Prime leaf peeping without taking on I-70: less traveled routes in Southern Colorado
Bradley Davis
Cañon City, Colorado – A leaf peaking expert from Cañon City said this weekend is the prime time to see the changing colors in Southern Colorado, while the leaves up north along I-70 start to fall.
“Southern Colorado, it’s just a hidden gem down here,” said Colorado Jeep Tours owner Will Colon.
An overloaded I-70 has become an annual fall tradition as thousands pack onto the narrow mountain highway to get a look at the changing aspens. It came to a head a couple of weekends ago when the town of Georgetown was so gridlocked that it closed its roads and started turning travelers away, according to our Denver news partners.
Colon said the southern Colorado roads are much less trafficked. He said there are two things to consider when searching for changing leaves: How high you are, and how far North/South you are. The lower in elevation and further South you go, the later “peak season” tends to hit.
Colon said driving to Cripple Creek from Highway 24 in Colorado Springs, or the less-traveled county roads from Cañon City, are two strong Southern Colorado leaf peeping routes. Hit 24 earlier, then go from Cañon City later in the season. He has his own secret spots he takes people on for his tours, but he said he expects the Bishop Castle area in Rye to have a really strong scene this weekend.
“You never get tired of it. It’s always a wonderful experience,” Colon said.
Colon said he expects this weekend to be the last peak weekend for leaf peeping in the Cañon City area. He said if you miss it and are desperate to get one last look at fall foliage, your best bet is to keep heading south.