Favorite Fall Color Destinations Across Colorado

DENVER (CBS4) - In a state like Colorado, there is no such thing as a bad drive when it comes to seeking out fall color.

Most every mountain highway provides breath-taking views full of yellow, orange, red and the infamous gold.

Here are some of the more popular leaf-viewing routes broken down by region.

SOUTHWEST COLORADO

• Lizard Head Pass - Colorado 145 south of Telluride in the San Juan Mountains
• Kebler Pass - Gunnison County Road 12 in the West Elk Mountains
• U.S. 160 between Del Norte and Cortez over Wolf Creek Pass and through Pagosa Springs
• Colorado 135 betweeen Crested Butte and Gunnison
• Slumgullion Pass - Colorado 149 east of Lake City in the San Juan Mountains
• U.S. 550 over Red Mountain Pass between Ridgway and Durango
• McClure Pass - Colorado 133 south of Redstone

NORTHWEST COLORADO

• Flat Tops Trail Scenic and Historic Byway - 82 miles between Meeker to Yampa
• Willow Creek Pass - Colorado 125 near Granby in the Rabbit Ears Range
• U.S 40 in the vicinity of Rabbit Ears Pass
• Maroon Bells near Aspen
• Colorado 65 over the Grand Mesa

SOUTH-CENTRAL COLORADO

• Cottonwood Pass - Chaffee County Road 306 west of Buena Vista in the Saguache Mountains
• Gold Camp Road betweeen Colorado Springs and Victor
• Colorado 67 through Cripple Creek and Divide
• US 285 over Kenosha Pass between Fairplay and Conifer
• Top of the Rockies Scenic and Historic Byway - Minturn to Twin Lakes via Leadville
• Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
• US. 50 over Monarch Pass

FRONT RANGE

• Peak to Peak Highway between Black Hawk and Estes Park
• Guanella Pass Scenic Byway south of Georgetown
• Squaw Pass west of Bergen Park
• Colorado 14 through the Poudre Canyon west of Fort Collins
• Fall River Road near Saint Mary's Glacier off I-70 and Exit 238

SOUTHEAST COLORADO

• Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway - Colorado 96 west of Pueblo
• Highway of Legends Scenic and Historic Byway - Colorado 12 between La Veta and Trinidad

RELATED: The Science Behind Colorado's Fall Color Show

Additional Resources

The following information was released by the Colorado Department of Transportation om September:

Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers a Rush to the Gold Brochure and other suggestions at cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/SeasonalFall.aspx.