Here’s an adventure agenda for you — with a few suggested alternates and fun add-ons:

January: Ice climbing in Ouray

There’s no better place to fully embrace winter than in Ouray, especially during the annual Ouray Ice Festival. Head to the Ouray Ice Park, a free place for beginners and experienced climbers to play on the ice. While a guide is not required, it’s recommended that you engage an expert or take one of their ice-climbing clinics. If scaling the icy walls of the gorge isn’t for you, spend time just watching the ice climbers. Then soak in the hot springs and explore the box canyon. The festival runs Jan. 23-25, 2025, and you can watch gear demos, see movies, and go to a dance party.

An alternate: The annual National Western Stock Show rides into Denver for two weeks every year — it’s here now, Jan. 11-26 — during which you can learn about cowboy and ranching culture. From mutton bustin’ to the themed rodeos, it’s a can’t-miss event.

February: Winter fun in Steamboat Springs

If you’re not an alpine skier, one of the best things about Steamboat Springs is that it offers every other winter activity you can think of, including a Winter Carnival Feb. 5-9. This event features fireworks, skijoring (horses pulling skiers and sledders down the street), free skiing at Howelsen Hill, a ski jumping competition, snow sculptures and more. I’ve also had a blast when I tried dog sledding, swished along the cross-country ski trails, slid down a snow-packed hill on an inner tube, hiked to a frozen waterfall, and soaked in the town hot springs. For the skiers, Steamboat Ski Resort can handle all skill levels, from novice to expert.

An alternate: The town of Loveland has fully embraced its name to become a quasi-capitol of Valentine’s Day with a Sweetheart Festival Feb. 14-15, 2025. Head to the historic downtown for fire and art demonstrations, live ice sculpture making, music, dancing and contests. The Loveland Visitor Center has a large LOVE sculpture where you can buy a lock and attach it here or at the heart-shaped sculpture next to Lake Loveland.

March: Birding in Monte Vista

It’s the beginning of mud season when the freeze-and-thaw cycle of spring can leave hiking and biking trails muddy. So a roadtrip to the San Luis Valley is in order. At the Monte Vista Crane Festival, March 7-9, 2025, you can participate in tours of places such as Blanca Wetlands Wildlife Habitat Area and watch these amazing migratory birds and listen to their distinctive call.

An alternate: Barr Lake State Park in Brighton offers weekday birding walks where you might see everything from bald eagles to warblers.

April: Stargazing a state park

Some of the Colorado State Parks have received International Dark Sky Certification, meaning light pollution is low and stargazing potential is high. While it’s still early for comfortable tent camping, you can make a reservation for an RV spot somewhere like Jackson Lake State Park in Morgan County and then relax with a view of the Milky Way. You’ll be amazed at how much darker the sky is just one hour east of Denver. Pro tip: you want to be there closer to a new moon (March 29 and April 27, 2025) rather than a full moon because the sky is much darker. The Lyrids Meteor Shower is expected April 22-23, 2025, which should also make for a great show.

An alternate: Ridgway State Park in Ouray County is also Dark Sky Certified. Check the Colorado Parks & Wildlife website for other state parks that have been certified. There are also national parks, monuments, and areas that Dark Sky International has recognized.

May: Hit the beach at Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve

As the snow melts each spring, it fills Medano Creek, which flows over the sand between the visitor center and the dunes of the Great Sand Dunes. Be warned: this is snowmelt and the water can be freezing. In high-flow years, there can be a current and little waves where people are out with pool float toys; in low-flow years, you can easily walk across the stream and rinse your sandy feet. Tip: avoid Memorial Day weekend, if you can, because there will be crowds.

Fun add-on: Plan ahead and rent a sandboard before you enter the park (the National Park Service website has a page listing all of the places within a 36-mile radius where you can get this equipment). Then hike up the dunes (bring lots of water!) and surf down them.

June: Whitewater rafting in Canon City

You have your pick of outfitters, but my recommendation for rafting the Arkansas River is Echo Canyon River Expeditions where you can rent a modern glamping tent or house with Royal Gorge Cabins, eat a good meal across the road at Mile 8, and take a wild whitewater rafting ride. Choose between a scenic float or opt for Class III and IV rapids–all captured on video by a little camera on your guide’s helmet. Canon City is about two hours south and west of Denver.

