Wilderness Area·Colorado·20,847 acres
Never Summer Wilderness
Forecast issued Nov 9, 7:48am ET
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Hard frost Tuesday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Never Summer Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Never Summer Wilderness around Sep 21, and the four days to aim for are Sep 20 to 23.
The wilderness runs from about 9,285 to 11,835 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 3 days: the high stands around Sep 20, the low ground around Sep 23. 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 | 9,500 to 10,000 ft, 10,000 to 10,500 ft, 10,500 to 11,000 ft, 11,000 to 11,500 ft, 11,500 to 12,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Peak color | 9,000 to 9,500 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Just past peak |
- 11,500–12,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 207%
- 11,000–11,500 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1619%
- 10,500–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1423%
- 10,000–10,500 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1721%
- 9,500–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2015%
- 9,000–9,500 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2311%
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.
Sunday, September 20 to Monday, September 21
You’ll find it just past peak up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 11,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 16; down at 9,500 feet they hold on until about Sep 23. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 11,000–11,500 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 16
- 10,500–11,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 14
- 10,000–10,500 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 17
- 9,500–10,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 20
- 9,000–9,500 ftNearly peakpeak Sep 23
- Where to drive
- Trail Ridge Road (US 34), about 10 miles · Bear Lake Road, about 16 miles · Cache la Poudre Canyon (CO 14), about 27 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, willow, thinleaf alder, water birch
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen42%
- narrowleaf cottonwood20%
- willow13%
- thinleaf alder7%
- water birch7%
- Gambel oak6%
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 Never Summer Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Never Summer Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Never Summer Wilderness around Sep 21, and the four days to aim for are Sep 20 to 23.
- Where is the best fall color at Never Summer Wilderness right now?
On Nov 9 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 9,000 to 9,500 feet, around Sep 23.
- How long does peak last at Never Summer 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 3 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 7 days.
- Is Never Summer Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 21, and on Nov 9 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Never Summer 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
Rawah Wilderness is on the map above, with its own date.
- Peak Sep 18 best Sep 17 to 20
- Peak Sep 29 best Sep 28 to Oct 1
- Peak Sep 28 best Sep 27 to 30
- Peak Oct 16 best Oct 15 to 18
- Peak Oct 1 best Sep 30 to Oct 3
Fall color roads near Never Summer Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- 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.
- Cache la Poudre Canyon (CO 14)
Cottonwood and then aspen up the Poudre from Fort Collins toward Cameron Pass.
- 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.
- Boreas Pass Road
Breckenridge to Como on the old railroad grade, aspen the whole way. Gravel, fine for a car.