September 30, 2025
Leaf Peeping Day Trips in October
One of the great things about living in Colorado, in particular Looking Glass in Parker, is being so close to the colorful fall foliage landscapes in the mountains. Within a two-hour drive, you can pick your elevation and view stunning fall foliage from now until mid-November as you drive through different climate zones.
Starting in mid-to-late September the aspen trees turn a vibrant, shimmery yellow at elevations of 8,000 to 10,000 feet. From mid-October to mid-November, you can see the beautiful fall hues down through the foothills and along the plains surrounding Parker.
This is peak color time for the high country, so grab your camera and pack a lunch and head west for a picture-taking, memory-making day trip!
MID-SEPTEMBER TO EARLY OCTOBER ABOVE 9,500 FEET
• The elevation of Guanella Pass is 11,670 feet. Just 45 minutes from Parker, the Guanella Pass Scenic and Historic Byway follows an old, 23-mile wagon route. This is one of the premier places to see swaths of quaking, shimmering leaves waving against the mountain backdrop.
• Rocky Mountain National Park is less than two hours from Parker and has many groves of aspens around Bear Lake. The trees are also along the way to the park via the scenic Peak-to-Peak Byway from Black Hawk to Estes Park.
LATE SEPTEMBER TO MID-OCTOBER 8,000 TO 12,000 FEET
• One hour from Parker (58 miles) are Georgetown and Silver Plume, both surrounded by aspen groves. The Georgetown Loop Railroad is another way to see the autumn leaves as a vintage steam locomotive pulls passengers up the steep grade between the two towns.
The Pumpkinfest and Autumnfest Train rides are coming up with tickets between $34 for children and $40 for adults. And if you’re on a weekend excursion, check out the Lebanon Gold Mine Tours and keep your eyes peeled for stray nuggets!
• The area around Lake Dillon, Frisco and Silverthorne is filled with aspen groves, too, and just a 90-minute drive from Parker. There are some scenic hikes nearby and an 18-mile paved bike path circling that lake offers spectacular fall foliage scenery in every direction. The Summit County Recreational Pathway offers a whopping 55 miles of recreational paths that wind around and through Frisco and connect Breckenridge, Silverthorne, Dillon and Keystone, and you can rent bikes in Frisco from one of eight stores and make a weekend of it.
The Eisenhower Tunnel is at a little over 12,000 feet with different leaf-peeping opportunities on either side.
MOST OF OCTOBER, FROM 6,000 TO 8,000 FEET
• Interestingly, a few of the old cemeteries near Central City have groves of aspen and other leaf-changing trees along the road to another old mining town, Idaho Springs. If you don’t pack a lunch, there’s plenty of great grub to be had there, from pizza and pub food to steak and BBQ.
• In the foothills 45 miles west of Parker (a one-hour drive), the Golden Gate Canyon State Park has its share of aspen groves at lower elevations, as well as one of the best panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains.
• The city of Evergreen isn’t always green. Just 55 minutes from Looking Glass you can hike to fall color near Maxwell Falls or Alderfer/Three Sisters Park. Or, you can drive the Lariat Loop Scenic Byway from Evergreen to Bergen Park and make your way back down through Golden.
Planning an overnight getaway? There are some gorgeous drives a little further away from Looking Glass that might peak your interest. Some of the most photographed mountains are on this list, because they showcase the glory of high-altitude color. A fall drive along the Colorado River on the way to Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction offer one of those eye-popping visuals.
This Fall Around Looking Glass
The leaves aren’t all turning yet in our Looking Glass community, but it won’t be long! If you don’t live here yet, tour one of the beautiful model homes from Dream Finders Homes, Taylor Morrison, D.R. Horton and coming soon, Richmond American with single-family and paired home designs to fit every family’s needs.