Colorado What's Up covers what is happening in Colorado and how the state works. Everything we publish is listed here, grouped by what you are trying to do.
The event guides answer when: which festivals, races, fairs and wildlife moments fall in which month, and where to confirm the current year's dates. The long reads answer how: how to camp without leaving damage behind, how altitude and afternoon storms work, what a dry winter does to a summer trip, and what 150 years of statehood built. The planning references cover roads, byways and timing.
Events and festivals
What Is Happening, And When
Start here
The Month-By-Month Calendar
January stock shows to December light parades: the whole Colorado year on one page, with planning tips for festival weekends.
Read →Bluegrass to Beethoven
Music Festivals
Where the big summer music weekends and season-long classical programs happen, and how to survive a festival at 8,750 feet.
Read →Beer, wine and peaches
Food And Drink Events
The fall beer festival in Denver, Aspen's June food weekend and the orchard towns of the Grand Valley.
Read →Screens and stages
Film And Arts Festivals
Three Telluride film festivals, Sundance's first Boulder edition, outdoor Shakespeare and Denver's arts week.
Read →Snow season
Winter Festivals
Norse-god parades, carved snow, horse-drawn skiers, a cryonics festival and holiday light shows.
Read →Ranch country
Rodeos And Fairs
The January stock show, July rodeos, the State Fair in Pueblo and border collies working sheep in Meeker.
Read →Nature's calendar
Wildlife Watching
The seasonal moments when Colorado animals are easiest to see, and the viewing rules that keep them wild.
Read →The six long reads
How Colorado Actually Works
Ethics
Leave No Trace In Colorado
The seven principles applied to a crowded state, from human waste and food scraps to drowning a campfire properly.
Read →History
150 Years Of Statehood
From the 1858 gold rush and the silver crash to the ski boom, labs and water fights of the modern state.
Read →Safety
Altitude And Mountain Weather
Why thin air and afternoon lightning shape every mountain plan, with an interactive oxygen calculator.
Read →Conditions
Drought And The 2026 Water Year
How a historically thin snowpack rippled into rivers, fire rules, reservoirs and the timing of fall color.
Read →Climbing
From Boulders To Fourteeners
A ladder from gym to alpine: grades explained, where each discipline lives, and the access ethics that matter.
Read →Culture
Museums, Labs And Dark Skies
The indoor and after-dark Colorado: art collections, public science centers, fossils and stargazing parks.
Read →Planning references
Before You Go
Seasons
Best Time To Visit Colorado
Month by month, with fall color by elevation, mud seasons, the monsoon and ski season dates.
Read →Places
Things To Do In Colorado
Thirty-three places by region and season, from national parks to museums and hot springs.
Read →Roads
Colorado Scenic Byways
All 26 designated scenic and historic byways, sortable, with seasonal closures.
Read →Winter roads
Colorado Traction Law
What the Traction Law and Chain Law require on I-70 and the mountain passes.
Read →Reference
About Colorado
State facts, all 64 counties, state symbols and geography.
Read →Companion site
Colorado What To Do
Our companion guide to activities, regions and itineraries across the state.
Read →