Wilderness Area·Wyoming·15,284 acres
Savage Run 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 Savage Run Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Savage Run Wilderness around Sep 29, and the four days to aim for are Sep 28 to Oct 1.
The wilderness runs from about 7,915 to 9,866 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 12 days: the high stands around Sep 18, the low ground around Sep 30. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Still green | |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn | 9,500 to 10,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Nearly peak | 8,000 to 8,500 ft, 8,500 to 9,000 ft, 9,000 to 9,500 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 7,500 to 8,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Just past peak |
- 9,500–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1821%
- 9,000–9,500 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2121%
- 8,500–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2531%
- 8,000–8,500 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2720%
- 7,500–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 307%
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 9,500 feet the stands peak around Sep 18; down at 8,500 feet they hold on until about Sep 27. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 9,500–10,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 18
- 9,000–9,500 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 21
- 8,500–9,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 25
- 8,000–8,500 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 27
- Where to drive
- Snowy Range Scenic Byway (WY 130), about 12 miles · Cache la Poudre Canyon (CO 14), about 54 miles · Trail Ridge Road (US 34), about 63 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, Gambel oak, bigtooth maple, serviceberry, narrowleaf cottonwood
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen51%
- Gambel oak20%
- bigtooth maple10%
- serviceberry10%
- narrowleaf cottonwood5%
- willow4%
Also named across Wyoming, outside what the canopy read measures here: Rocky Mountain Maple, Water Birch.
The Tetons rising above the golden cottonwoods of the Snake River flats is one of the most famous fall landscapes in the American West, and the aspen groves at elevation add hillsides of gold.
Questions people ask about Savage Run Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Savage Run Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Savage Run Wilderness around Sep 29, and the four days to aim for are Sep 28 to Oct 1.
- Where is the best fall color at Savage Run Wilderness right now?
On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 7,500 to 8,000 feet, around Sep 30.
- How long does peak last at Savage Run 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 12 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 16 days.
- Is Savage Run Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 29, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Savage Run Wilderness?
Quaking Aspen, Narrowleaf Cottonwood, Rocky Mountain Maple, Water Birch, Willow. The Tetons rising above the golden cottonwoods of the Snake River flats is one of the most famous fall landscapes in the American West, and the aspen groves at elevation add hillsides of gold.
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
Rawah Wilderness is on the map above, with its own date.
- Peak Oct 1 best Sep 30 to Oct 3
- Peak Sep 21 best Sep 20 to 23
- Peak Oct 2 best Oct 1 to 4
- Peak Oct 5 best Oct 4 to 7
- Peak Oct 6 best Oct 5 to 8
Fall color roads near Savage Run Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- Snowy Range Scenic Byway (WY 130)
Centennial to Saratoga through the Medicine Bow aspen.
- 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.
- 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.