Fun add-on: Head to nearby Salida for FIBArk, which bills itself as the “nation’s oldest whitewater festival” from June 12-15, 2025. Watch a costumed boating race, see champion stand-up river paddleboarders compete, listen to live music, and participate in a foot race.

July: Crested Butte Wildflower Festival

This is usually the ideal month to find wildflowers in Colorado, and Crested Butte is one of the finest places to see them. So, check out the annual Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, July 11-20, 2025, when you can take a guided hike, participate in photography or watercolor workshops or celebrate these beauties in other ways.

Fun add-on: If you’re up for it, you’ll find more wildflowers on the 11-mile one-way West Maroon Pass hike between Crested Butte and Aspen. This classic high-altitude trek is challenging — but very popular. You can arrange a shuttle once you get to Aspen to get you to your lodging of choice or back to Crested Butte.

August: Tent camping in the mountains

It’s hard to pick just one spot for tent camping when there are so many incredible places to put down stakes, and you will need to reserve a spot in a state or national park or take a chance with first come first serve on federal lands. Pick up a copy of “Best Tent Camping Colorado,” by Monica Stockbridge or “Colorado Camping: The Complete Guide to Tent and RV Camping,” by Joshua Berman to get some ideas on where to go and what to expect when you get there.

An alternate: If camping isn’t your jam, go to Palisade for the annual Palisade Peach Festival from Aug. 15-16, 2025. There will be a peach-eating contest, chefs making new dishes with peaches, a talk on the history of peach growing on the Western Slope, and more.

September: Eltktober in Estes Park

The natural mating rituals of the elk that inhabit Rocky Mountain National Park were attracting so many tourists that the park’s gateway town of Estes Park created a festival. This year, Estes Park Elk Fest, aka “Elktober,” runs Sept. 27-28. But attending the fest isn’t the only way to see, hear and learn about the elk since you can drive into the park (or many elk wander into town regularly) during this time of year and possibly hear their distinctive “bugle” call for a mate. Remember to keep a safe distance from wildlife, and please don’t feed or touch them.

Fun add-on: Wapiti is the Shawnee tribe’s word for elk, and it translates to “white rump.” After a day of learning about elk, head to the Wapiti Colorado Pub in Estes Park for a bite to eat.

October: Leaf-peeping

Guanella Pass, between Georgetown and Grant, has always been one of the best places for fall leaf-peeping in Colorado. But this 24-mile scenic byway road, especially, and other mountain passes that are abundant with the state’s iconic aspen trees, can be terribly congested with car traffic during fall colors season. So put in your research for destinations and dates. Peak weekends change every year, but are always between mid-September and mid-October.

Fun add-on: If you do decide to join the crowds on Guanella Pass, start your drive from Highway 285 at Grant and then take in the views above Georgetown, where you can also ride the Georgetown Loop Railroad to see still more fall colors from a different vantage point.

November: Soak at Glenwood Hot Springs Resort

Colorado has many hot springs to choose from and I like them all, but you can’t go wrong at Glenwood Springs. They say they are the largest hot springs pool in the world and I have to take their word for it. The Yampah Mineral Baths are the newest addition here of five smaller soaking pools. You can soak in a hot springs any time of year, but November is ideal with a little chill in the air outside–maybe even snow already—as the steam rises off the warm water.

An alternate: Iron Mountain Hot Springs is also in Glenwood, just above the banks of the Colorado River where they have an Upriver section for people 21 years of age and older.

December: Fat tire bike rides

Summer isn’t the only time to ride a bike in Colorado. Thanks to those chunky wide wheels, you can comfortably ride a fat tire bike over a snow-packed trail. Rentals are available in several ski towns, including Winter Park, where this sport has been embraced. There are beginner to expert trail experiences to try (roads to trails to singletrack) as you hone your new skill.

An alternate: Lace up your hiking boots for a scenic winter hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. Winter hiking is different than snowshoeing so depending on how much snow has fallen, you could use snowshoes instead. If the snow isn’t deep, strap some microspikes onto your boots and get out your trekking poles to explore this scenic place in a quieter season for hikers.

