daylight frame from the snodgrass3 camera, 19 km from Mount Massive Wilderness — Latest daylight frame PhenoCam Network, SNOD-MA camera, 19 km away, captured Nov 9.

That’s 4 days later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, which shifts peak color.

Plan this trip

If you can only come on certain days

Set the days you can be here. Everything under them answers for those days, not for peak.

ArrivingLeaving

Sunday, September 20 to Monday, September 21

You’ll find it peak color.

That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.

13,000–14,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 19
12,000–13,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 22
11,000–12,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 21
10,000–11,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 19

Where to drive: Independence Pass (CO 82), about 8 miles · Cottonwood Pass (CO 306), about 25 miles · Maroon Creek Road, about 26 miles
What turns: quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, willow, thinleaf alder, water birch

What turns, and when

quaking aspen51%
narrowleaf cottonwood19%
willow13%
thinleaf alder6%
water birch6%
Gambel oak4%

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 Mount Massive Wilderness

When is peak fall foliage at Mount Massive Wilderness?: Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Massive Wilderness around Sep 21, and the four days to aim for are Sep 20 to 23.
Where is the best fall color at Mount Massive Wilderness right now?: On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 12,000 to 13,000 feet, around Sep 22.
How long does peak last at Mount Massive Wilderness?: About four days at the top, Sep 20 to 23, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 4 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 8 days.
Is Mount Massive Wilderness past peak?: Yes. Peak was around Sep 21, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
What trees turn color at Mount Massive 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

All of Colorado

Nearby, and when they turn

Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness is on the map above, with its own date.

White River National ForestCO · about 35 miles
Peak Oct 1 best Sep 30 to Oct 3
Fossil Ridge WildernessCO · about 36 miles
Peak Sep 27 best Sep 26 to 29
Eagles Nest WildernessCO · about 37 miles
Peak Sep 28 best Sep 27 to 30
Browns Canyon National MonumentCO · about 41 miles
Peak Oct 15 best Oct 14 to 17
Raggeds WildernessCO · about 41 miles
Peak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9

Fall color roads near Mount Massive Wilderness

Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.

Independence Pass (CO 82) · about 8 miles, CO · 32 miles of road
Aspen to Twin Lakes up the Roaring Fork. The pass closes for the winter around the first of November.
Cottonwood Pass (CO 306) · about 25 miles, CO · 40 miles of road
Buena Vista to Taylor Park, with the aspen on the east side of the pass.
Maroon Creek Road · about 26 miles, CO · 10 miles of road
The Maroon Bells over a lake ringed with aspen. Shuttle only during the season.
Boreas Pass Road · about 31 miles, CO · 22 miles of road
Breckenridge to Como on the old railroad grade, aspen the whole way. Gravel, fine for a car.
Kenosha Pass (US 285) · about 41 miles, CO
The grove at the summit is the Front Range's classic aspen stop, and you can walk into it on the Colorado Trail.
Kebler Pass Road (County Road 12) · about 41 miles, CO · 30 miles of road
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.