Wilderness Area·Colorado·14,746 acres
Powderhorn Wilderness
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 Powderhorn Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Powderhorn Wilderness around Sep 29, and the four days to aim for are Sep 28 to Oct 1.
The wilderness runs from about 9,820 to 12,321 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 2 days: the high stands around Sep 26, the low ground around Sep 28. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Nearly peak | 10,000 to 10,500 ft, 10,500 to 11,000 ft, 11,000 to 11,500 ft, 11,500 to 12,000 ft, 12,000 to 12,500 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 9,500 to 10,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Just past peak |
- 12,000–12,500 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2616%
- 11,500–12,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2622%
- 11,000–11,500 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2220%
- 10,500–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2119%
- 10,000–10,500 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2413%
- 9,500–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 289%
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.
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 26; down at 10,000 feet they hold on until about Sep 28. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 12,000–12,500 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 26
- 11,500–12,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 26
- 11,000–11,500 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 22
- 10,500–11,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 21
- 10,000–10,500 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 24
- 9,500–10,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 28
- Where to drive
- Owl Creek Pass, about 23 miles · Million Dollar Highway (US 550), about 32 miles · Dallas Divide (CO 62), about 40 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen97%
- narrowleaf cottonwood3%
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, 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 Powderhorn Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Powderhorn Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Powderhorn Wilderness around Sep 29, and the four days to aim for are Sep 28 to Oct 1.
- Where is the best fall color at Powderhorn Wilderness right now?
On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 9,500 to 10,000 feet, around Sep 28.
- How long does peak last at Powderhorn 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 2 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 6 days.
- Is Powderhorn Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 29, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Powderhorn 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
Weminuche Wilderness and Rio Grande and Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison and Mount Sneffels Wilderness are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 8 best Oct 7 to 10
- Peak Oct 3 best Oct 2 to 5
Fall color roads near Powderhorn Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- Owl Creek Pass
Ridgway to Silver Jack Reservoir on gravel, aspen under Chimney Rock and Courthouse Mountain.
- 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.
- 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.
- Last Dollar Road
Telluride to Ridgway on gravel through the aspen under the Sneffels Range.
- 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.