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Back home, the harvest period is expansive. Authoritative, even. Fall stretches itself out like a lazy cat that won’t budge, and there’s never any rush to peep the silver and sugar maples, native bur oaks, ash, giant sycamores, American elms and Eastern redbuds, with their bifurcated trunks and leaves as yellow as sunbeams.

Trees are everywhere in the Midwest, so it’s no wonder Nearmap, an aerial technology company, recently ranked one of Denver’s closest capital cities, Topeka, Kan., as one of the top “leafiest” capitals in the U.S.

Tree canopy shades more than 30% of The Golden City, making it a forest metropolitan, according to Bob Ross of the Greater Topeka Partnership. Early settlers gave Topeka its nickname upon observing its sunlit rolling hills and autumn elms. Mother Nature doesn’t feel rushed in Kansas: Glimmering leaves can glow into Thanksgiving, in a fierce rainbow of red, deep orange, gold, lingering green, purple and rich brown.

Bright days and cool nights seem to bring out the best colors, and according to a 2024 fall foliage prediction map created by Smoky Mountains National Park, smokymountains.com, the northern half of Kansas will begin to see leaves change in early to mid-October. Full peak is expected between Oct. 30 and Nov. 6, with a partial peak happening the week before. Leaves should continue popping well into November. For families and budget travelers — or any Coloradans who just can’t resist a bonus round of leaf peeping — Topeka is only a road trip away.

Here’s the first thing I really want you to know: Topeka has one 4-star boutique hotel, the Cyrus Hotel, 920 S. Kansas Ave., a Marriott property in the heart of downtown with views of the Kansas Capitol Dome. Rooms start at about $189 a night, and I don’t think I have to tell any Denverites that this is a screeching good deal for luxury rooms and service.

“If that’s too much, there’s always — ” Ross begins. I try to stop him right there, but he’s insistent. Two even more affordable Topeka lodging options are the SpringHill Suites Topeka Southwest, 2745 SW Fairlawn Road, and the Hilton Garden Inn, 1351 SW Arvonia Place.

In addition to offering upscale accommodations, the Cyrus’ lobby, with its high ceilings and modern aesthetic, opens to a variety of restaurants and bars, all plotted along South Kansas Avenue, Topeka’s main street, running from the Kansas River to the turnpike. A few suggestions for meals within walking distance of this hotel include Iron Rail, 705 S. Kansas Ave.; The Celtic Fox, 118 SW Eighth Ave.; Brew Bank, 822 S. Kansas Ave.; The White Linen, 112 SW Sixth Ave., with its compact, chef-driven menu; and a new wine and champagne bar, Royal Society, 913 S. Kansas Ave.

Topeka is ready for its close-up. Over the last decade, the city has invested about $500 million in its historic downtown district, Ross tells me. Evergy (not a typo) Plaza, 630 S. Kansas Ave., opened in 2020, and this newish public venue, complete with interactive fountains and a firepit, offers 400 events a year, including a free concert series on Thursdays, Friday night movie screening (April through October), and regular cultural events, including Fiesta Topeka in July and India Mela in August. On Oct. 19, Evergy Plaza hosts its Outset event, with trick-or-treating, live music and vendors.

There are plenty of ways to experience fall colors in Kansas, but for active Coloradans, hiking stands out as a familiar and enjoyable option. Start your adventure by climbing 296 steps at the Kansas Capitol Dome, 300 SW 10th Ave., where tourists gain a bird’s-eye view of the town’s forests. Free tours take guests to the peak of the dome. Walk outside onto the cupola to see up to 20 miles in any direction. Fun fact: The Kansas Statehouse is the only U.S. capitol building where guests can go up to the top of the dome and walk along the outside balcony.

From here, it’s a 1.5-mile drive to Ward-Meade Historic Site, 124 NW Fillmore St., one of the best places in town to see fall colors. Park in the lot off NW Clay Street, and start your day by strolling through history at Old Prairie Town. The 1800s village is part of a 6-acre historic site that includes the Ward-Meade mansion, a national historic landmark and a 2.5-acre botanic garden shaded by a variety of trees. Paved trails take walkers through several distinct zones, including a national conifer reference garden.

