National Wildlife Refuge·Colorado·5,203 acres
Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge around Oct 16, and the four days to aim for are Oct 15 to 18.
The refuge runs from about 5,680 to 6,187 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 2 days: the high stands around Oct 13, the low ground around Oct 15. That's 2 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.
| Week | In the refuge | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Starting to turn | |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Nearly peak | |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Peak color | 5,500 to 5,750 ft, 5,750 to 6,000 ft, 6,000 to 6,250 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Just past peak | |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Just past peak |
- 6,000–6,250 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1335%
- 5,750–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1448%
- 5,500–5,750 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1517%
Height off 3DEP inside the refuge’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the refuge stands in it.
That’s 2 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.
Thursday, October 15 to Friday, October 16
You’ll find it just past peak up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 6,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 13; down at 5,750 feet they hold on until about Oct 15. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 6,000–6,250 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 13
- 5,750–6,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 14
- 5,500–5,750 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 15
- Where to drive
- Peak to Peak Scenic Byway (CO 7, 72 and 119), about 21 miles · Guanella Pass, about 34 miles · Bear Lake Road, about 38 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, Gambel oak, bigtooth maple, serviceberry
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen37%
- Gambel oak33%
- bigtooth maple15%
- serviceberry15%
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 Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge
- When is peak fall foliage at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge?
Our forecast puts peak color at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge around Oct 16, and the four days to aim for are Oct 15 to 18.
- Where is the best fall color at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge right now?
On Nov 10 the refuge is leaves down. The last band to peak was 5,500 to 5,750 feet, around Oct 15.
- How long does peak last at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge?
About four days at the top, Oct 15 to 18, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the refuge's elevations the color moves over about 2 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 6 days.
- Is Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 16, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge?
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
James Peak Wilderness and Indian Peaks Wilderness and Mount Evans Wilderness and Arapaho and Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 6 best Oct 5 to 8
Fall color roads near Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the refuge, so allow more by road.
- 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.
- Bear Lake Road
Bierstadt Moraine and the aspen below Bear Lake, the densest gold in the park. Timed entry runs through mid-October.
- Kenosha Pass (US 285)
The grove at the summit is the Front Range's classic aspen stop, and you can walk into it on the Colorado Trail.
- 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.
- Boreas Pass Road
Breckenridge to Como on the old railroad grade, aspen the whole way. Gravel, fine for a car.