THE PERFECT COLORADO FALL ROAD TRIP
Colorado’s Best Fall Color & Wine Road Trip
There are road trips, and then there are Colorado road trips. The kind where the road itself is part of the destination. Where a mountain pass turns an entire hillside gold, where lunch comes from a local farm, where the winemaker is pouring your next glass, and where dinner might be served in a tiny mountain town you would have never thought to visit.
Fall is arguably the best time to experience Colorado’s Western Slope. The summer crowds begin to thin, the days are crisp and sunny, and the mountains explode into shades of gold. It’s also harvest season and that means the vineyards, orchards, farms and restaurants of Western Colorado are at their absolute best.
We’ve put together one of our favorite ways to experience it all: a fall color and wine journey from Gunnison to Palisade, traveling through Crested Butte, over Kebler Pass, into the North Fork Valley, across the Grand Mesa and finally into Colorado wine country in Palisade. We think the perfect place to begin is right here in Gunnison.
DAY 1: GUNNISON
Start with a glass 🍷 at Buckel Family Wine, leave with some bottles…
Begin your trip at Buckel Family Wine in Gunnison. For us, this is where the journey really starts. Our tasting room is on the north end of Main Street in Gunnison on the road to Crested Butte, making it the natural first stop as you head to the mountains. Pull up, slow down and taste the line up.
At Buckel, we’re passionate about wines that reflect where they come from. Our vineyards are high elevation and located on the Western Slope of Colorado with abundant sunshine and cool mountain nights. Our approach is minimal intervention, with wines designed to be expressive, food-friendly and, most importantly, fun to drink. Fall is an especially good time to visit because the energy of harvest is in the air and fermentations are cranking along.
After your tasting, spend some time exploring the vibrant downtown Gunnison. For a more adventurous dinner, head to 1880 Tapas & Spirits for creative small plates, cocktails and a menu that changes with the seasons. For something more casual, The Dive Gunnison is a favorite local hangout especially those just wrapping up a mountain bike ride at Hartmans. Eat burgers, poutine, fish and chips in a lively mountain-town atmosphere. Or make your way up the river to The River Bar at Garlic Mike’s and sit alongside the Gunnison River with a drink in hand.
Where to stay: Make Gunnison your home base for the first night. Another option is Almont, a small town a little further up Hwy 135, that is home to Three Rivers Resort.
DAY 2: CRESTED BUTTE
Mountain town charm where the aspens turn gold
Head north toward Crested Butte and spend the morning exploring one of Colorado's most beautiful mountain towns. Crested Butte in the fall is something special. The wildflower covered hillsides of summer become a sea of golden aspen, and the cooler temperatures make it perfect for wandering the main drag, Elk Avenue, grabbing coffee or taking an easy morning hike.
For lodging, we love the idea of staying at Elk Mountain Lodge, a historic lodge right in town. It gives you the opportunity to park the car and walk to dinner, drinks and shops. If you're looking for a more casual night, Public House is right on Elk Avenue and combines dinner, drinks and a lively mountain town atmosphere. And don't overlook The Hideout for a more casual meal with bold, Asian inspired flavors.
One of the stops we'd make a priority is Breadery. This is the kind of restaurant that fits perfectly into a Colorado fall trip: warm, cozy, seasonal and centered around sourdough bread made from ‘Trisha’ the 60 year old starter.
DAY 3: KEBLER PASS
Drive through Colorado's golden kingdom
This is the day you came for! Leave Crested Butte and head west over Kebler Pass, following the road (Gunnison County Road 12) toward Paonia. Kebler Pass is one of Colorado's iconic fall drives, connecting Crested Butte and Paonia through an enormous expanse of aspen forest. The road climbs to roughly 10,000 feet and stretches for about 30 miles. In dry conditions, the graded dirt road is generally accessible to passenger vehicles, but weather can change conditions quickly.
And then the aspens appear. Gold everywhere! Kebler Pass is home to one of the largest aspen groves in Colorado and the connected root system is part of what makes the landscape so extraordinary. When the leaves turn, entire mountainsides can seem to change color at once. This is not a drive to rush. Stop at the pullouts. Take photographs. Roll the windows down. Let the road take you.
Add a hike: Lost Lake Loop
For those who want to get out of the car, make time for the Three Lakes/Lost Lake Loop. The roughly three mile loop travels through dense aspen forest and around alpine lakes, making it one of the quintessential fall hikes in the area. Bring a picnic, layers and a camera.
