Rocky Mountain National Park is a prime spot for viewing the fall foliage. (Tony’s Takes)

This time of year many folks start thinking about heading to the hills west of Denver in search of gold – fall foliage gold.

Where to go?  Below are five of ThorntonWeather.com’s favorite ones near Denver – plus a few further out and some bonus ideas.  After that, we will tell you where you can find a great website that provides regular updates on viewing conditions.

• Images from recent years’ seasons:
  • September 2015 photo slideshow | October 2015 photo slideshow
  • October 2016 photo slideshow
  • October 2017 photo slideshow
  • September 2018 photo slideshow | October 2018 photo slideshow
  • September 2019 photo slideshow | October 2019 photo slideshow
  • September 2020 photo slideshow | October 2020 photo slideshow
  • September 2021 photo slideshow | October 2021 photo slideshow

I-70 Corridor – If you’re looking for the easiest route, then this one is for you.  Simply head west on I-70 about 110 miles to Avon.  Between Vail and Avon, both sides of I-70 are lined beautifully with aspen.

Rocky Mountain National Park – One of the most popular summer destinations in the state is of course also a prime spot to view aspen in all their glory.  Once in the park head toward Bear Lake.  Glacier Gorge Junction provides a beautiful spot and you of course also get to enjoy all the splendor that Rocky Mountain National Park has to offer.  Extend your viewing by taking Trail Ridge Road all the way through to the west side of the park and the Grand Lake and Granby area.

Peak to Peak Highway – This little road trip can be a dual purpose trip – gambling and fall foliage viewing!  Take U.S. 6 through Clear Creek Canyon and then 119 through Blackhawk and Central City.  You can of course stop there if your wallet is fat enough and donate some money to the casinos.  From there continue on 119 toward Nederland.  Take highway 72 toward Ward and Allenspark.  There you will find more golden aspen than you can imagine, all with the Continental Divide nearby.

Colorado Fall Foliage – Average Date of Peak Aspen Colors. Click for larger view. (ThorntonWeather.com)

Poudre Valley Canyon –  Heading north on I-25 take Colorado 14 west and into Poudre Canyon and Roosevelt National Forest.  As you continue west you will come very near timberline as you come to Cameron Pass.  Amazing views abound!

Guanella Pass – This is a nice, relatively short drive from Denver.  From C470 take 85 through Bailey and Conifer, a nice drive unto itself.  When you come to the town of Grant, take the Guanella Pass Scenic and Historic Byway north to Georgetown.  The air is pretty thin along the way as you climb in excess of 11,500 views through the Pike and Arapahoe National Forests.

A couple other possibilities further from the Front Range:

Leadville / Aspen – From Denver take I-70 west to Copper Mountain and then Colorado 91 south over Freemont Pass to Leadville. Along the way there are plenty of viewing opportunities and Leadville is a nice little town to make a stop. From here you can take Highway 24 north back through Minturn and Vail. To extend the drive, take Highway 24 south to Colorado 82 and head toward Aspen. You can stop by the Maroon Bells in White River National Forest to view some of the most photographed mountains in Colorado.

Cottonwood Pass – From Denver take Highway 285 to Buena Vista. Head west on Main Street for seven miles then west on County Road 344 / Colorado 82. From there you start the climb up Cottonwood Pass with absolutely stunning views from the top. If you are up for it, you can continue down the west side of the pass into the Taylor Park area.

Honorable mentions worth considering:

• Boreas Pass between Breckenridge and Como (County Road 10)
• Kenosha Pass on Highway 285 between Bailey and Fairplay
• Independence Pass (Colorado 82 between Aspen and Twin Lakes)
• Colorado 103 from Evergreen to Echo Lake. Throw in a drive up Mount Evans for a bonus.

If you do head out, be sure to send us your pictures for inclusion in our monthly photo slideshows!

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For more information:

• Colorado.com: Colorado Fall Foliage Drives
• Colorado State Parks: 7 Ways to Enjoy Fall Colors
• Colorado State Forest Service Aspen Fall Colors

With the first full month of fall here, October usually brings one of the quietest weather months in the Denver area with plenty of mild, sunny days and clear, cool nights.