A few minutes past Ward Meade Historic Park, there’s Gage Park, 635 SW Gage Blvd., a great place for families to enjoy the colors while riding on a historic mini-train or taking a spin on the Herschell-Spillman carousel (circa 1908). You’ll find the inexpensive Topeka Zoo on the northeast corner of Gage Park — a destination for kid-approved leaf peeping. If you’re vying for caregiver of the year, check out the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center, 4400 SW 10th Ave., which maintains an incredible outdoor space for curious young guests.

Continue west to MacLennan Park, SW Fairlawn and Cedar Crest Drive, in northwest Topeka. There are multiple places to park, including along Sixth Street, just west of Fairlawn Road. I’d recommend starting up north, though, near the Governor’s Mansion, aka Cedar Crest, a castle-like estate built on a 244-acre wildlife refuge overlooking the Kansas River.

You’ll see some spectacular color from the moment you step out of your vehicle. From here, hikers gain access to the Cedar Crest, Governor’s Mansion and MacLennan trails, offering miles of looping dirt and limestone singletrack that drop you into the colorful timber. The terrain is mild by Colorado hiking standards, but still enjoyable and drop-dead gorgeous this time of the year. Since the Kansas River is currently experiencing low water levels, it’s possible to walk onto the riverbed and explore the sandbars.

While you’re on this side of town, continue down SW Sixth Avenue to reach the Kansas Museum of History, 6425 SW Sixth Ave. The museum is currently closed to the public through January as it undergoes a major redevelopment. But the building sits on an 80-acre lot featuring a modest, absolutely lovely trail system bypassing the historic one-room Stach School from 1877.

You’ll have to drive across town to reach the Ted Ensley Gardens, 3650 SE West Edge Road, a 37-plus-acre free botanical garden featuring panoramic views of Lake Shawnee. With more than 450 trees in its arboretum, including 87 varieties rare to Kansas, it’s hard to image a better place to stroll through fall foliage. Golfers can do their leaf peeping from the links since the Lake Shawnee Golf Course, 4141 SE East Edge Road, is surrounded by trees. Cyclists, meanwhile, might want to enjoy the colors from the Shunga Trail, an 8.5-mile concrete path beginning at SW 29th and SW McClure, continuing to the Deer Creek Trail, which offers another 3.7 miles of riding in East Topeka.

If you’re up for a side trip, Echo Cliff Park, 24927 Echo Cliff Road, located near Dover, Kansas, is only about 30 minutes west of Topeka. You won’t regret the stunning country drive to the site’s 50-foot cliffs. For a taste of Kansas, picnickers can grab a sandwich or salad at Somerset Hall Café, 5701 SW Douglas Road, open daily until 2 p.m. Housed in a can’t-miss-it white building that opened as the Sage General Store in the late 1800s, the homestyle restaurant dishes up one of the best pies in America, I’m told. You can also order chicken fried steak, and you’re in the Midwest, so why not?

About 30 miles east of Topeka, the college town of Lawrence is another fun pit stop. Grab lunch at one of the many restaurants lining Massachusetts Street before renting a SUP or kayak for some leaf-peeping on the river. Great Blue Heron Outdoors, 823 Massachusetts St., is a reputable local outfitter.

In Colorado, fall isn’t quite complete without a little agritourism, and Topeka has that base covered, too. Located off Highway 24, between Topeka and Lawrence, Gary’s Farm, 5991 17th St., Grantville, runs its annual Fall Festival through October. There are more than 30 attractions to explore on the farm, including a pumpkin patch, corn maze and petting zoo, to name just a few.

The Maple Leaf Festival, held on Oct. 19 and 20 in the nearby town of Baldwin City — which looks like something straight out of a Hallmark movie — is another seasonal offering with more than 300 craft exhibits, quilt shows and displays, performing arts, music and activities.

What are you waiting for? Grab the car keys, and don’t believe for one second that leaf season is nearly over.

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To the consternation of us Colorado natives and those who live in mountain communities, inconsiderate people have spoiled a rite of autumn — leaf peeping. Even on weekdays, roads to scenic aspen byways nearest the Front Range have become nearly as congested as Denver city streets during rush hour. Illegally parked cars further narrow the mountain roads worsening traffic. Sherriff deputies in rural counties have to cover hundreds of square miles and may be called away from traffic enforcement to handle real emergencies. This limits the number of vehicles they can ticket.

