The last week of September and the first week of October seem to be fairly reliable for good color. Later than that the color can disappear quickly and by the 15th it is usually pretty bare. But a lot depends on altitude and weather. Rain or snow can knock the leaves off the trees overnight. The cottonwoods along the creeks at the lower elevations are not as bright as the aspens but seem to hold their color longer. Shortly after seeing spectacular color along the C&TS, I rode the Silverton and along the Animas the fall color was well past its prime.
More pix from that trip in October 2016 can be found
HERE.
JBWX
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/2018 06:54PM by John West.