It's fall, y'all! Labor Day is fast approaching, which means autumn is essentially here. To celebrate this momentous occasion, let us break out our scarves and PSLs and scope out when to see fall colors in Colorado. Our good friends at Smoky Mountains do the honor of releasing a fall foliage map every year, so let's take a look and see what the Colorado fall foliage map says this year:
Each year, Smoky Mountains releases an interactive Fall Foliage Prediction Map, a guide showing the forecasted timeline for changes to the autumn landscape as the season progresses.
Colorado fall foliage is absolutely breathtaking. Plan your autumn adventures early and absorb this state's exquisite beauty!
As per their 2022 map, Colorado's fall foliage should be minimal to patchy in mid-September...
...and we will see peak to near-peak foliage in Colorado by mid-October.
Though parts of Colorado will still be a colorful wonderland later in the month, the foliage is predicted to be "past peak" for much of the state after early November.
Obviously, no predictions can be 100% correct, but the map gives us a pretty good idea of where the best fall colors can be found, which - surprise! - is throughout our beautiful mountains.
Don't live in the mountains? No problem - you will still see vibrant colors, too! They'll peak a week or so later than in the mountainous areas and will stick around a bit longer in October.
So, what causes the changing of the leaves? Once the temperature and sunlight change, chlorophyll in the leaves breaks down, which makes the green hues disappear.
If you want to make the most out of autumn this year, we recommend checking out our beautiful Colorado fall foliage road trip, which hits some of the best places to see fall colors in Colorado!
The people at Smoky Mountains created the Fall Foliage Prediction Map for users to be able to see when and where in their state fall foliage will be looking its absolute best.
The map above shows the fall foliage predictions for October 3rd. As you can see, change is thought to be well underway by now, so you'll want to plan a road trip quickly (if we can make the suggestion).
Discover even more Colorado fall foliage by checking out some of our favorite places to visit in Colorado in the fall.
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