Worse, some tourons dump trash at the trailhead or leave bags of dog waste along the trail for the rest of us to enjoy. One frustrated woman picked up 110 bags of poop on a single hike. Do we have to bring the famed “Crying Indian” — Italian actor Iron Eyes Cody — out of retirement? How about the Woodsy Owl? Some people need a refresher about polluting our public lands.

It’s a shame there are too many people on the road, too many illegally parked vehicles, and too many selfish hikers to enjoy the color-changing aspen like we once did. There’s nothing we can do about the population increase — 2 million people moved here since we hiked these trails in the 1970s — but for the latter two problems, there are options.

We could encourage people to take selfies with mountain fauna especially large wild ungulates and/or mama bears. Stand close for the perfect shot! Kiss that cub! We could put up misleading traffic signs to encourage detours to New Mexico. Tell released wolves that if they like the taste of Hereford calf, they’ll love tourists. Give that civically minded citizen who cleaned up after other hikers a tow truck and license to remove vehicles parked illegally or owned by litterers. Install cameras so the rest of us can relish the moment of understanding. Bet they’ll give a hoot now.

Faced with 21.8 million international visitors this summer, not all of them well-mannered, Spain’s native sons and daughters took to the streets demanding curbs on mass tourism. Maybe mountain residents could do the same. Hey ho, Front Range leaf peepers have got to go!

In all seriousness, authorities should levy higher fines for illegal parking and littering to deter these behaviors. Other changes may be necessary so that everyone can enjoy these once a year views. Just as park services have required reservations for hiking Hanging Lake trails and the Manitou Incline, it may be time require reservations for narrow scenic byways and trails. Otherwise, longtime residents will resent new comers, especially the inconsiderate ones.

Colorado’s population growth hasn’t been all bad, not by a long shot. Benefits include economic growth, new artistic, recreational, and cultural amenities, regenerated urban neighborhoods, and more public revenue for parks and trails. There have been costs, too, including more traffic, higher housing costs, and crowding of public spaces. Additional mitigation is necessary to ensure equitable access to public land.

Until then, I’ll settle for viewing aspen’s less flamboyant lower elevation relative — the humble cottonwood. With its deeply grooved bark and shimmering gold leaves, cottonwood, along with orange- and red-eafed scrub oak, stately ponderosa pine, and rugged juniper make a Foothills hike nearly as rewarding. When desperate for aspen vistas, I’ll head to Wyoming’s Snowy Range Mountains to peep.

Krista L. Kafer is a weekly Denver Post columnist. Follow her on Twitter: @kristakafer.

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“(Guanella Pass) is beautiful, it’s gorgeous, stunning. If you park on the side of the road where there is not room to park, I hope you stub your toe really hard,” TikTok user Laura Von Sonnenschein said in a video posted Sunday. “You are robbing us of autumn joy because you have turned Guanella Pass into an undrivable, one-lane road with no park rangers or traffic control.”

In the video’s caption, Von Sonnenschein called out drivers for being “a buncha ding dongs on the road.”

The video shows slow and unmoving traffic as drivers attempt to squeeze past each other on the narrow roadway, made narrower by illegal parking.

“If you want to save three hours of your life waiting in traffic, avoid visiting Guanella Pass this weekend,” Dawn Wilson said Sunday on Facebook. “Several areas of the road are gridlocked because of people parking half on the narrow roadway, making a few sections into one-lane roads for the two-way traffic. Colors looked great, though.”

“Tried Guanella pass this morning at 9 a.m. and traffic (was) parked on both sides of the road blocking all traffic about two miles in,” Gregory Knapp wrote in another post on Facebook. “Complete sh*t show!”

Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jenny Fulton said the sheriff’s office is responsible for traffic enforcement on both Guenalla Pass and Colorado 103 — another popular leaf-peeping destination — but how often deputies can patrol the areas depends on other calls.

“It’s really challenging because Guanella Pass and (Colorado) 103 are a couple of the closest areas people from the metro go to look at the leaves changing,” Fulton said. “The traffic poses a challenge to all of our communities.”

