When Is the Best Time to Catch the Fall Colors in Colorado?

Fall in the mountains is one of the beauties of nature that everyone should experience. The changing of the seasons brings with it a stunning rainbow of colors bedecking our mountainsides.

• Related: Brain Post: Why Do Leaves Change Color in the Fall?

Everyone’s favorite Colorado meteorologist, Chris Tomer, shared on Facebook yesterday the optimum time to catch this spectacle in Colorado:

I get a lot of questions about Fall Color in Colorado. September arrives next week. Historically, the last 2 weeks of September is peak color in most mountain zones. Plan your leaf peeping around that timeline. It occurs later at lower elevations. See map above.

The weak Monsoon this year could shift the timeline by a few days (+/-). Drier than normal weather can accelerate color change, shorten the duration, and force some leaves to go brown early.

And the other great thing about fall? Winter is just that little bit closer…