Fort Collins is an incredible area to visit all year. However, Fort Collins is extra special in the Fall season. The Choice City is stunning during the fall season, loaded with beautiful colors and great weather. Fort Collins is the perfect place to post up during your search for beautiful fall colors. And when you're not in search of beautiful leaves, we suggest you immerse yourself in all the activities Fort Collins has to offer.
Fort Collins is home to some of the best restaurants, breweries, family-friendly activities, and outdoor recreation in Colorado. Not to mention Fort Collins has a downtown area that inspired the creation of Disneyland Main Street USA! Let us help you plan the best fall weekend possible with some of our favorite itineraries.
1. Find Beautiful Fall Colors
Leaf peeping is a great way to explore Fort Collins, Colorado, during one of its most beautiful seasons, fall. The peak season for fall foliage typically runs from the last week in September to the second week of October, though it's expected that leaves will peak a little earlier this year, likely closer to mid-September.
The proximity of Fort Collins to the Cache la Poudre River canyon and Rocky Mountain National Park makes our city a leaf-peeping magnet. Fort Collins is the perfect place to make your hub for leaf-peeping adventures.
The gold, orange, and red leaves sprawl as far as the eye can see as you wind your way through the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Just remember you only get two weeks to soak it all in. Don't hesitate to book your room today!
Top Leaf Peeping Spots around Fort Collins:
- Poudre Canyon
- Lory State Park
- Cameron Pass
- North Park
- Red Feather Lakes
- Roosevelt National Forest
- Rocky Mountain National Park
2. Soak up Some Entertainment and Culture
Fort Collins is the cultural hub of northern Colorado. The city is full of so many great performance theatres, museums, and art galleries that it’s hard to choose just one to visit. And, if you’re in the mood for a concert, look no further than Washington's, the Mishawaka Amphitheater, the Aggie Theater, Avogadro’s Number, and many other unique venues.
Here is a list of all the great places to take in some culture, enjoy nature or see a show (please check the website for the latest information before visiting):
- Global Village Museum
- Environmental Learning Center
- Center for Fine Art Photography
- Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising
- Museum of Art Fort Collins
- Gregory Allicar Museum of Art
- Lincoln Center
- Bas Blue Theater
- Fort Collins Symphony
3. Fall Seasonal Beer Tastings
As the leaves begin to fall and the colors start to change, breweries around Fort Collins take note and mix things up by creating beers that incorporate seasonal flavors.
New Belgium Brewery is always on top of releasing its seasonal craft beers, and their special release Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin will be around once more for a limited time! If you’re looking for something new from them, visit the liquid center (tasting room) and give your taste buds a kick.
Another brewery popular for its seasonal offerings is Odell Brewing Co. Odell keeps things interesting as they are constantly brewing new, creative, limited-time beers on their pilot system and several seasonals. Visit the brewery to sip on their Oktoberfest beer, a Marzen-style lager, and Isolation Ale, their popular winter warmer.
Fort Collins is home to 20+ breweries and counting. We encourage you to get out and sample as many seasonal suds from these breweries as you can for a list of all the breweries in town.
4. Go on a Tour
If you're a fearless adventurer, contact Beer and Bike Tours or Front Range Ride Guides and tour Fort Collins the way it was meant to be, by bicycle. If you want to do more of a self-guided bike tour, feel free to rent a bike from one of the many rental locations around Fort Collins. If walking tours are more your thing, hop on a Ghost Tour with Fort Collins Tours, LLC or learn more about how Fort Collins came to be with Traces of the Past History Tours.
5. Pick a Pumpkin or Navigate a Corn Maze
Who doesn’t love the excitement of picking out your pumpkin to carve for Halloween? Pumpkin picking in Fort Collins provides an incredible opportunity to visit one of the local farms and pick your very own pumpkin from a patch. The Bartel’s Farm offers a huge selection of pumpkins along with Corn Mazes and Hay Rides. Close to Old Town, The Farm at Lee Martinez Park is a great place to see farm animals and take a hayride. And, if you’ve never done a corn maze and like to be frightened, you must try it. It’s real-life meets PacMan meets Friday the 13th! Here’s a list of pumpkin patches and corn mazes in and around Fort Collins:
6. Shop 'Til You Drop
Made in Fort Collins
- Fort Collins is a city full of artisans and local craftsmen who use the Rocky Mountain backdrop and supportive community for inspiration. When we see their products throughout Colorado, we’re proud to say they are ‘Made in Fort Collins.’ Here are some of our favorite local products.
