Colorado Fall Colors
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Butler Gulch Trail – The long stretch of views, waterfalls and aspens turning among the green is worth the drive.
- Devil’s Head – When you get to the top of Devil’s Head, you’ll gain 360 degree views that will let you drink in the colors from for miles and miles. I love to make this hike in the early morning as the sun is rising and lighting up the spires along the spine of the Rampart Range.
- Elk Falls – Elk Falls was hidden for years on private land and recently opened to the public at Staunton State Park. This entire area near both Guanella Pass and Hoosier pass is amazing in the fall. After the hike, there are options to drive further out 285 to Hoosier Pass or to take the seasonal road up Guanella pass. The great thing about Stuanton State Park is that you have other options, too: shorter easy strolls with aspen meadows and towering pines, and more moderate hikes through the heart of the park
- Raccoon Loop – 2.5 mile hike in Golden Gate Canyon State Park. There are panoramic views of the Front Range all lit up with gold and green at the Panorama Point viewing area. It’s not like Kenosha Pass (see below), but it’s still beautiful and closer to Denver. The Raccoon Loop hike weaves through meadows of changing aspens, past seasonal creeks, and through pine forest.
- Guanella pass – You can stop here and hike a length of the Mt. Beirstadt Trail, taking a short stroll in the high country, or making the more adventurous hike to the summit of Mt. Bierstadt (be sure to prepare for this as you would any summit trip to a fourteener–it’s not a walk in the park). Continuing over Guanella pass, hikers can drive further to Kenosha Pass, which may be the most best place to view the changing aspens near Denver. When Guanella Pass road intersects with 285, a right turn (west) leads to Kenosha Pass.
Don’t miss out on viewing some of the most beautiful trees!
