It’s that time of year when you step outside in a plaid shirt and smell the apple cider donuts and pumpkin spice lattes.
With that comes leaf peeping season! Every year Coloradans are given a list of places to visit to see majestic aspen leaves in their new shades of gold and crimson. But you don’t have to head hours away out of Denver to witness fall’s colorful arrival.
Just ask Ben Rickenbacker, the Forestry Operations Manager with Denver Parks and Recreation.
“In the mountains… it’s spectacular. You have these wide, whole mountain sides that are all turning yellow all at once, but down here, we have a longer season,” Rickenbacker said. “You also get more than just the yellow down here, too. You get the reds, you’ll get the purple from the autumn purple ash. You get some of those different varieties versus just the yellow. And you don’t have to deal with fighting everybody during traffic. If you’re ever stuck on I-70, you know what I’m talking about.”
Rickenbacker oversees all the forestry activities throughout the city, maintaining more than 83,000 different trees.
Rickenbacker said this year’s leaf peeping season will be vibrant and long, thanks to the increase in wet weather.
This year’s June was the rainiest June in Denver since the 1880s with more than 5.23 inches of rain recorded, according to the National Weather Service.
Makes sense that an increase in moisture would really give the leaves their time to shine. But we like to get nerdy here, so here’s the the scientific explanation we got from Rickenbacker:
Leaves contain the compound chlorophyll. That gives them their signature green color and helps them absorb the sun’s rays through photosynthesis. Leaf senescence is the proper term for the physiological aging process of plants. When leaves enter the senescence phase, the chlorophyll is no longer needed because the leaves are aging and getting ready for the winter. So as the chlorophyll degenerates, the green is replaced by the brown, yellow and red colors of fall.
Rickenbacker said there are three things the leaves need to really bring us those vivid autumn colors. First, trees need the sunny days and cool fall nights that aren’t too cold. Rickenbacker said a hard freeze will shock the leaves and they’ll turn brown faster, withering away without any long-lasting color change.
Second, the wind needs to be calm. Again, during senescence, the leaves are aging and their attachment to the trees are dwindling. Windy days will cause the trees to lose the leaves faster causing us to miss out on those gradual color changes.
And most importantly, the trees need to be well hydrated heading into fall, and that’s been the case this year.
Looking around the city, some trees are already starting to head into hibernation, giving us some shades of yellow. Rickenbacker said the season will really ramp up after the autumn equinox on Saturday, Sept. 23.
“I’d say October is when you really start to see it, you know, early to mid-October,” Rickenbacker said. “And then, depending on the species because every species is a little bit different.”
While the draw of leaf-peeping is to admire the colors of nature, Rickenbacker said the season is also a good time to get to know the various tree species.
For example, Rickenbacker said a great spot in the city to leaf peep is the High Line Canal Trail. Along the edges, there are tons of green ash trees and they’re more noticeable during the fall.
“You really don’t notice how many volunteers, which volunteers are basically a tree that nobody planted, how many volunteer green ash are along the Highline Canal until the fall. When they all turn that color, you’re like, ‘Wow, there’s a lot of ash and you really notice those species,'” Rickenbacker said. “It’s a good way to kind of touch up on your tree identification skills. You can kind of spot trees from a real far distance just because of the color and the timing that they’re changing.”
Rickenbacker said folks should also pay attention to the shrubbery. There are many native shrubs in Denver that Rickenbacker said turn amazing colors but don’t get as much recognition. There are chokecherries, American plums and burning bushes.
Rickenbacker gave us a list of places across the city to head to, apple crisp macchiatos and flannel blankets in hand, to check the fall foliage. He will also host some tree-seeing tours if folks are interested. The Denverite crew also has some recommendations. If we missed any spots you frequent, send us an email.
Rickenbacker’s favorite tree in the whole city is this massive bur oak tree in Civic Center Park. You’ll find the oak and its sprawling leaf canopy across from the City and County building.
During the summer, he told us, folks like to gather under it for the shade. There’s a mini gate protecting the trunk and roots and also to deter folks from climbing up the trees.
Rickenbacker said it’s about 80 years old and it’s his favorite just because of the tree’s resilience.
“It’s just a magnificent tree,” Rickenbacker said. “It doesn’t get the best fall color because bur oaks aren’t known for their fall color but they’re just like tough, tough trees. There’s not really much that can harm it as far as snow storms or wind events. They’re good drought tolerant trees and just a great tree for our area.
Here are the best spots in Denver to go urban leaf peeping:
High Line Canal Trail through James A. Bible Park
This gets two recommendations, one from Rickenbacker and one from our editor, Obed Manuel.
Rickenbacker said the green ashes and other species along the trail are old, so their canopies are large and ripe for vivid color changes. There’s 27 walkable, equestrian and bike-friendly segments and the full trail is 71-miles. Rickenbacker said walking the trail for just the walk itself is also the perfect fall plan.
Cheesman Park/Washington Park/City Park
Rickenbacker said these are classic areas for leaf peeping. There’s a large variety of trees, giving leaf watchers with a bigger range of beauty.
South Platte River Trail/Cherry Creek Trail
Rickenbacker said the native cottonwoods trees along the water will give folks vibrant pumpkin orange colors.
Denver Botanic Gardens/Denver Zoo
Rickenbacker said these two spots are sleeper locations because when people think leaf-peeping, they think parks but both the gardens and zoo are home to a variety of trees.
Rickenbacker said the Botanic Gardens have exotic trees and plants that aren’t found in Denver, so it gives folks the opportunity to see species they aren’t familiar with.
With the zoo, Rickenbacker said you get a two-for-one deal: Check out the animals while checking out the foliage.
Denverite’s Dez Pick: Ninth Street Historic Park at Auraria Campus
I don’t know what type of trees line this block, but walking along it feels like I’ve stepped into an east coast cottage town. It’s also a good place to learn about the history of the campus.
CPR’s Nate Minor and Chuck Murphy: Denver Mountain Parks
Another slept on area in the city, specifically Genesee Park. It’s hot to visit in the summer but during the fall, it’s serene and you can watch the bison.
CPR’s Megan Verlee Crownhill Park in Wheat Ridge
A little outside of Denver, but Megan said the cottonwoods are worth the trip.
Obed recommends East Montview Boulevard between Colorado Boulevard and Monaco Parkway; Chuck recommends 7th Avenue Parkway between N. Williams Street and Colorado Boulevard; CPR’s Ben Markus prefers 17th Avenue Parkway between Colorado Boulevard and Monaco Parkway; and Reader Kalen loves 6th Avenue Parkway east of Colorado.
We’re grouping all the city streets together to make it easy for you. What East Montview, 17th Parkway and 7th Parkway have in common are the massive tree-lined medians or roadways. Along with the large houses, the streets bring out the cottage town vibes again. You can walk along the medians to avoid standing to close to the cars. For Montview, Obed said he’ll purposefully add 10 minutes to his trip for the view.
Send us your leaf-peeping spots in the city at [email protected]