Old Town Boutiques
- Shopping in Downtown Fort Collins can be a magical experience. Quaint boutiques, historic architecture, and unique shops line the streets of Old Town Fort Collins, creating a window-shopping experience with every amenity you could want.
Foothills
- The Foothills Mall, a 77-acre shopping center, includes household names like Victoria’s Secret, Nordstrom Rack, and H & M. The mall and the stores along the College Ave. corridor offer a wide variety of women’s and men’s clothing, fashionable and functional shoe wear, and accessories.
Front Range Village
- Front Range Village has the city’s largest collection of large national retailers and many smaller boutiques in a walkable state-of-the-art lifestyle shopping center. Destination stores like DSW Shoes, World Market, Nike Outlet and Lowe’s anchor the 100-plus acre property, while favorite smaller stores fill the rest of this shopping landscape.
7. Attend a fall festival
From 10K runs to an international film fest, Fort Collins has a handful of fun autumn festivals to attend:
• Sept. 7, Rist Canyon Mountain Festival is the annual fundraiser for the Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department. Come rain or shine, this one-day event features a full day’s lineup of entertainment and activities for the entire family. FREE admission, parking, tractor-pulled hayride shuttle to/from the parking area (handicapped parking area available), musical entertainment, large kid’s activity area, farm animals, educational booths and demonstrations, and ice cream.
• Sept. 22, Tour de Farms: This annual bicycle charity fundraiser is a fun and festive 30+ mile ride, half-day+ ride that begins and ends at the Farmer’s Market or a TBD local brewery. It is led by Bike Fort Collins representatives and features a combination of paved and gravel roads, along with two to three stops at local area farms. Each farm stop features light tastings and refreshments along with a few words from each farm owner/representative.
• Sept. 22, Fall Equniox: Voted Best Half Marathon In Mountain West Region! Fast & beautiful, a great point-to-point downhill half marathon for a new PR! The half-marathon starts at the famed Mishawaka & runs entirely in the Poudre River Canyon. Enjoy the beauty & downhill course along Colorado’s only wild & scenic river.
8. Hit the Road!
Road trip to Red Feather Lakes: Red Feather Lakes, located an hour's drive northwest of Fort Collins, is a secluded spot less populated than many Colorado outdoor destinations. Surrounded by 612,000 acres of Roosevelt National Forest, the Red Feathers Lakes area is a year-round outdoor playground, but fall is a beautiful time to visit. Hike or fish in one of the eight lakes in the area, four of which are open for public fishing. Be sure to check out Marr's Mountain Cabins and Tavern for a great meal and place to stay. You may also fish in the nearby Cache La Poudre River, Colorado’s only designated Wild and Scenic River and the area’s best spot for whitewater rafting and kayaking. Nearby Beaver Meadows Resort Ranch offers lodging, fishing, horseback riding, and more.
Make Fort Collins your home base for an amazing fall road trip: The Northern Colorado Loop tour: The Northern Colorado Loop Tour takes you across 360 stunning miles, connecting three central scenic byways in the area with the Cache La Poudre National Heritage Area. The Cache La Poudre — North Park Scenic & Historic Byway portion of the tour is 101 miles packed with scenery and wildlife and is especially gorgeous in the fall. This byway meanders from the plains and hogbacks into the magnificent Poudre Canyon, over Cameron Pass, North Park, and Walden. From Walden, head to Granby, near Grand Lake and the headwaters of the mighty Colorado River. Trace the river’s course as it plunges into Gore Canyon, past Radium Hot Springs, Rancho del Rio, and on to State Bridge along the Colorado River Headwaters and Scenic Byway. Head back to the town of Granby and past quaint Grand Lake for the spectacular return to Fort Collins via the Trail Ridge Road Scenic Byway. The route traverses through the heart of Rocky Mountain National Park along the highest continuous paved road in North America (at 12,183 feet) and arrives in historic Estes Park. From Estes, the history lesson continues through Big Thompson Canyon and on to the Colorado foothills towns of Loveland, Greeley, Windsor, and, finally, back to Fort Collins. This exceptionally scenic drive gives visitors a glimpse into the past while offering a bounty of recreational activities.