Fulton said the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office only has three deputies and a sergeant on duty Saturday and two deputies, a trainee and a sergeant Sunday. One community enforcement officer — who is not a sworn deputy but who can write parking tickets — is also on duty each shift.

The small crews have to cover almost 400 square miles and any emergency calls have to take precedence over parking enforcement, Fulton said.

“For example, this past Sunday, the community enforcement officer was on Guanella Pass Road for 90 minutes doing parking enforcement before he had to leave on a call,” Fulton said. “He wrote four citations and instructed anyone who was either in or near their illegally parked vehicle to move their vehicle.”

Deputies can’t tow illegally parked cars, even if they’re partially blocking the roadway, but they can and will slap drivers with a citation and hefty fine.

“Towing illegally parked vehicles is not practical considering the volume of traffic, the number of illegally parked vehicles and towing capacity,” Fulton said.

According to Fulton, eight parking citations were issued between Sept. 9 and Sept. 25. Citations issued last weekend — including the four issued by the community enforcement officer on Sunday — had not been entered into the sheriff’s office’s system as of Wednesday.

“We patrol that area as much as we’re able to based on call load,” Fulton said, adding that patrols will be increasing over the next few weekends due to the increasing complaints and safety concerns.

But it’s not just the traffic that has people upset — the influx of hikers and dog owners to the area has left behind piles of trash and “nasty” conditions, according to multiple social media users.

One Reddit user posted a photo of “nasty” piled-up poop bags at Guanella Pass’ Abyss Lake Trailhead on Tuesday.

“WTF is wrong with people? Disgusting,” the user wrote.

“There was a lady at the trail the other day who was so fed up with this that she grabbed a trash bag from her car, loaded it up, and took it with her,” another Reddit user commented in the thread. “She said she picked up 110 of them.”

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Most of the state is at or near peak, according to observers from north of Steamboat Springs all the way down to Durango. And, as predicted, it’s turning out to be an exceptional fall for foliage.

“People hesitate to say, ‘This is the best I’ve ever seen,’ but I think you can safely say it really doesn’t get much better than this,” said longtime Breckenridge resident C.J. Mueller. “This weekend is going to be nuts.”

The Eagle Valley is seeing similar explosions of colors.

“Even our deciduous trees that aren’t aspen are starting to turn,” said Linda Hiatt, a volunteer at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail. “I’d say it would be best if people came this weekend, in the Eagle Valley. We’ve got yellows, reds – it’s just stunning everywhere.”

Here’s a quick round-up from folks around the state, working north to south:

North of Steamboat

“Two days ago was probably the real peak,” said D.J. Bessey, a chef at the Hahn’s Peak Cafe, 25 miles north of Steamboat Springs at an elevation of nearly 8,200 feet. “If you go north a couple of miles, it’s pretty much over. It should be good through the weekend, unless we get a good wind or snow.”

Steamboat Springs

“Good bright colors, everything peaking,” said Gregory Koehler, owner of the iconic Rabbit Ears Motel in downtown Steamboat Springs, elevation 6,800 feet. “It won’t be long before leaves start falling. It’s definitely a prime time to come up and visit.”

Breckenridge

“Looking out the window of my house, which is built into a grove of aspen trees, it’s at peak,” said Mueller, who lives above Breckenridge at 10,000 feet. “It’s been spectacular. Boreas Pass is probably a little past peak, but only just a little.”

Vail

“We are really at peak,” Hiatt said. “It’s incredibly beautiful right now. This weekend should be fabulous, all the way from Vail down to Gypsum. You can’t beat this weekend, I don’t think.”

Crested Butte

“We’ve got a little bit of green and a few leaves have fallen, but not many,” said Jerry Lund, who works at the Crested Butte visitors center. “Most everything has turned. I’d call it peak, and I’m telling everybody to come as soon as they can.”

Leaf-peepers are flocking to nearby Kebler Pass, one of Colorado’s best fall foliage destinations.

“I’ve had four people in the visitors center already this morning that are going over Kebler Pass today,” Lund said mid-morning on Thursday.

Durango

The town of Durango is probably a week away from peak, according to Tori Ossola, general manager of the historic Strater Hotel, but higher elevations are in full fall foliage glory.

