Foliage map › Destinations › Colorado › Estes Park
Estes Park, Colorado fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Estes Park area peaks around October 1, with the best viewing from roughly September 30 to October 8.
- Typical peak
- October 1
- Best viewing
- Sep 30 – Oct 8
- Color starts
- Around Sep 19
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Oct 14
- Elevation
- 7,522 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 1. 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 Estes Park on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Estes Park
Estes Park sits in a mountain valley at the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park, with Longs Peak and the high peaks of the Continental Divide rising above town. Fall is the elk rut, when bull elk gather herds and bugle, especially around dawn and dusk; watch from a safe distance and never approach them. South of town along Highway 7, Lily Lake sits beneath Estes Cone and Longs Peak, and aspen groves line the valleys around town.
Scenic drive
The Peak to Peak Scenic Byway, Colorado’s oldest scenic byway, runs about 55 miles south from Estes Park along Highways 7, 72, and 119 to Black Hawk. It passes Lily Lake and the foot of Longs Peak, where a small stone chapel sits on a rock beside the road near Allenspark, then winds south through Nederland with aspen groves and mountain views along much of the way.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head higher
Breckenridge, CO (68 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 6 days earlier, and Kenosha Pass, CO (68 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 7 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Look for lower valleys
None of the destinations we track within 150 miles of Estes Park 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
Scenic drive guide
Nearby destinations
- Breckenridge, COTypical peak Sep 25, 6 days earlier. 68 miles away.
- Kenosha Pass, COTypical peak Sep 24, 7 days earlier. 68 miles away.
- Vail, COTypical peak Sep 30, about the same time. 68 miles away.
- Steamboat Springs, COTypical peak Oct 4, 3 days later. 69 miles away.
- Aspen, COTypical peak Oct 1, about the same time. 107 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Estes Park?
In a typical year, fall color in the Estes Park area peaks around October 1, with the best viewing from roughly September 30 to October 8. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Estes Park?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around September 19, and most leaves are down by about October 14.
Is Estes Park early or late compared with the rest of Colorado?
Estes Park 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 Estes Park?
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.