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Tag: leaf peeping colorado

  • Autumn crowds test Georgetown’s patience—and planning

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    GEORGETOWN, Colo. — It was another bumper‑to‑bumper day in the high country Sunday as thousands drove up to take in the fall colors.

    It comes just one day after Georgetown gridlock briefly shut down the small mountain community to visitors.

    Through the ups and downs of the fall foliage frenzy, preemptive measures have kept things under control for locals.

    Town leaders implemented a traffic management plan, featuring a one-way traffic flow in and out of Georgetown, along with barriers on residential streets to minimize the impact of visitor traffic.

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    Leaf peepers gridlock Georgetown, forcing town to temporarily close to visitors

    For local businesses, leaf peeping season means more customers.

    “It’s always great to see people who return every year. So many familiar faces that come back each year,” said China Tipton at the Trading Post.

    “Some people either hang around to try to let the passage through Guanella [Pass] clear up a bit before they go up, and they’ll meander around through town,” added Kabian Fox at Georgetown Valley Candy Company.

    For over an hour on Saturday, the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office cut off I-70 and Highway 285 traffic into the town.

    The only cars allowed during that time were those of residents with a valid ID.

    “It wasn’t moving. It was gridlock. I think that’s probably the best way to describe it. It was just gridlock,” said resident Gary Wilkins.

    Additionally, a power outage forced businesses to close for several hours or find alternative ways to operate.

    “We just started writing down all the transactions for people and adding up their totals, doing all the math on paper,” said Fox.

    When Denver7 drove up Sunday morning, the traffic flow on Interstate 70 and through Georgetown went smoothly.

    The slow-moving traffic gradually built up as the day went on.

    Town and county leaders have expressed their commitment to navigating any unexpected challenges as they work on making their plans for future seasons more robust.

    Business owners told Denver7 that they are looking forward to seeing how the changes continue to make a difference.

    “I, as a business owner, am grateful for the influx of people, the visitors. We’re always grateful to see them. So they, I guess, there’s a balance that they need to find,” said Tipton.

    Autumn crowds test Georgetown’s patience—and planning

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    Denver7’s Adria Iraheta shares stories that have an impact in all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in reporting on education and stories in Arapahoe County. If you’d like to get in touch with Adria, fill out the form below to send her an email.

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  • Social media sites helping Colorado leaf peepers find the best fall foliage

    Social media sites helping Colorado leaf peepers find the best fall foliage

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    CLEAK CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — Colorful Colorado is living up to its name as the leaves start changing across the state.

    Tons of fall foliage fanatics gathered in search of the perfect photo op in a picnic area off Guanella Pass Road on Saturday morning.

    With the first snowfall of the season expected in higher elevations on the first day of fall, it was the perfect window of opportunity to make the most of the last morning of summer.

    “I think it’s the best time because you get a balance of good air, good weather, and beautiful temperatures,” said Denver resident Oksana Ilye.

    “We figured we just had a five-hour window [before the snow starts], so we took the drive in the morning,” added Goldston Diaz.

    Guanella Pass Road was a hotspot on the weekend of September 21 — with social media to thank for spreading the word on where to find the best fall colors.

    Nature landscape photographer Ryan Smith created the Colorado Fall Color Reports – ICONS Facebook group.

    No stranger to the best landscapes at any given time of year, he became the go-to fall foliage resource for those who knew him.

    “My phone would blow up 10, 15, 20 times a day [saying] ‘Ryan, where should we go? What are the colors looking like?’ And I thought, ‘Boy, wouldn’t it be good for me to direct everyone to a single place where they could see realtime what the colors were doing?” said Smith.

    Five years later, his Facebook group has grown to nearly 12,000 members who share realtime posts of the best fall foliage across the state.

    “30 to 40 [posts] a day is kind of what we’re getting currently,” he said.

    In addition to groups like Smith’s, other social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram are helping to spread the word.

    “We did see a post on Instagram like three days ago – we saw the bright yellow,” said Denver resident Kyle Tortajada, who was out taking family photos near Clear Lake.

    “This is our first child, so this is our first year doing them with the baby,” he said.

    As powerful as social media is, Smith says there’s a responsibility to ensure leaf-peepers leave no trace in the wilderness.

    “I also want this page to be a watch out for any inappropriate activity too, and making sure that people are respecting nature,” he said. “So while the challenge of social media can present its downside, we’re actually building that into a really positive side too, ensuring that everyone is using nature appropriately, staying where they should be, on the trails and so forth.”

    The Denver7 weather team says good precipitation levels this year are really helping the fall foliage pop.

    Peak colors are expected in late September in higher elevations like Glenwood Springs, Aspen, and the western part of Jefferson County.

    Moderate foliage is expected to peak in the Front Range and Eastern Plains by around October 10.

    “We’re all photographers because we all have cell phones, at least. And you know, to see the picture sharing and the beautiful community celebrating this beautiful place is amazing,” Smith said.

    Vivid memories in vivid color – forever frozen on every leaf peeper’s camera roll.

    “Fall is such a small season. It’s gone before you blink your eye,” said Diaz.

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    Adria Iraheta

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