Remember, this is one of Colorado's most popular fall destinations. Stay on established trails and use designated pullouts.
DAY 3–5: PAONIA & THE NORTH FORK VALLEY
Wine country, farms, chefs and a slower pace
Eventually, Kebler Pass drops you onto hwy 93, head south to the North Fork Valley and the little town of Paonia. This is where the trip changes character. The mountains give way to orchards, vineyards, farms and wide open agricultural valleys. It feels quieter here and that's exactly the point.
Stay for a couple of nights at Bross Hotel Bed & Breakfast. The historic Bross makes an excellent breakfast and home base for exploring Paonia and the surrounding wine country. Its location puts you within easy reach of downtown while giving you that old fashioned Colorado inn experience.
Make reservations for dinner at The Kissflower Bistro & Gallery. With Chef Joseph Kerns at the helm, Kissflower is exactly the kind of restaurant we love finding on a road trip: local, creative and deeply connected to its surroundings. The setting itself is part of the experience, so relax into the art gardens,.
Another stop worth building into the trip is Mesa Winds, with Chef Angelina Rice. This is the kind of place that makes the North Fork Valley so compelling. Farms, chefs, winemakers and growers are all connected here, and you can taste that connection. Don't be surprised if this meal becomes one of the highlights of the entire trip.
Explore the wineries
Leave plenty of time for the local wineries, including:
Stone Cottage
Mesa Winds
Alfred Eames at ZenZen Gardens
This is not Napa and that's exactly why we love it. The North Fork Valley offers an intimate, agricultural version of Colorado wine country where you can meet the people making the wine, see the vineyards and experience the landscape without feeling like you're following a well worn tourist trail.
**Do not miss Lore Cacao in the town of Paonia. This Chocolate is to die for! The perfect treat after a long day of food and wine**
DAY 5: CEDAREDGE & THE GRAND MESA
From vineyards to the world's largest flat-top mountain
From Paonia, continue toward Cedaredge. Along the way, make stops at Fallen Mountain Winery and Chill Switch Wine. Then stop for lunch or an afternoon bite at Sips in Cedaredge, featuring Chef Angelina Rice. Yep, this is her 2nd location.
From here, the road climbs, and climbs, then suddenly you're on top of the Grand Mesa. The Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway stretches roughly 63 miles between Cedaredge and the I-70 corridor near Palisade. The route climbs through forests and meadows filled with lakes, with aspens putting on an extraordinary golden display in autumn.
Spend the night on top of the Mesa
Stay a night or make it two at Mountain Top Resort and Lodge. This is your chance to slow the trip down again. Spend the afternoon hiking, fishing, exploring the lakes or simply watching the light change across the mesa. Fall on the Grand Mesa is a completely different experience from Kebler Pass. The landscape is broader and more open, with golden aspens, dark evergreens and hundreds of alpine lakes scattered across the plateau.
DAY 6–7: PALISADE
Welcome to Colorado wine country!
Eventually, descend from the Grand Mesa toward Palisade. Now you've arrived in the heart of Colorado wine country. Palisade is home to an extraordinary concentration of vineyards, wineries, orchards and farm-to-table restaurants. Fall is particularly beautiful here, when the vineyards and orchards begin changing color and harvest is in full swing.
Make Wine Country Inn your home base for a night or two. Then start exploring. Some of our favorite wineries to visit include:
Cliff Dweller
Ordinary Fellow
Restoration
Blue Beryl Winery
Take your time. This is not a race to see how many tasting rooms you can visit. Pick a few, talk to the winemakers, walk through the vineyards and enjoy the fact that you have arrived at the end of a spectacular mountain journey.
Dinner at Peche
For dinner, make a reservation at Peche, featuring Ashley and Matt Chasseur. This is the dinner we would absolutely plan ahead for. After several days of mountain roads, hikes, vineyards and small towns, settling into a memorable dinner at Peche is the perfect way to celebrate the trip.
THE GRAND FINALE: GRAND JUNCTION
Before you call the journey complete, make one last stop in Grand Junction, the junction of the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers. Treat yourself to dinner at Bin 707 Foodbar, featuring Chef Josh Niernberg. Chef Niernberg has become an important voice in Western Colorado's food scene, and Bin 707 is the perfect final stop for a trip built around local food, wine and agriculture. After all those miles, golden mountains and glasses of Colorado wine, this is where you raise one last glass.
Cheers!!