Wilderness Area·New Mexico·18,881 acres
Cruces Basin 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 Cruces Basin Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Cruces Basin Wilderness around Oct 4, and the four days to aim for are Oct 3 to 6.
The wilderness runs from about 8,919 to 10,634 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 12 days: the high stands around Sep 26, the low ground around Oct 8. 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 | 10,500 to 11,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 9,000 to 9,500 ft, 9,500 to 10,000 ft, 10,000 to 10,500 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Peak color | 8,500 to 9,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Just past peak |
- 10,500–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2610%
- 10,000–10,500 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2838%
- 9,500–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 135%
- 9,000–9,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 411%
- 8,500–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 86%
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.
Saturday, October 3 to Sunday, October 4
You’ll find it just past peak up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 10,500 feet the stands peak around Sep 26; down at 9,500 feet they hold on until about Oct 4. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 10,500–11,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 26
- 10,000–10,500 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 28
- 9,500–10,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 1
- 9,000–9,500 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 4
- Where to drive
- Cumbres and La Manga passes (CO 17), about 10 miles · Wolf Creek Pass (US 160), about 47 miles · Enchanted Circle (NM 38, 522 and 64), about 53 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, Gambel oak
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen95%
- narrowleaf cottonwood3%
- Gambel oak2%
Also named across New Mexico, outside what the canopy read measures here: Rocky Mountain Maple, Bigtooth Maple.
Aspens turn gold in the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez mountains, Gambel oaks go russet and orange at lower elevations, and cottonwoods line the Rio Grande bosque in butter yellow.
Questions people ask about Cruces Basin Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Cruces Basin Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Cruces Basin Wilderness around Oct 4, and the four days to aim for are Oct 3 to 6.
- Where is the best fall color at Cruces Basin Wilderness right now?
On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 8,500 to 9,000 feet, around Oct 8.
- How long does peak last at Cruces Basin Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Oct 3 to 6, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 12 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 16 days.
- Is Cruces Basin Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 4, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Cruces Basin Wilderness?
Quaking Aspen, Narrowleaf Cottonwood, Gambel Oak, Rocky Mountain Maple, Bigtooth Maple. Aspens turn gold in the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez mountains, Gambel oaks go russet and orange at lower elevations, and cottonwoods line the Rio Grande bosque in butter 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
South San Juan Wilderness and Carson and Latir Peak Wilderness and Columbine-Hondo Wilderness and Rio Grande are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 6 best Oct 5 to 8
Fall color roads near Cruces Basin Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- Cumbres and La Manga passes (CO 17)
Antonito to Chama through the Conejos aspen, with the narrow-gauge train doing the same route.
- Wolf Creek Pass (US 160)
South Fork to Pagosa Springs, aspen on the west side of the pass.
- Enchanted Circle (NM 38, 522 and 64)
Taos, Questa, Red River, Eagle Nest and Angel Fire, aspen on the Sangre de Cristo the whole loop.
- High Road to Taos
Cottonwood in the villages, aspen above Truchas.
- Highway of Legends (CO 12)
Trinidad to La Veta around the Spanish Peaks, aspen up high and Gambel oak below.
- Alpine Loop (NM 475)
Climbs from Santa Fe to the Ski Basin through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. One of the most accessible aspen drives in the Southwest.