Fall in Colorado - San Juan Mountains

Heading to the San Juan Mountains was a bit of a gamble for me. Unlike other areas I'd visited for fall colors where foliage reports were plentiful, I wasn't able to find much in the way of color reports beyond a thread on Trip Advisor and a few scattered US Forest Service reports. Fortunately, the leaves were still in full swing. My time in San Juans was mostly driving my rental car, a Nissan Sentra, up dirt county and forest service roads. Not wanting to get stuck, I was careful to stick to roads that were rated as passible by regular passenger cars. The experience made long for a 4x4 where I get farther off the beaten path.

My previous trips to Colorado had been limited to ski areas and I was surprised and awed by the raw beauty of the state. It you are interested in making your own fall color trip to Colorado, this article called Colorado Fall Color Pilgrimage was invaluable in figuring out where to go.