Wilderness Area·Colorado·64,346 acres
Raggeds 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.
2 reports came in from Gunnison County this week, 1 of them past peak. They moved our date 8 days later. See the county on the map.
When is peak fall foliage at Raggeds Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Raggeds Wilderness around Oct 7, and the four days to aim for are Oct 6 to 9.
The wilderness runs from about 8,009 to 12,013 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 15 days: the high stands around Sep 20, the low ground around Oct 5. That's 1 day later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.
| Week | In the wilderness | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Still green | |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Still green | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn | 10,000 to 11,000 ft, 11,000 to 12,000 ft, 12,000 to 13,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Starting to turn | 9,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Nearly peak | 8,000 to 9,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Peak color | 7,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Just past peak |
- 12,000–13,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 205%
- 11,000–12,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1821%
- 10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1724%
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2423%
- 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 3022%
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 55%
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 1 day later than our model alone would say. This season’s reports from the ground moved it, and they outrank us.
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.
Tuesday, October 6 to Wednesday, October 7
You’ll find it fading up high, just past peak lower down.
Up at 11,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 18; down at 9,000 feet they hold on until about Sep 30. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 11,000–12,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 18
- 10,000–11,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 17
- 9,000–10,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 24
- 8,000–9,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 30
- Where to drive
- Kebler Pass Road (County Road 12), about 10 miles · McClure Pass (CO 133), about 12 miles · Maroon Creek Road, about 16 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, Gambel oak
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen95%
- Gambel oak5%
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 Raggeds Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Raggeds Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Raggeds Wilderness around Oct 7, and the four days to aim for are Oct 6 to 9.
- Where is the best fall color at Raggeds Wilderness right now?
On Nov 9 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 7,000 to 8,000 feet, around Oct 5.
- How long does peak last at Raggeds Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Oct 6 to 9, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 15 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 19 days.
- Is Raggeds Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 7, and on Nov 9 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Raggeds 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
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison and Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness and Fossil Ridge Wilderness and Collegiate Peaks Wilderness are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 8 best Oct 7 to 10
- Peak Oct 17 best Oct 16 to 19
Fall color roads near Raggeds Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- 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.
- McClure Pass (CO 133)
Carbondale to Paonia through the Crystal River aspen, with Chair Mountain over the pass.
- Maroon Creek Road
The Maroon Bells over a lake ringed with aspen. Shuttle only during the season.
- Independence Pass (CO 82)
Aspen to Twin Lakes up the Roaring Fork. The pass closes for the winter around the first of November.
- Cottonwood Pass (CO 306)
Buena Vista to Taylor Park, with the aspen on the east side of the pass.
- Grand Mesa Scenic Byway (CO 65)
Cedaredge up and over Grand Mesa, aspen around the lakes on top.