When is the best time to visit Colorado?

15.09.2023 - 20:39 / lonelyplanet.com / Rocky Mountains

The best time to visit Colorado depends on how you want to spend your time in the Centennial State. From world-class skiing and snowboarding in the winter to picturesque hiking and mountain biking in the summer, Colorado is all about outdoor recreation, which is largely seasonal and weather-dependent.

But not everything takes place outside. Colorado is also home to tranquil spas, thought-provoking museums, great shopping and other year-round pursuits. So while Mother Nature can serve as your guide, she shouldn’t be the only factor you consider. The state also encompasses many different landscapes, and it's vital to keep in mind that the weather varies greatly depending on location — for instance, temperatures may be spiking in Denver while some mountainous regions are still covered in snow.

Plan your next trip to Colorado trip with our seasonal breakdown of the best activities and festivals throughout the year.

Whatever your sport of choice, you can probably do it in Colorado in the summer. Hiking, mountain biking, whitewater rafting, stand-up paddle boarding, fly fishing, road cycling, camping and birdwatching are just some of the many outdoor pursuits you’ll find here between June and August – all set against a stunning natural backdrop, of course.

Tons of celebratory festivals – ranging from the Palisade Peach Festival to the Vail Wine Classic – take place primarily outdoors between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Summer is also wildflower season in Colorado, with vivid red paintbrushes, delicate lavender-and-white columbines, and bold purple penstemons putting on a colorful display. And if you’re hoping to bag a “fourteener” – Colorado-speak for hiking to the top of a 14,000-foot mountain – late summer is also your best bet.

Summer weather varies greatly throughout the state. On the often-overlooked Eastern Plains – the flat part of the state that shares a border with Nebraska and Kansas – temperatures are usually in the upper 80s and low 90s, with occasional spikes into the low 100s. The same is generally true for the communities along the Front Range, like Colorado Springs, Denver and Fort Collins, as well as cities on the Western Slope, like Grand Junction. Though there isn’t as much humidity as in other parts of the country, summers can still be very hot at lower elevations in Colorado.

In the Rocky Mountains, however, it’s a different story altogether. If you visit mountain towns like Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge and Silverthorne between June and August, you’ll experience blissfully cool temperatures in the 60s and 70s. That’s a big reason why many Denver metro-area residents head up to higher elevations once the weather heats up. So, while summers in the mountains are amazing, they also come with bigger