Springtime in Colorado

Colorado Springtime - Month: May Elevation: 11,991′

Colorado Springtime - Month: May Elevation: 11,991′

What comes to mind when you hear spring.

I immediately think of the sound of music, dancing in the field of wildflowers! What about you? Green everywhere, flowers popping up, and the sound of birds chirping and sunshine! That wonderful feeling of growing plants and joyous animals. I love springtime! I feel like it lasts for months all around the country! Springtime in Colorado can look a lot like winter.

Snow in springtime.

It’s really normal for Colorado to get snowstorms in the springtime and this year it was really true. We got some really good snowstorms all over the place! In the mountains and in the flatlands of Denver the weather can be completely different. It’s usually about a ten-degree difference between Denver and Summit County. Storm systems get caught on the divide so most of the time one or the other gets the powder day. Believe me, it’s not fun to be in the mountains and have a powder day in Denver when you're dreaming of a pow pow on the slopes. So you can enter the tunnel on I70 and exit it to a completely different weather system, it’s really crazy sometimes! Another thing about springtime snow is that it can make the roads really icy, like way icier than in the winter because of the fluctuation in temperature during the day. Therefore I feel like the road is closed more often in the spring than in the winter. 

Colorado Springtime - Month: Mid April Elevation: 9,600’

Colorado Springtime - Month: Mid April Elevation: 9,600’

How altitude affects that springtime feeling.

Y’all know, the higher you go up the mountain, the colder it gets! The temperature actually drops 6.5 degrees for every 1000 feet of elevation. So if you are in Idaho Springs and you drive up to the top of Mount Evans it could be a 40-degree difference. So remember to bring your jacket year-round if you're driving to the summit! This can also affect the snowmelt! So depending on how much snow we get in the winter, it’ll be snowy at higher elevations for a long while!

Colorado Elopements in Springtime. 

So with all of this information, what does a springtime elopement look like in Colorado? In the traditional spring calendar, April and May, you can have winter or spring chances. If you get married in Denver, springtime can look like green everywhere and tulips blooming. So Denver can feel like spring in April and May with the occasional snowstorm. If you are planning on going up in the mountains for your elopement, more than likely in April and May you will be in winter wonderland. This time of year mud season is up at the ski resorts because the snow is melting and all the trails turn to mud ones, it's the off-season in the mountains. A great time to have seclusion!! I would recommend going higher up in the mountains to get winter to avoid the muddy brown part of the mountains. It’s a great time to get the winter look with the higher temperatures! 

Colorado Springtime - Month: Early April Elevation: 11,991′

Colorado Springtime - Month: Early April Elevation: 11,991′

Colorado Springtime - Month: Mid April Elevation: 11,991′

Colorado Springtime - Month: Mid April Elevation: 11,991′

What month does it look like spring in Colorado?

If you are going up into the mountains close to treeline, I would recommend July! It’s the best chance to get wildflowers and that sound of music feeling! I know, that’s technically summer! You could just say that Colorado doesn't really have a traditional springtime feeling and we go straight from winter to summer! The springtime feeling is a few days sprinkled among the transition in Denver and doesn’t fully arrive to the high mountains till July.

Colorado Springtime - Month: Mid June Elevation: 5,700′

Colorado Springtime - Month: Mid June Elevation: 5,700′

Colorado Springtime - Month: Late June Elevation: 9,600′

Colorado Springtime - Month: Late June Elevation: 9,600′

Colorado Springtime - Month: Early July Elevation: 11,300’

Colorado Springtime - Month: Early July Elevation: 11,300’

Colorado Springtime - Month: Early August Elevation: 11,550’

Colorado Springtime - Month: Early August Elevation: 11,550’


Check these out:

Hello! I’m your photo -grapher & Guide, Ashleigh!

Ashleigh Miller Elopement and Wedding Photography can’t wait to hear your story!


Get Your Winter Vow Adventure Guide


In The Journal: