Fall
- Admire mountains streaked with golden aspen groves on the Peak to Peak scenic byway.
- Soak up the sunset views from the historic Monarch Crest Scenic Tramway in Salida.
- Observe the Greater Sandhill Crane during the Yampa Valley Crane Festival each September (Steamboat Springs and Hayden).
- Bray with delight at pack burro races during Miners’ Day celebrations in Victor, Rollinsville, South Fork and Frederick.
- Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 to Oct. 15) with fashion shows, musical performances, museums and more (Denver).
- Listen for bugling elk as you hike amongst the fall colors of Rocky Mountain National Park.
- Get into the Halloween spirit by exploring some of Colorado’s mining ghost towns and most haunted sites.
- Sip your way through a tour of Coors Brewery (Golden).
- Climb aboard a Colorado historical train for a leaf-peeping trip like no other.
- It’s pro sports season! Catch a Rockies, Broncos, Avalanche, Rapids or Nuggets game.
- Explore the second-largest concentration of natural arches in North America at McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area (near Grand Junction).
- Get all gussied up for The Stanley Hotel’s famous Shining Ball (Estes Park).
- Camp under explosively yellow aspens along Last Dollar Road (Telluride).
- Indulge in some good, clean, quirky fun at Lee Maxwell Washing Machine Museum (Eaton).
- Snack on apple-cider doughnuts (and pick fruit fresh from the trees) in Penrose.
- Eye colorful hot-air balloons at October’s Animas Valley Balloon Rally (Durango).
- Cheer on Ralphie (University of Colorado Boulder) or CAM the Ram (Colorado State University, Fort Collins) as they streak down the football field during halftime.
- Honor Native American Heritage Month (November) by learning about the Ancestral Puebloan people at Hovenweep National Monument (Cortez) or by visiting the tragic site of the Sand Creek Massacre (Eads), where history was forever changed.
- Resist the temptation to sit on the artistic and architectural chairs of the Kirkland Institute of Fine & Decorative Art’s International Collection (Denver).
- Contemplate Bishop Castle — a massive sculpture built entirely by one man (Rye). Admire it from outside — the inside is an active construction site, and the official website states the castle is not open to the public.
- Taste your way through our many Colorado wineries during the peak of grape-harvesting season (September and October).
- Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with the Nathan Yip Foundation’s annual luncheon and traditional Vietnamese mooncakes from Vinh Xuong Bakery (Denver).
- Get spicy and enter a frijole-spitting competition at Pueblo’s annual Chile & Frijoles Festival.
- Revel in our amazing fall weather as you cruise some of our locally loved running and cycling destinations.
- At Coney Island Boardwalk, wolf down a hot dog from a stand that looks like an actual hot dog (Bailey).
- Hop on a shuttle to view the country’s most photographed mountains: the snow-streaked Maroon Bells (Aspen).
- Enjoy the autumn air and the good feeling of giving back with nature walks, educational events and clean-up get-togethers from Roaring Fork Conservancy (Basalt), Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (around the state) and Walking Mountains Science Center (Avon).
- Dash through Manitou Springs with a decorated casket at the Emma Crawford Coffin Races.
- Get an up-close view of bison roaming the plains at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (Commerce City) or at Genesee Mountain Park (Golden).
- Horseback ride through Browns Canyon National Monument (Buena Vista).
- Survey the shack of Colorado-famous Baby Doe Tabor — an actor and the scandalous wife of a storied silver baron (Leadville).
- Nip hoppy concoctions at the Great American Beer Festival in October (Denver).
- Decode the messages of whispering aspens at Golden Gate Canyon State Park (Golden).
- Get lost in one of the state’s many corn mazes and Instagrammable pumpkin patches with our family-friendly fall drive itineraries.
- Squeal at the gory films shown every October at the Telluride Horror Show.
