Drive Kebler Pass for Fall Colors

Crested Butte, Colorado

5.0/5
based on 3 reviews

Description

Added by Whitney James

Fall colors at their finest. See the largest grove of aspens on earth. Avoid the crowds (sorf of).

Kebler Pass, or Gunnison County Road (GCR) 12, is an excellent place to see fall colors in Colorado. You won't get nearly as much congestion as on Independence Pass in Aspen, but you get just as many yellow and amber leaves. The road is dirt but passable by any vehicle–although because it's at over 10,000 feet–it's closed in winter and can get extremely muddy if it snows or rains. The mud is slick. You'll want a 4WD vehicle, and boots for all weather if you're going to be stopping along the way to take photos.

Your jaw will start dropping as you take McClure Pass, just after the small town of Redstone. Follow 133 all the way over and just past Paonia State Park. You'll take a left on GCR 12 for 30 miles of incredible views, winding up right in downtown Crested Butte.

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Drive Kebler Pass for Fall Colors Reviews

Make sure you go no later than the end of September or the beginning of October! The colors can fade quickly with the cold temperatures that are frequently here early in the fall.

Give yourself at least a long weekend here to explore all the photographic possibilities for sunrise and sunset. This location is major chunk of my Colorado Fall Colors eBook guide.

The aspens groves on this drive are some of the biggest in Colorado. Make sure you time your trip for peak colors, this usually starts the last week of September until early October.

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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