Colorado's southwestern region offers a variety of scenic drives showcasing gold-leafed aspens. Among these is the route beginning at Ridgeway, traveling west on Colorado 63 over Dallas Divide, and winding up at Lizard Head Pass. It offers views of dense groves of aspens along the way. Another popular route is the Kebler Pass, beginning at Crested Butte along County Road 12. Other drives include the routes between Pagosa Springs and Cortez along US 160, and along U.S. 50 west from Gunison to Colorado 149 south to Lake City.
In northwest Colorado, a popular foliage drive is the route from Grand Junction to Grand Meas along I-70. It offers views of thick stands of aspen, as well as other turning trees. Other routes in the northwest part of the state include Colorado 125 over Willow Creek Pass between Granby and Walden, and the Flat Tops Trail Scenic and Historic Byway.
Cottonwood Pass, just west of Buena Vista, is flanked by the 14,000-foot peaks of Mount Princeton and Mount Yale. The valley within these mountains contains one of the state's most aspen-filled areas. This particular route allows you to witness the fickleness of color change, with one slope turning gold while another remains summer green. Other routes include the Gold Camp Road from Colorado Springs to Victor, and the route along Colorado 17 from Antonito to the New Mexico border.
The Guanella Pass Scenic and Historic Byway, just south of the historic town of Georgetown, contains pockets of Aspen atop the 11,699-foot Guanella Pass. Some other favorite routes in the Front Range region include Colorado 14 through Pourdre Canyon West, and the Peak-to-Peak Scenic and Historic Byway, a twisting highway linking Black Hawk to Estes Park.
The southeast region of Colorado features the Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway, starting at Pueblo and heading west on Colorado 96. Highway of Legends Scenic and Historic Byway, wrapping around West and East Spanish Peak, passes next to tracts of pine, scrub, oak and aspen.
