Travelling in the Fall (Denver, Aspen: sales, 2015, motel)

[cindycat]

In our early married/working days (a long time ago) we drove to Colorado because we didn't have a lot of money or vacation days. Except for driving through on our way to somewhere else, we haven't spent any time in the state recently. We're planning to go later this month and will include Ouray and Aspen in our trip. Will we have trouble finding motel rooms, because of people coming for the fall color? Thanks.

[NW Crow]

If you book immediately you probably can get something but some places may be full. The weekends will obviously be tougher than weekdays.

[sunsprit]

I've never seen those hospitality resources strained at this time of the year in the mountains ... especially for Aspen.

If anything, a number of places will shut down or close off capacity due to the low volume of business and take the opportunity for a vacation break before ski season. This is a "shoulder season" between the prime summer tourist months and the winter ski season.

You may even find significantly discounted rates for lodging due to the low occupancy levels at this time. Fall Color tourists are a drop in the bucket sales volume compared to the main tourist seasons of the year. Just for perspective ... keep in mind that families with school age children are now in school; this is the same reason why many major national parks/attractions have much lower visitor days than the summer season that ended at Labor Day weekend.

[wanneroo]

Labor Day is the end of the road for summer season. After that you might see some life on weekends depending on the weather or if there is some special event going on, but things start to quiet down and there will be plenty of choices for accommodation. If anything you might start seeing some tourist businesses go to reduced hours or begin to close for a break in October before winter season. Some towns like Ouray are mostly summer tourist towns.

IMO Colorado really doesn't get much in the way of tourists for fall color. Some perhaps but not as many as one would think.

[Katarina Witt]

^^Seriously? A couple years ago, we decided to go "leaf-peeping" on a Sunday morning when the leaves were at their peak (right about now). We finally turned around at Georgetown. Traffic was bumper to bumper and barely moving! Weekdays are probably better, but I'd guess still busy, especially in Aspen. Maybe not so much in Ouray, it being farther away from Denver.

[TCHP]

Perhaps not national tourism, but we get a lot of local traffic in September-October. State Park and Forest Service campgrounds near Cos are booked full to nearly full for the next couple of weekends. I'd bet most places within 2 hrs of Denver are still hopping on weekends for about another month.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

^^Seriously? A couple years ago, we decided to go "leaf-peeping" on a Sunday morning when the leaves were at their peak (right about now). We finally turned around at Georgetown. Traffic was bumper to bumper and barely moving! Weekdays are probably better, but I'd guess still busy, especially in Aspen. Maybe not so much in Ouray, it being farther away from Denver.

Oh yes, seriously.

Traffic on I-70 can get backed up year round for a wide variety of reasons.

Sure in September if you have a good weather weekend or some event you might get a little traffic but Labor Day is the end for the most part. I can tell you from living in these towns that you will not have any problems finding accommodation.

[bluescreen73]

Saw 20ish people taking pictures of a stand of aspen on the east side of Berthoud Pass near the Big Bend picnic area today at 11am. Would've stopped to take a picture of them for proof, but I was hurrying to get to Idaho Springs for Smokin' Yards. :-)

[suzco]

Originally Posted by wanneroo

Oh yes, seriously.

Traffic on I-70 can get backed up year round for a wide variety of reasons.

Sure in September if you have a good weather weekend or some event you might get a little traffic but Labor Day is the end for the most part. I can tell you from living in these towns that you will not have any problems finding accommodation.

The times they are a changing. Not only is summer tourism growing, but as this Denver Post article says, formerly dormant months like May, September and October are growing the most quickly:

Record sales tax revenue, summer visitor traffic in Colorado resort communities spurs talk of capacity, sustainability and the question: Is there such a thing as too busy?

It was another banner summer in Colorado’s high country. Record sales tax revenues. Record lodging occupancy. Record traffic counts.

That makes five years in a row of best-ever summers. It’s like a broken record blasting from the mountains: Record! Record! Record!
. . .
July was a record-setter across the state. Aspen and Snowmass saw the valley’s July occupancy rates top 88 percent for the first time. In Winter Park, July sales tax collections were up 57 percent over July 2015, marking a doubling of lodging tax collections in the last five years. Just about every Colorado tourist town saw highest-ever summer tax collections in July, with formerly dormant months like May, September and October growing the most quickly.

It used to be that May was time for locals to leave the mountains to visit Mom, Moab or Mexico. Now it’s just one long peak, with the busy winter blurring into summer into fall into winter. . .

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by wanneroo

Oh yes, seriously.

Traffic on I-70 can get backed up year round for a wide variety of reasons.

Sure in September if you have a good weather weekend or some event you might get a little traffic but Labor Day is the end for the most part. I can tell you from living in these towns that you will not have any problems finding accommodation.

I remember the first time I experienced I-70 bumper to bumper. I'm not sure how far, I gave up at Idaho Springs and turned around. This was like during the summer time last year.

Anyhow, I was out leaf peaking this weekend and Pike Peak national forest got pretty busy. I'm sure the next couple weekends will be the same around the state.