“I did drive over to Silverton last weekend, and it is just gorgeous in Silverton,” Ossola said. “You can really tell the difference; the higher you go, the golder it gets. It’s just beautiful.”

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The National Weather Service is calling for sunny skies and temperatures mostly in the early 80s through Sunday along the Front Range, as an upper level ridge settles in over the state, with Tuesday’s high of 78 the only day in the next week not topping the 80-degree mark.

Otherwise, expect a high of 80 degrees Monday and a low around 50 degrees tonight. Wednesday through Sunday will feature plenty of sunshine with temperatures topping out from 83 degrees to 86 degrees each afternoon — temperatures the weather service characterizes as above normal for this time of the year.

Nighttime lows will hover in the early 50s all week, meaning no worries exist about an early frost hitting backyard flowers and plants.

Expect temperatures to be about 10 degrees cooler in the foothills above Denver this week, and drop them another 10 degrees for the mountains, according to the weather service.

Forecasters say there is little chance for precipitation this week, though hints of a cold front with potential moisture moving in next week are emerging.

There are patches of color between Silver Plume and the Eisenhower-Johnson tunnels. In Aspen, the change started Thursday. In Steamboat Springs, “it’s still as green as it can be,” according to Gregory Koehler, owner of the iconic Rabbit Ears Motel.

There is good color popping in the Vaily Valley, though.

“It’s definitely starting here,” said Ashley Carter, who works at the Colorado Snowsports Museum at the foot of the Vail ski area. “We’ve got lots of little yellow and orange and red patches happening all over, from East Vail through Edwards. I just hiked up to Booth Lake (Wednesday) and there were a lot of yellow trees. We’re definitely not at the peak. It’s patchy. I can see out of our window, we’ve got a perfectly green aspen right next to a perfectly yellow aspen.”

Carter is guessing the peak in Vail is a week to 10 days away, but says, “It’s starting to change fast.”

Dustin Schaefer, who works at the Loveland ski area, said the aspen up high near Herman Gulch are close to peak, but he’s guessing the peak in Georgetown — 1,800 feet lower in elevation — is more likely to come around the first week of October.

In Aspen, the change began overnight Wednesday into Thursday.

“Up until this morning, there hasn’t been a hint, as far as local aspens are concerned,” Aspen native Mike Marolt said Thursday. “I was driving home yesterday and I was like, ‘When are the leaves going to start changing?’ This morning, lo and behold, all over the place.”

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According to National Weather Service meteorologist Russell Danielson a “pretty strong storm” is forecast to begin Saturday morning and into Sunday, with the potential for “pretty significant rain for September standards.”

Daytime temperatures in valley areas Saturday will drop from the 60s to 50s, with overnight lows in some cases falling below freezing. In some of the highest elevation areas, that may translate to as much as 2-4 inches of snow accumulation, though Danielson said that will be dependent on the storm’s path.

“We’ll see if we get a direct hit from this storm,” Danielson said. “It’s still pretty uncertain.”

Read the full story at our partner, Summit Daily.

The Breckenridge Tourism Office will post fall foliage photos every other day on its Leaf Brief page, which can be found at gobreck.com. The site also has educational information, trail information and other tips. Photos also can be seen @gobreck on Instagram. Leaf peepers can add their own photos using #BreckLeafBrief.

Peak fall color in the Breckenridge area is expected in the third and fourth week of September, which Town of Breckenridge naturalist Ella Garner said is “pretty typical.” Higher elevations around town are already showing good fall color.

“Generally, the trees that are up a little higher, on ridgelines or cliffsides where they are in full sun, that’s often why they change a little bit sooner than the ones on Main Street that may be in the shade of buildings or the understory of other trees,” Garner said, adding that young aspen trees have already started to peak. “Groves that are shorter, like under five or six feet, seem to be changing more like in the second or third week of September.”

There’s also good fall color in the Frisco area. Garner predicts a great fall foliage season.

“We had a really good rainy season during the growing (season), which contributes to leaf growth and producing chemical compounds like carotene which creates the orange colors.”

Garner and fellow town naturalist Lauren Sawyer offer free guided fall foliage hikes up to three times a week during leaf-peeping season.

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