Recreation Area·Wyoming·21,236 acres
Snowy Range Recreation Area
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 Wind to 55 mph Tuesday. Color may come down before it turns.
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 Snowy Range Recreation Area in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Snowy Range Recreation Area around Sep 15, and the four days to aim for are Sep 14 to 17.
That's 4 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.
| Week | In the recreation area | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 24 to Aug 30 | Starting to turn | |
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Nearly peak | 10,500 to 11,000 ft, 11,000 to 11,500 ft |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Peak color | 10,000 to 10,500 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Just past peak |
- 11,000–11,500 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 129%
- 10,500–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1155%
- 10,000–10,500 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1431%
Height off 3DEP inside the recreation area’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the recreation area 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 14 to Tuesday, September 15
You’ll find it just past peak up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 11,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 12; down at 10,500 feet they hold on until about Sep 14. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 11,000–11,500 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 12
- 10,500–11,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 11
- 10,000–10,500 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 14
- Where to drive
- Snowy Range Scenic Byway (WY 130), about 3 miles · Cache la Poudre Canyon (CO 14), about 61 miles · Trail Ridge Road (US 34), about 73 miles
- What turns
- narrowleaf cottonwood, quaking aspen, willow, water birch, thinleaf alder
What turns, and when
- narrowleaf cottonwood31%
- quaking aspen28%
- willow21%
- water birch10%
- thinleaf alder10%
Every one of these turns yellow or gold here. The shades only tell the species apart.
Also named across Wyoming, outside what the canopy read measures here: Rocky Mountain Maple.
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 Snowy Range Recreation Area
- When is peak fall foliage at Snowy Range Recreation Area?
Our forecast puts peak color at Snowy Range Recreation Area around Sep 15, and the four days to aim for are Sep 14 to 17.
- Where is the best fall color at Snowy Range Recreation Area right now?
On Nov 10 the recreation area is leaves down. The last band to peak was 10,000 to 10,500 feet, around Sep 14.
- How long does peak last at Snowy Range Recreation Area?
About four days at the top, Sep 14 to 17, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive.
- Is Snowy Range Recreation Area past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 15, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Snowy Range Recreation Area?
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
Medicine Bow-Routt is on the map above, with its own date.
- Peak Oct 1 best Sep 30 to Oct 3
- 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
Fall color roads near Snowy Range Recreation Area
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the recreation area, 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.