October is historically the second sunniest month and conditions are generally calm.

However we also will usually see our first taste of winter during the month with the first freeze and first snowfall of the season.  Temperatures as well will start to drop and by the end of the month the average nighttime lows are below freezing.

For complete details on our historical October weather and what we can expect in the coming month, read our complete October weather preview here.

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October is usually a relatively calm weather month in Denver but can see some interesting events. In our look back at this week in Denver weather history we see tornadoes, damaging wind and of course snow.

From the National Weather Service:

2

In 1903…southwest winds were sustained to 42 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph. The strong Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 78 degrees.

In 1910…an apparent dry microburst produced sustained northeast winds to 43 mph.

In 1934…a trace of rain was the only precipitation of the month. This was the driest October on record.

3

In 1875…very dense haze hid the mountains from view as observed from the city.

In 1933…rainfall of just 0.01 inch was the only precipitation of the month. This was the second driest October on record.

In 1954…the low temperature cooled to only 60 degrees…the all-time record high minimum for the month October.

3-4

In 1969…the first snowfall of the season totaled 16.0 inches at Stapleton International Airport. There was a thunder snow shower on the evening of the 3rd…but otherwise little wind with the storm. The greatest snow depth on the ground was 8 inches due to melting. Heavy wet snow accumulated on trees…which were still in full leaf…and caused widespread damage from broken limbs and downed utility lines.

3-5

In 1984…the remnants of pacific hurricane Polo produced heavy rain over northeastern Colorado. Most locations received between 1.00 to 2.50 inches of rain…but 3.45 inches fell in Littleton. Rainfall totaled 1.73 inches at Stapleton International Airport…where north winds gusted to 24 mph.

4

In 1912…sustained south winds to 55 mph with gusts to 60 mph raised the temperature to a high of 83 degrees… The warmest temperature of the month that year.

In 1924…west winds were sustained to 46 mph with gusts to 50 mph in the city. The apparent Bora winds cooled the temperature to a high of 57 degrees from a high of 70 degrees on the 3rd.

In 2004…several small tornadoes touched down near Brighton… Barr lake…and Hudson in Adams and southern Weld counties. Most of these caused no damage. However…a small tornado 5 miles southeast of Brighton caused extensive damage to a recreational vehicle and severely damaged a barn. The barn was torn from its foundation…and the roof was thrown 100 feet. Four llamas in the barn were injured when it collapsed.

4-5

In 1997…unusually warm weather resulted in two temperature records. High temperature of 87 degrees on the 4th exceeded the old record set in 1922 by one degree. High temperature of 86 degrees on the 5th equaled the record set in 1990 and previous years.

» Click here to read the rest of October 2 to October 8: This Week in Denver Weather History

A pleasant, early fall day like we love on tap today. Temperatures will be right near average for the date with a good bit of sun and just a slight chance for a shower.

Mostly sunny skies start us off and will be with us most of the day. Mid to late afternoon through the evening offer up just a slight chance for a shower. Any activity that does develop will be much lighter and far more widespread than yesterday. Look for high temperatures right around the 70 degree mark.

Tonight, any showers will end by midnight. Skies will then see some clearing. Overnight lows will dip to the mid-40s.

Monday looks to offer up similar weather conditions to what we have seen the last few days. Temps will top out right near normal and we expect to see some shower activity in the afternoon and evening.

Partly sunny skies will start us off and be with us for most of the day. Conditions this morning will be calm and dry. Early afternoon may see an isolated shower or two. Chances for activity increase in the mid-afternoon with the best opportunity coming in the evening. Highs will top out right near the average for the date of 71 degrees.

Tonight, the evening will give our best chance for showers. By midnight most showers will have ended. Skies will be partly to mostly cloudy with overnight lows in the mid-40s.

Keep an eye out for those showers here.

Low pressure intrudes this weekend, breaking down the ridge that has kept us so warm. As it does, we see temps get closer to normal and will have some pretty good chances for showers.

