Foliage map › Destinations › Colorado › Telluride
Telluride, Colorado fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Telluride 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
- 8,750 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 Telluride on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Telluride
Telluride sits at the end of a steep-walled box canyon in the San Juan Mountains, with aspen-covered slopes rising on every side. At the head of the canyon, Bridal Veil Falls is the tallest free-falling waterfall in Colorado, visible from town. West of Telluride, the Dallas Divide on Highway 62 has one of the best-known views in the state, looking across ranch meadows and aspen groves to the peaks of the Sneffels Range.
Scenic drive
Telluride is on the San Juan Skyway, a loop of about 236 miles through the San Juan Mountains. From Telluride, follow Highway 145 and then Highway 62 west and north over the Dallas Divide toward Ridgway, or take Highway 145 south over Lizard Head Pass, where aspen groves frame the high peaks along the way.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head higher
Breckenridge, CO (143 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 5 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Look for lower valleys
None of the destinations we track within 150 miles of Telluride 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
- Crested Butte, COTypical peak Sep 28, about the same time. 78 miles away.
- Aspen, COTypical peak Oct 1, about the same time. 102 miles away.
- Vail, COTypical peak Sep 30, about the same time. 141 miles away.
- Breckenridge, COTypical peak Sep 25, 5 days earlier. 143 miles away.
- Kenosha Pass, COTypical peak Sep 24, 6 days earlier. 150 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Telluride?
In a typical year, fall color in the Telluride 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 Telluride?
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 Telluride early or late compared with the rest of Colorado?
Telluride 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 Telluride?
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.