COLORADO, USA — After a very slow color change this season, it looks like peak fall color has finally arrived this week between 9,000 and 10,500 feet in elevation.
The lower aspens between 7,000 and 9,000 feet are still in the beginning of the changeover.
On Tuesday, 9NEWS crews saw about 70% to 80% gold on Guanella Pass, Kenosha Pass and Boreas Pass. Summit County appeared to be a little past peak, but there is still some green left to change there.
And the gold in Eagle County was slightly behind.
Vail was about 50% gold on Tuesday, but the color that was showing looked to be the most vibrant in all the state so far. That includes 10-Mile Canyon on Interstate 70 between Frisco and Copper Mountain.
If you just want a quick and easy car ride for color, the stretch from Silverthorne to Beaver Creek will be incredible for the next several days.
So far, those extra vibrant gold colors that were forecast this season have been showing up. The aspen and their leaves are very healthy thanks to a slow and gradual snowmelt in the spring. That's also partially the reason for the slow change this season.
So, now that the peak gold has arrived, expect top notch colors to last seven to 10 days. Peak colors might even last until the second week of October.
That means there’s plenty of time to take in the color this season, but the weather will change a bit next week. A storm system moving down the western U.S. could bring windier, cooler and cloudier conditions for leaf viewing starting Saturday evening.
Capitalize on the best color and weather combo Wednesday through Saturday.
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