Colorado Springs in September: Weather, Crowds, Fall Color

September is my pick for the best month in Colorado Springs. I’ve lived here over 20 years on the west side near Ute Valley, and this is the month I notice the whole town exhale. Highs run near 80 with cool mornings in the 50s, crowds thin out from the summer rush even though leaf-peeping weekends still get busy, and the high country above 9,000 feet starts turning gold by the third week of the month. In-town color does not peak until early October, so if you are chasing orange and gold inside the city itself, September is the setup, not the show.

Who September is for:

• Hikers and e-bikers who want cooler air and dry trails without the July crowds.
• Leaf-peepers headed to the high country, Mueller, the Rampart Range Road corridor, Highway 67, in the last two weeks of the month.
• Anyone tired of fighting for parking at Garden of the Gods who wants the place to breathe a little.
• Travelers who want shoulder-season lodging rates before October color weekends push prices back up.
• Anyone who only cares about seeing color inside Colorado Springs itself: wait for October, not September.

Quick disclosure before I get into it: some of the links below go to Booking.com, GetYourGuide, or Amazon, and I may earn a small commission if you book or buy through them. Doesn’t cost you anything extra.

What the Weather Actually Does

The National Weather Service office in Pueblo reviewed September 2026 and called it one of the warmest Septembers on record for Colorado Springs: average temperature 67.8°F, about 4.8 degrees above normal, with an average high of 80.0°F. Rain stayed light too, 1.05 inches for the month, roughly a third of an inch under normal. None of that means you can skip layers. Mornings still start in the 50s, afternoons push toward 80, and that gap is the real story of September weather here.

The bigger shift is the storm pattern. July and August bring the predictable afternoon monsoon: sunny morning, building clouds, a 2 p.m. downpour. That pattern tapers off through September, so you get more full days without planning around an afternoon soaking. Check the NWS Pueblo September 2026 review before you pack, since any given year can run warmer or wetter than what I described above.

Crowds: Lighter, Not Empty

September crowds are noticeably lighter than July, but don’t expect an empty town. Foliage weekends in the back half of the month still pull people in from Denver and the rest of the Front Range, and Garden of the Gods still fills its lots on a nice Saturday.

The timing trick I passed along back in June 2026 still works just as well in September as it does in July: skip the summer-weekend crush and go either early morning or evening, and go on a weekday if you can swing it. That rule carries over to the mountain corridors too. CDOT flagged earlier leaf timing for 2026 and is telling travelers to expect heavy weekend traffic on the routes into the high country, with Tuesday through Thursday the better bet. Check the CDOT fall travel advisory before a weekend drive.

Fall Color: Where and When

Color doesn’t move at the same pace at every elevation. The high country above 9,000 feet, Mueller State Park, the Crags, the Rampart Range Road corridor, usually turns first, with the best color showing up in the back half of September into early October. In town, the cottonwoods and oaks along the creeks and foothills run later, typically peaking in the first half of October. If you want a map of exactly where and when, I put together a separate fall foliage guide that breaks down the color windows block by block. This page is about deciding whether September is your month at all.

My camping pick for a fall weekend is Mueller State Park, a recommendation I passed along back in July 2026 along with photos of the campsite. It’s a great park just below Pikes Peak, but it’s busy enough that you want to catch it midweek if camping matters to you, and it’s mostly closed down once winter sets in. Check Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Mueller page for current hours, fees, and pet rules before you go.

What to Actually Do This Month

Hiking and e-biking are both better in September than in mid-summer. The heat backs off, the trails stay dry, and you can get in a longer ride or a longer hike without fighting the middle-of-the-day sun.

If you’re starting from Garden of the Gods, Rampart Range Road is worth the detour, a tip I shared back in July 2026. It’s a dirt road, nothing rough, and it climbs to views of the whole park and the city below before eventually connecting to Woodland Park if you take it far enough. It closes seasonally, so confirm it’s open before you commit a whole afternoon to it.

For lodging, staying near Garden of the Gods on the west side keeps you close to the park and the foothill trails; search Garden of the Gods lodging on Booking.com. If you’re chasing color up toward Mueller or the Rampart corridor, Woodland Park puts you closer to the trailhead; search Woodland Park lodging on Booking.com. If you’d rather let someone else handle the planning, browse Colorado Springs tours and day trips on GetYourGuide.

If you’re in Manitou Springs for the evening, the Penny Arcade is worth an hour: old cabinets like Asteroids and Space Invaders, with decent burgers and ice cream within walking distance. A good way to close out a day up in the hills.

What to Pack

Pack layers and you’ll be fine. Mornings in the 50s, afternoons near 80, evenings cooling off fast once the sun drops behind the foothills. A light jacket handles the morning and evening swing; light hiking jackets on Amazon cover that without weighing down a daypack. If you’re headed up in elevation for wildlife or views, a small pair of binoculars earns its space; compact binoculars on Amazon pack down small enough you won’t notice them until you need them. Sunscreen and a hat matter more than people think at 6,000-plus feet, even when it doesn’t feel hot out.

Bottom Line

If you want comfortable weather, thinner crowds than summer, and the start of fall color, September delivers. Go midweek if you can, especially for the mountain drives, and don’t expect in-town color before October. That’s the honest trade: comfort and quiet now, peak color in the city a few weeks later.

More Colorado Springs Guides

• Colorado Springs Fall Foliage: When and Where to See the Best Colors
• Best Time to Visit Colorado Springs
• Scenic Drives Near Colorado Springs
• Rampart Range Road: A Local’s Guide
• E-Biking Colorado Springs: Best Trails and Loops
• Free Parking at Garden of the Gods
• Pikes Peak: Complete Guide

Author: Dominic