Route highlights
● Golden Gate Canyon State Park.
Eight miles west of Golden and a few miles north of Black Hawk is a ledge called Panorama Point. Weddings happen here. So does awe.
● Colorado Highways 72 and 7,
Nederland to Estes Park. Dazzling overlooks, plus the occasional abandoned gold mine for character. Much color below the splendid Twin Sisters Peaks east of Colorado 7 just south of Estes Park. Watch for elk munching on lawns.
● Rocky Mountain National Park.
Pick a road, any road. Lots of puffs and some nice concentrations of aspen color throughout, but especially near the west entrance at Grand Lake. Along Trail Ridge Road above the timber line, the tundra vegetation takes on fall hues of its own. Elk concentrations in autumn-burnished meadows and along streams just inside the Fall River entrance (near Estes Park) are a don't-miss.
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● U.S. 34 and 40,
Grand Lake to Kremmling. Much aspen color on the slopes surrounding deep blue Grand Lake - the lake is blue, the town isn't. These roads, often surrounded on both sides by color, continue along and sometimes way above the Colorado River, which is lined with golden cottonwoods. Byers Canyon is gasp-worthy. This is a marvelous drive and part of Colorado Headwaters Scenic Byway.
● Interstate 70,
Eagle to Glenwood Springs. One of America's great stretches of interstate, it glides alongside the Eagle River's colorful willows and cottonwoods, then winds through Glenwood Canyon of the Colorado. There are pops of color down by the river, but they're just a bonus: Wait until you experience the magnificence of this brief (maybe 15 minutes) canyon drive . . . YOW.
● Colorado 82,
Snowmass to Twin Lakes. This is ski country, but not all of the mountains have been scarred by trails. This is where Buttermilk Mountain in all its golden glory can be found. A few miles ahead, instead of spinning out of the Aspen roundabout into town, spin instead down Maroon Creek Road and get ready for tingles: The Maroon Bells are a stunning, purple, multipeaked mountain face rising above a lake surrounded by a valley of color.
For dessert, go back to the roundabout and this time spin down Castle Creek Road, past the ghost town of Ashcroft and into yet another magnificent mountain valley. It's as good as it gets - and there's more to come: Beyond Aspen town, this road narrows and winds through thick aspen forest, the leaves trembling in the sun and soft breeze. You'll see photographers with expensive cameras trying (in vain, certainly) to capture an arboreal miracle that rivals California's redwoods.
● U.S. 24,
Leadville to Vail. Plenty of history in Leadville - gunfighter-dentist Doc Holliday wheezed here - but the drive (this is part of Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway) gets better as you motor north past the site of Camp Hale, where ski troopers trained during World War II. That's when the highway heads up.
It's a mountain road that's a beauty in any season - but in this season, you will pull over and take lots of pictures or pull over and gaze in wonder lots of times. Save a shot - trust us on this - for Gilman, an abandoned (and off-limits) mining town perched photogenically on the side of Battle Mountain.
If you go
● GETTING THERE
It's a 14-hour, 950-mile drive from Tucson to Denver, where the real journey begins. If you want to fly in and rent a car, better hurry up and book: Airfare to Denver is currently running as low as $148 round-trip on America West - you might also consider flying into Colorado Springs.
● WHEN TO GO
In Colorado, the variations in latitude and especially elevation, plus surprise snowstorms and other meteorological treats, add to the usual guesswork regarding peak color seasons.
In general, expect the best color from mid- to late September in the north - around Rocky Mountain National Park - through late October in the southwest, toward Durango.
On much of this route, peak color typically arrives right around now, the third and fourth weeks of September, but good color can linger a week beyond that. Or, a good wind might strip the trees in seconds. It's worth the risk.
● FOLIAGE REPORTS
For updates on fall color conditions, call the U.S. Forest Service Fall Foliage Hotline at 1-800-354-4595 or go online to www.fs.fed.us/r2/colors and click "Current Report."
● OTHER INFORMATION
For recommendations on Colorado fall-color drives, call the Colorado Tourism Office at 1-800-265-6723, or go to www.colorado.com/fallfoliage online.
Also helpful is the Colorado State Parks office: go to www.parks.state.co.us/Fall/index.asp or call 1-303-866-3437. For specifics on hot spots, Photo Travel, which publishes guides for photographers, has posted a particularly detailed one called "Fall Color in Colorado" on its Web site. Find it at www.phototravel.com/sample/co_fall.htm or call 1-800-417-4680.
● WHERE TO STAY
This being prime tourist country, there's no shortage.
Aside from Denver and Colorado Springs, towns that work best as a base in this region include Estes Park (motels, lodges, ranches and cabins), Glenwood Springs (motels, inns) and Black Hawk (casino-linked hotels). Check out ski towns (Aspen, Vail, Snowmass, Breckenridge, Winter Park-Fraser and more) for their off-season specials.
And here and there, there's a unique lodging like the Delaware Hotel - circa 1886 and rumored to be haunted - in historic Leadville, home of the marvelous National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum. Reservations are a good idea.
