Best Time to View Colors on the Grand Mesa in Colorado
Dr Scott
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Colorado claims three of the top 11 'Best Towns For Fall Colors.'

No one from this study apparently bothered to drive up the Mesa, but the state of Colorado definitely received some love.

According to the website travelandleisure.com, 25 top spots were chosen for fall colors and scenery. Let's see which places in Colorado finished in the top 11:

  • #8 - Snowmass Village

'Snowmass Village and nearby Aspen—which bears the name of Colorado’s most ubiquitous tree—are visited only briefly by autumn. But catch it while you can because it’s one of the best times to explore this area, with seasonably mild days and not-too-cold nights, and the predictable celebrity sightings when the Aspen Filmfest rolls into town. The preferred local ways to experience fall color are biking and hiking, whether it’s along the exceptionally beautiful Crater Lake Trail near Maroon Bells or the moderate Smuggler Loop at Hunter Creek.'

 

  • #10 - Glenwood Springs

'Autumn can start making an appearance as soon as early September in these parts, and leaf-peepers trek to Glenwood Springs in droves to watch summer green change to aspen gold at the confluence of the Colorado and Roaring Fork rivers. Bike or hike along the 44-mile Rio Grande Trail that leads up to Aspen. If you have to pick a drive, choose the one over Independence Pass, where a short hike will bring you to a summit overlooking 18 mountains higher than 14,000 feet. You can even choose to leaf peep by Segway. Back in Glenwood Springs, relax at the world’s largest natural hot-springs pool.'

 

  • #11 - Estes Park

'At Estes Park, gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, fall is announced by the sound of bugling bull elk and the sight of bighorn sheep butting heads, beginning in about mid- to late September. You’re most likely to hear the elk’s mating calls at dawn and again at dusk, which leaves the day in between to gaze at the park’s golden aspen-cloaked peaks. Festival season begins in late September with beer, brats, and bands at theAutumn Gold Festival  ... and if you just can’t get enough of those guys with the antlers, there’s the annual Elk Fest.'

 

 

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