<\/p>\n
Lynne Lewis stays busy during autumn leading backpacking tours into the La Plata Mountains from her operation, Rimrock Outfitters in Echo Basin.<\/p>\n
Business will be good this week as colors peak in much of the San Juan Mountains.<\/p>\n
As of the most recent update on Thursday, colors had hit 60% of peak in the La Platas near Mancos, 75% to 85% from Dolores to Rico and 75% to 85% from Rico to Telluride.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of the areas where we ride are good for viewing,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cRight now, the oaks are great \u2013 rust-red. Temperatures vary from year to year, but it\u2019s been warm this year. The colors are a little late, but it\u2019s great for riding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tom Rice, recreation officer at the Dolores Public Lands Office, said the Dolores Canyon is among the region\u2019s best areas for viewing colors.<\/p>\n
Colorado Highway 145 is great for a leisurely drive, and Rice said U.S. Forest Service roads off Colorado 145 offer varied glimpses of autumn\u2019s glory.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of good gravel roads, especially through the Dolores watershed that carve through the landscape,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Dan West, an entomologist with the Colorado State Forest Service, said predicting peak colors is no easy task.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just not an exact science because of all the variables,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Shortened days limit the production of chlorophyll, which gives leaves their greenish hue. Then, other chemicals in leaves take dominance and turn colors orange and yellow.<\/p>\n
Temperature, wind and precipitation also influence the timing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s just so much that goes into it,\u201d West said.<\/p>\n