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

On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 9,000 to 10,000 feet, around Sep 27.

How long does peak last at Mount Sneffels 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 5 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 9 days.

Is Mount Sneffels Wilderness past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Sep 29, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.

Back to the map

Wilderness Area·Colorado·16,495 acres

Mount Sneffels Wilderness

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorSep 29Aim for Sep 28 to Oct 1

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 Sneffels Wilderness San Miguel County holds most of the wilderness and is leaves down today. Ouray County, to the north, is 4 days ahead.

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

Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Sneffels Wilderness around Sep 29, and the four days to aim for are Sep 28 to Oct 1.

The wilderness runs from about 9,750 to 12,890 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 5 days: the high stands around Sep 24, the low ground around Sep 27. That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.

Mount Sneffels Wilderness, fall color week by week, 2026
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	9,000 to 10,000 ft, 10,000 to 11,000 ft, 11,000 to 12,000 ft, 12,000 to 13,000 ft
Sep 28 to Oct 4	Peak color
Oct 5 to Oct 11	Just past peak

By elevation The wilderness runs from about 9,750 to 12,890 feet. That’s 5 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Sep 24, the low ground holds until about Sep 27, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 9,000 to 10,000 foot band.

12,000–13,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2425%
11,000–12,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2329%
10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2233%
9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2710%

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 3 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

Monday, September 28 to Tuesday, September 29

You’ll find it just past peak up high, peak color lower down.

Up at 12,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 24; down at 10,000 feet they hold on until about Sep 27. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

12,000–13,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 24
11,000–12,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 23
10,000–11,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 22
9,000–10,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 27

Where to drive: Last Dollar Road, about 2 miles · Dallas Divide (CO 62), about 6 miles · Million Dollar Highway (US 550), about 12 miles
What turns: quaking aspen, Gambel oak

What turns, and when

quaking aspen97%
Gambel oak3%

Also named across Colorado, outside what the canopy read measures here: Narrowleaf Cottonwood, 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 Mount Sneffels Wilderness

When is peak fall foliage at Mount Sneffels Wilderness?: Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Sneffels Wilderness around Sep 29, and the four days to aim for are Sep 28 to Oct 1.
Where is the best fall color at Mount Sneffels Wilderness right now?: On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 9,000 to 10,000 feet, around Sep 27.
How long does peak last at Mount Sneffels 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 5 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 9 days.
Is Mount Sneffels Wilderness past peak?: Yes. Peak was around Sep 29, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
What trees turn color at Mount Sneffels 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

San Juan and Powderhorn Wilderness and Weminuche Wilderness are on the map above, with their own date.

Curecanti National Recreation AreaCO · about 38 miles
Peak Oct 8 best Oct 7 to 10
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National ParkCO · about 40 miles
Peak Oct 17 best Oct 16 to 19
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National ForestsCO · about 45 miles
Peak Oct 4 best Oct 3 to 6

Fall color roads near Mount Sneffels Wilderness

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

Last Dollar Road · about 2 miles, CO · 18 miles of road
Telluride to Ridgway on gravel through the aspen under the Sneffels Range.
Dallas Divide (CO 62) · about 6 miles, CO · 24 miles of road
Ridgway to Placerville. The Sneffels Range over a hillside of aspen at the divide, the most photographed fall view in Colorado.
Million Dollar Highway (US 550) · about 12 miles, CO · 25 miles of road
Between Silverton and Ouray. The aspen-covered slopes above the road at Red Mountain Pass are among the most photographed fall scenes in America.
Owl Creek Pass · about 22 miles, CO · 25 miles of road
Ridgway to Silver Jack Reservoir on gravel, aspen under Chimney Rock and Courthouse Mountain.
Wolf Creek Pass (US 160) · about 69 miles, CO · 38 miles of road
South Fork to Pagosa Springs, aspen on the west side of the pass.
Kebler Pass Road (County Road 12) · about 71 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.