6 Unique Ways to See Colorado's Changing Leaves

By Aimee Heckel

Colorado Travel Expert, about.com

The changing of the colors of the trees is one of the most spectacular shows that Mother Nature puts on in the fall. In Colorado, the stars of this show are the aspen trees, whose thin golden leaves seem to magically glow.
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Nearly two million acres of more than one billion aspens grow in Colorado. That’s enough trees to cover the states of Delaware and Rhode Island.

Needless to say, many photographers, nature-lovers and visitors plan vacations around the changing of the leaves.

It’s hard to pin-point exactly when the greens will start morphing, but Sept. 23 is the first day of fall. Most visitors head up the mountain mid- to late-September, and leaves may still be beautiful through mid-October. But weather, including sudden cold weather or high winds, affects the turning point. Also, the higher the tree grows, the earlier it will change.

When you start to notice the first colors of fall, here are six of the best, unique ways to see and celebrate the leaves.

1. On a historic railroad.
Antonito, a tiny town in far southern Colorado, about a half hour south of Alamosa, is home to the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. This fall, the historic railroad will take visitors deep into the heart of tens of thousands of aspens, where no roads go.

This historical and scenic experience heads to the top of Cumbres Pass, just over 10,000 feet elevation, for unbeatable views. This climb up the mountain means you can see aspens at various phases of the transformation — a leaf rainbow.

Best of all: You don’t have to drive, so you can fully engage in the tree-watching, and score great pictures along the way.

2. On a mountain hike.
The high-elevation mountain pass, Rabbit Ears, is just under a half hour from Steamboat Springs, and it puts on quite the leaf show every fall. U.S. 40 provides year-round travel, and the Rabbit Ears Trail is not too challenging of a hike. The trail goes directly through a large aspen forest. The final stretch of rock scrambling may be tough for some, but the views at the top are worth the sweat.

3. Via zip lines.

Soaring Tree Top Adventures in Durango boasts the longest and safest zip line course of its kind in the world. The 27 different zip lines take you high above the trees, including dramatic groves of golden aspens.

4. In a luxury vehicle with a GoPro. 

Where better to go to see the aspens than the town named after the trees? The St. Regis Aspen has a new Fall in Love with Aspen program, a free program to guests who book during leaf season. Guests get access to a Lexus to drive into the nearby forest, can use GoPros to capture the scenery.

5. In a ghost town. 
Aspen visitors can tour the Ashcroft mining area, a historic site for great leaf viewing. It’s the site of some of the area’s most impressive aspen groves.

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Tours of the mining area are led by the Aspen Historical Society Thursdays through Mondays until Oct. 5. After that, visitors can set up private tours.

Today, the formerly bustling mining community of Ashcroft is a ghost town. See the former Blue Mirror Saloon (one of up to 20 saloons in town during its boom in the 1800s), the old post office and other rickety but preserved wooden structures, which add a quirky and educational energy to your leaf peeping adventures.

In the ‘70s, the historical society received the first ever permit to preserve and interpret a ghost town.

6. In an art gallery.

In celebration of the golden aspens, Valley Fine Art in Aspen will feature fall artwork, including photos of changing trees. Gallery workers can provide inside tips on where to go in Aspen to take your own pictures, too.