Hidden gem Colorado parks see heavy traffic during height of leaf peeping season

All over the state, Coloradans are flocking to the mountains to see the changing leaves. Areas like Aspen and Guanella Pass have long been the "go-to" places for first-timers, but even the more hidden gems are starting to face crowding. 

"We had to wait in line and wait our turn for a spot, but it wasn't too bad," said Aaron Carpenter, who is on a camping trip with his family.

At Golden Gate Canyon State Park, the park has regularly been filling up around 10:00 a.m. on weekends. The locals' advice? Don't even bother on a Saturday or Sunday. 

"Avoid the weekends," John Van Voorhis, who moved up to the canyon recently, said. "We have relatives coming in from Oregon, and we said, 'We want to show them the Aspens and do some leaf peeping, but we picked the wrong day.'" 

While Colorado Parks and Wildlife patrols the area, the inconsistent parking in wildlife areas and overfilling of lots have become a consistent problem. CPW patrolmen walk up and down some of the busiest areas trying to keep traffic moving.

"When we do hit capacity where we're not able to have any more cars in that designated parking spots, then we hold people at the entrances," CPW Spokeswoman Kara Van Hoose explained. "They're no longer allowed to enter the park until some of those other people leave."

Some state parks do have reservation systems, but the vast majority don't have that requirement. As traffic numbers increase and more people seem to come earlier every year, it raises a question: would CPW ever have to implement such a system to see the leaves in the fall?

"It's something we can talk about in the future, but no concrete plans right now," said Van Hoose.

For now, most people out and about in the parks are doing all the right things. And many, like Carpenter, feel that any behavior that isn't kind to the Colorado natural areas can be handled by those within the park.

"Don't let yourself get stressed out," Carpenter said. "Just expect there to be a crowd, but it's gonna be fine. Just be patient with everyone. Everyone's just here to have a good time and look around."