Where are the best place to see fall colors in Colorado this year? If you ask Denveritestheir favorite time of year, I would guess a majority would say fall. Sure theweather is usually perfect, and there are lots of fun events around town. But Iam confident the real reason is the incredible color display that Mother Naturedisplays for us lucky enough to live in Colorado this time of year.
So where isthe best place to view these amazing displays of gold, orange and red? Dependson how far you are willing to travel really. There are plenty of options withinan hour or so of Denver. Luckily, more and more websites are popping up with afull list of these drives with great directions.
One of thebest I found is Channel 7's guide, found here.They list as a short drive, one of my personal favorites, Guanella Pass betweenGeorgetown and Grant. If you do this drive, make sure to head a little furthersouth to Kenosha Pass on US-285 when leaving Grant though to see an incredibledisplay of aspens overlooking the high plains of Fairplay.
When youare driving for one specific reason, then spending all day in a car checkingout the scenery doesn't seem so bad. Because of this, then it is worthconsidering some of their recommended longer drives to see the most spectacularscenery Colorado has to offer. Independence Pass, Kenosha Pass and Grand Mesaare all spectacular and ones I highly recommend.
My all timefavorite place to see fall colors in Colorado though has to be Kebler passbetween Crested Butte and Paonia. This pass is 35 miles long and for 90% of thedrive you travel through one of the largest aspen stands in the entire world.It is truly amazing and a must see. From there you can visit Cottonwood Passwhich is impressive in its own right, along with McClure Pass. These three withIndependence Pass can be combined for a perfect loop and can be just the rightdistance for an overnight trip. But be warned. Once you experience thesepasses, you will have to come back for more every single year.
So now youknow my favorite spots, what are yours? Please comment and let us all knowwhere else to check out Colorado's fall colors off the beaten path.
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