Foliage map › Destinations › Colorado › Vail
Vail, Colorado fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Vail area peaks around September 30, with the best viewing from roughly September 28 to October 6.
- Typical peak
- September 30
- Best viewing
- Sep 28 – Oct 6
- Color starts
- Around Sep 18
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Oct 13
- Elevation
- 8,150 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around September 30. Turn on JavaScript to see today’s estimated status and the five-week outlook.
The season at a glance
Bar height shows how good the viewing typically is on each day, from September 1 through November 30. Colors show the stage, from green through peak red to bare.
Open Vail on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Vail
Vail sits in the Gore Creek valley, with aspen groves climbing the slopes on both sides and the Gore Range rising to the north. The Booth Falls Trail climbs through aspen to a waterfall in a hanging valley. East of town, Vail Pass crosses the mountains.
Scenic drive
Shrine Pass Road, an unpaved road, runs from Vail Pass over the mountains to Red Cliff through aspen and evergreen forest. US 24, the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway, runs south from near Minturn over Tennessee Pass toward Leadville.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head higher
Breckenridge, CO (21 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 5 days earlier, and Kenosha Pass, CO (36 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 6 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Look for lower valleys
None of the destinations we track within 150 miles of Vail typically peaks much later. Lower valleys nearby are your best bet: color tends to hang on about 3 to 4 days longer for every 1,000 feet lower.
National park and forest guide
Nearby destinations
- Breckenridge, COTypical peak Sep 25, 5 days earlier. 21 miles away.
- Kenosha Pass, COTypical peak Sep 24, 6 days earlier. 36 miles away.
- Aspen, COTypical peak Oct 1, about the same time. 39 miles away.
- Crested Butte, COTypical peak Sep 28, 2 days earlier. 62 miles away.
- Steamboat Springs, COTypical peak Oct 4, 4 days later. 63 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Vail?
In a typical year, fall color in the Vail area peaks around September 30, with the best viewing from roughly September 28 to October 6. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Vail?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around September 18, and most leaves are down by about October 13.
Is Vail early or late compared with the rest of Colorado?
Vail peaks close to the middle of the Colorado season, about Sep 29 on average across the 8 Colorado destinations we track.
What trees color up around Vail?
The main fall color in this area comes from quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, and willow. See the leaf guide to identify them.
Estimates come from the Leaves.com model of typical years, based on latitude, elevation, and distance from large bodies of water. They are not live observations. How it works.