Fall in Colorado: A Beautiful Time for Sightseeing and Winter Travel Planning

Fall in Telluride

Fall in Aspen

As you can see from the photos featured in this post, we are in full fall splendor here in Colorado. The foliage is peaking now, yet there’s still a lot of green on the trees. So it should remain beautiful in the mountains for another few weeks. Now we’ve entered the autumnal phase of white beginning to replace the gold, russet, burnt umber and bronze that currently punctuate our alpine panoramas. Yes, as the snow fills in, this harvest of fall colors fades into the landscape and we’re left increasingly hopeful about the opening of our ski resorts and the promise of the winter season in the Rockies.

A Fall Snowstorm Bodes Well

Riding the Gondola into the Town of Telluride

Town View: Telluride, Our Own Sort of National Park

Although many of you might be settling in at home, hunkering down winterizing your homes and cooking up a braised stew, know that this is the best time of year to shop for excellent lodging deals at most Colorado resorts. There’s still time to plan a terrific fall getaway at a fine hotel or resort and enjoy all the amenities they have to offer while paying shoulder season prices. Our towns are still hopping, sadly partly due to an influx of visitors originally planning on visiting our nearby National Parks. If you have skiing or snowboarding on your mind, know that many properties offer killer discounts if you book your winter travel before the end of October (or in some cases by mid-November). Whether you’re considering an early season ski trip or a week-long stay in January or February, the best buys and the greatest availability for your desired dates are to be found now.

I’ve written up lots of fine properties on my blog, many of which you can find highlighted in the Skiing category of Bonjour Colorado. My favorites in my hometown of Telluride are Mountain Lodge Telluride, Camel’s Garden, The Peaks Resort & Spa and the New Sheridan Hotel. (Note that The Peaks and the New Sheridan will be closed October 14-November 27, but now is still the best time to book early ski season and winter travel.) In the Vail Valley, I highly recommend The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at Beaver Creek Mountain. In Durango, just a half-hour from the slopes, I encourage you to plan a stay at the Rochester Hotel, a historic property that—along with the oh-so Western town of Durango—just might make you take an extra rest day during your ski vacation, so that you don’t miss out on some good, old-fashioned fun. Indeed, they all sponsor this blog and I have invited them to do so because I think they’re terrific! You can read more about these properties as well as others at my Faves page. Be sure to type what you’re looking for i.e. hotels Breckenridge into the search in the upper right hand corner of my blog to check out more recommendations.

Know also that as I highlighted in my post, Trip Planning Pour Vous, I do custom trip planning for individuals (or small groups) to Colorado and France.

T-ride

Looking into Bear Creek in Telluride

More Telluride Majesty

Thank you to Jeremy Swanson, from Aspen Snowmass, Darren Miller and my trusty iPhone for the images featured in this post. If you’re looking for a massage in Telluride, Darren is an excellent healer. He works at Mountain Lodge Telluride when he’s not out snapping photos.

Autumnal Aspen

Transitioning into Winter