Fall foliage in New Mexico

New Mexico’s color is elevation-driven, from the high Sangre de Cristos down to the Rio Grande. Aspen along the Enchanted Circle, around Chama, and on the slopes above Taos and Angel Fire turns in the second and third weeks of October; the Jemez and the Sandias follow; cottonwoods in the Rio Grande bosque go gold in the last days of October and into November. Gambel oak on the middle slopes adds rust and red. The drop from the peaks to the bosque spans more than a month over a short distance.

Those are the months when color is present somewhere in New Mexico, from its highest ground to its lowest. Any one location changes over a much shorter period than that.

Why the timing shifts from year to year

Shortening days start the process, so most places in New Mexico change at close to their usual time each year. Within the state, elevation and latitude account for most of the difference: higher and more northern ground generally changes first, and lower, sheltered ground last. Weather has more effect on how strong the color is than on when it appears. Cool nights and sunny days favor the reds, a dry summer mutes them, and a hard freeze or a windstorm can strip a slope in a day. What determines the timing goes through this in detail.

Nearby states

Fall color does not follow state lines. New Mexico borders:

• Arizona fall foliage
• Colorado fall foliage
• Oklahoma fall foliage
• Texas fall foliage

Timing for a specific place

This page describes a whole state, which is about as precise as a season can be described in words. Conditions at one overlook on one weekend are a narrower question, and that is the one Fallcast answers: an expected period of color for a specific location, with a confidence attached, updated through the season as the trees change. It is coming to iPhone this fall.

Questions, or somewhere in New Mexico you would like covered? Write to fallcastapp@gmail.com.