Colorado’s autumn is a magical time when the air becomes crisp and new vibrant colors ripple across the landscapes. It’s a special season that delivers unmatched beauty — the kind that has inspired people to flock to Colorado for centuries to admire bright yellow clones of shimmering aspen trees in all their glory.
While Colorado’s stunning fall foliage display is worthy of the annual crowds, there is an etiquette to “leaf peeping” and a way to show respect for the trees, wildlife and other outdoor explorers.
Here are some tips on how to plan your fall adventure at a Colorado state park, plus some newbie mistakes to avoid during your journey. Enjoy, and good luck on your search for leaf gold!
Find a Colorado State Park
Colorado is home to 43 state parks, each as diverse as the state itself.
To help you plan a state park visit, use the Colorado State Parks Guide (Guía De Los Parques Naturales) or State Park Finder, which provides a comprehensive map and reveals what trails and outdoor activities are available at each park.
Although all Colorado state parks are gorgeous in the fall season, some parks to highlight are:
Expert Tips
- Know before you go. Check conditions before heading out, as wind or early snow can shorten the season. Visit the state park’s individual Facebook page before you visit to learn updates about the leaves changing colors in the park.
- Buy a park pass. Visitors can enter Colorado state parks with a daily or annual state park pass (including a Keep Colorado Wild Pass).
- Parking lots can fill up during peak park hours. If a parking area is full, drive on to the next designated parking area. Visit a park during the week, or before 8 a.m. or after 4 p.m. to avoid crowds.
- Bring layers — mountain weather changes quickly.
- Have a backup plan. Sometimes the stars don’t align, and you don’t get to park or hike exactly where you want to. Sure, it stinks, but you don’t want to be THAT person who blocks traffic or gets a ticket because you parked illegally. There are plenty of other trailheads and overlooks to explore!
Customize your outdoor adventure
The State Park Finder can filter parks based on what activity you want to do, location, accessibility options and what facilities are available at each park.
Are you hiking with children, a dog or someone who wants access to a bathroom or paved sidewalk? You can customize your state park adventure and accommodate your needs to ensure a positive outdoor experience.
Leaf Peeping Etiquette: Show you care about Colorado and leave no trace
The State Park Finder can filter parks based on what activity you want to do, location, accessibility options and what facilities are available at each park.
Are you hiking with children, a dog or someone who wants access to a bathroom or paved sidewalk? You can customize your state park adventure and accommodate your needs to ensure a positive outdoor experience.
As a valued visitor to Colorado’s state parks, you play a crucial role in protecting our natural resources. Your respect for shared outdoor spaces matters and helps keep our parks clean and thriving.
How we explore our outdoor spaces matters. Conservation starts small, but all of our proactive steps to leave a state park better than we find it can add up meaningfully. No matter where you plan to explore this fall, please respect our natural resources, park staff, volunteers, and fellow recreationists.
Three easy ways to show respect for outdoor spaces:
- Stick to trails. Parking and hiking off-trail can cause significant damage to vegetation and contribute to erosion and soil loss.
- Leave it as you find it. You can help keep trees healthy by not carving into them, pulling down branches, or hanging waste bags on them.
- Trash the trash. Find designated trash cans or bring your trash out of the park with you. Throwing away food helps reduce human-bear encounters and attracts wildlife to human food sources.
Expert Tips
- Park in designated areas to avoid getting a parking ticket.
- While shortcuts for the perfect photo can be tempting, staying on the trail helps protect you from injury and getting too close to wildlife.
- Download the free COTREX app to find trailheads and trail maps all across Colorado.
Keep Wildlife Wild: Understand why they need extra space in the fall season
Many species call Colorado home, making it the perfect destination for wildlife watching in state parks. However, wildlife can get aggressive if they aren’t given enough space and approached by humans.
Fall is a sensitive time for wildlife because bears are entering hyperphagia and need to eat 20,000 calories a day to build healthy fat reserves to survive the winter. In human “fast food” terms, that’s the equivalent of 20 chicken sandwiches, 10 large fries, 10 sodas and 10 milkshakes (every day).
Elk and moose are in their annual rut (mating season), so give them space and do not approach them. Elk and moose can get territorial and attack when they feel threatened.
Expert Tips
- Keep dogs on a leash to avoid chasing wildlife.
- If you see wildlife that appears sick or injured, leave it alone. Call your local CPW office and ask a trained wildlife officer for guidance.
- Watch for wildlife on roadways. Although your focus may be on the leaves, please stay alert for wildlife walking alongside roads.
Enjoy Colorado state parks
Being kind and considerate to others outdoors helps build more inclusive spaces and allows everyone a personal connection to nature.
Trails can be multi-use, which means multiple outdoor activities can be enjoyed on them at the same time. How you enjoy nature may be different from how someone else enjoys it. It doesn’t matter if you are hiking, biking, trail running, hunting, fishing, wildlife watching, or—it’s all of our responsibility to coexist and not ruin someone else’s outdoor experience.
No matter where you plan to explore Colorado in the fall, enjoy Colorado’s golden glow and please show respect for our natural resources, park staff, volunteers and your fellow recreationists.
By: Bridget O’Rourke, Statewide Public Information Officer at Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
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