For today, mostly sunny skies will be with us this morning then cloud cover will increase. The afternoon introduces a chance for thunderstorms and showers, mainly from about 3:00pm to 9:00pm. Highs will top out in the mid to upper 70s. Tonight, showers will come to an end and we will see a bit of clearing. Overnight lows will dip to around 50 degrees.

Saturday may start with some fog then we will have partly clear skies for the balance of the day. The afternoon and evening offer up another chance for showers and thunderstorms with timing similar to today. Highs will top out near the 70-degree mark. Saturday night, any storm activity should end by midnight. Lows will be in the upper 40s.

Sunday continues with similar conditions but with lesser chances for showers. Partly sunny skies will be above and highs will top out in the low 70s. Some light showers will be possible in the afternoon and into the evening. Have a great weekend!

We have one more day with temps well into the 80s in store today. There will be just a bit of a chance for a  shower / thunderstorm.

Mostly sunny skies start us off with more clouds slowly building throughout the day. By mid-afternoon, it will be partly sunny. The afternoon brings a slim chance for a thunderstorm or shower. Any storms should be quite isolated and not very dramatic. High temperatures will again top out in the mid-80s.

Tonight, lows dip to the low 50s under partly cloudy skies.

Looking ahead, cooler, and possibly wetter weather, looks to be in store for the weekend and into next week. More in the extended forecast.

Oh, TWC, the invented drama and stupidity you put on display is why I refuse to watch you. Today, their top guy, Jim Cantore, got hit with a tree branch while stupidly standing out in the open reporting on Hurricane Ian.

I certainly never wish harm on anyone but if you do stupid stuff like this, you get what you deserve. He is lucky it only hit his leg and not his head.

Of course I suppose at least this portrayed reality, unlike previous coverage which could only be called “fake news.”

A tarantula on the move during the annual migration near La Junta, Colorado. (Jessica Fey)

The month of September is typically one of the more pleasant months in Colorado.  Temperatures are usually comfortable and there is not normally a lot of weather drama.  That however does not mean there aren’t plenty of photo opportunities.

Wildlife is still quite active along the Front Range and flowers will hold on to their petals for at least the first part of the month.  Then of course there is the weather which you never know what to expect.  Thunderstorms, heavy rain, and even snow are a possibility.

• Slideshow updated September 29, 2022
• To learn more about how to send your photo to us for inclusion in the slideshow, see below the slideshow.

Showcasing images captured by ThorntonWeather.com readers as well as some of our own, our monthly slideshow covers the entire gamut of weather-related imagery.

Sunsets, sunrises, wildlife and of course every type of weather condition are vividly depicted in images captured from yours and our cameras.

What is missing in the slideshow above?  Your photo!

Our monthly photo slideshow is going to feature images that we have taken but more importantly images that you have captured.  The photos can be of anything even remotely weather-related.

Landscapes, current conditions, wildlife, pets, kids.  Whimsical, newsy, artsy.  Taken at the zoo, some other area attraction, a local park, a national park or your backyard.  You name it, we want to see and share it!

Images can be taken in Thornton, Denver or anywhere across the extraordinary Centennial State.  We’ll even take some from out of state if we can tie it to Colorado somehow.

We’ll keep the criteria very open to interpretation with just about any image eligible to be shown in our slideshows.

What do you win for having your image in our slideshow?  We are just a ‘mom and pop’ outfit and make no money from our site so we really don’t have the means to provide prizes.  However you will have our undying gratitude and the satisfaction that your images are shared on the most popular website in Thornton.

To share you images with us and get them included in the slideshow just email them to us or share them with ThorntonWeather.com on any of the various social media outlets.  Links are provided below.

So come on, get those camera’s rolling!

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Another warm, dry day ahead. Mercury readings today climb to about 10 degrees above normal.

We will see a few clouds today but nothing too intrusive. Overall, mostly sunny skies will be the rule. High temperatures will be climbing to the mid-80s.

Tonight, skies will be partly cloudy with lows in the low to mid-50s.