Wilderness Area·Colorado·74,457 acres
Rawah 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 Rawah Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Rawah Wilderness around Oct 1, and the four days to aim for are Sep 30 to Oct 3.
The wilderness runs from about 8,269 to 11,514 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 11 days: the high stands around Sep 26, the low ground around Oct 7. That's 13 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.
| 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 11,000 ft, 11,000 to 12,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 9,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Just past peak | 8,000 to 9,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Just past peak |
- 11,000–12,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2613%
- 10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2431%
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2935%
- 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 721%
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 13 days 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.
Wednesday, September 30 to Thursday, October 1
You’ll find it just past peak up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 11,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 26; down at 9,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 7. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 11,000–12,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 26
- 10,000–11,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 24
- 9,000–10,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 29
- 8,000–9,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 7
- Where to drive
- Cache la Poudre Canyon (CO 14), about 19 miles · Trail Ridge Road (US 34), about 24 miles · Bear Lake Road, about 33 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, willow, water birch, thinleaf alder
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen62%
- narrowleaf cottonwood17%
- willow11%
- water birch6%
- thinleaf alder5%
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.
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 Rawah Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Rawah Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Rawah Wilderness around Oct 1, and the four days to aim for are Sep 30 to Oct 3.
- Where is the best fall color at Rawah Wilderness right now?
On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 8,000 to 9,000 feet, around Oct 7.
- How long does peak last at Rawah Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Sep 30 to Oct 3, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 11 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 15 days.
- Is Rawah Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 1, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Rawah 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
Never Summer Wilderness and Rocky Mountain and Arapaho and Roosevelt and Platte River Wilderness and Medicine Bow-Routt are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Sep 29 best Sep 28 to Oct 1
Fall color roads near Rawah Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- Cache la Poudre Canyon (CO 14)
Cottonwood and then aspen up the Poudre from Fort Collins toward Cameron Pass.
- 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.
- Snowy Range Scenic Byway (WY 130)
Centennial to Saratoga through the Medicine Bow aspen.
- 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.