When to visit Colorado’s high country
The best weather in Colorado’s high country is in early to mid-July, and September. A rainy season occurs around the end of July into the month of August. The wildflowers in the high country are not at their peak until late July, early August. Fall is also an excellent time to visit, but can bring winter-like weather. The aspen’s change color in late September and the color lasts into mid-October. But the peak can vary widely depending on elevation and year-to-year weather variations.
Trip Ideas
Here are some of the websites I use for Colorado backpacking trip ideas.
14ers.com – Highly informative site about hiking Colorado’s 14,000+ ft. summits
Backpacker Magazine – Page featuring hiking & backpacking trips in Colorado
Hiking in Colorado – Website about Colorado hiking
Darren Kilgore’s Colorado Backpacking Trip Reports
Jesse Speer’s Colorado Adventure Reports
Outfitters
Outward Bound – Colorado guided backpacking trips
Helpful Websites
National Weather Service Forecast Offices Boulder, Grand Junction, Pueblo (always check the latest weather forecast before departure)
CAIC – Colorado Avalanche Information Center
Colorado.com Travel Maps & Vacation Information
USGS.gov’s Topographic Maps (Free Downloads)
MyTopo.com Topo map service
Sam Szarka
Coauthor of the online Colorado Backpacking Guide, Sam has written several backpacking articles and is the founder of ColoradosWildAreas.com a site which began in August 2007. The website was born out of his passion for preserving and raising awareness of Colorado's remaining wild lands and aims to document all of Colorado's wilderness backcountry areas. He currently resides in Colorado Springs, Colorado.