Fall in the Springs, A Season Worth Savoring

Fall here comes with aspen gold, pumpkin patches, and a coffin race.

If you have been wondering when to start planning your fall around here, the honest answer is earlier than you think. Fall in Colorado Springs is not a single weekend. It is a season that stretches from the first flash of gold in the aspens to the night the ice rink opens downtown.

This guide covers all of it, the annual traditions worth building your calendar around, restaurants and coffee shops that go all in on fall, where to look for the best Halloween decorations, the pumpkin patches worth the drive, and a fall bucket list to keep you honest before the first snow.

So When Is Fall in the Springs?

Officially, fall runs from the September equinox, around September 22 or 23, to the December solstice, around December 21 or 22. Meteorologists count it as September 1 through November 30.

Here is how I think about it. Fall in the Springs runs from mid September, when the highest aspen groves begin to turn, through late November, when the downtown ice rink opens and the holidays take over. Snow timing varies quite a bit. In 2025, Colorado Springs had not seen its first snow by mid November.

I keep the annual traditions in the main sections and put this year's exact dates in one calendar, so it is easy to refresh each season. Anything that tends to shift is marked with a Good to know note.

So what does fall in the Springs actually look like? Let's take a look.

Fall in the Springs, Month by Month

Fall here is a rhythm, and each month has its own personality. Exact dates shift a little every year, but the traditions below return season after season.

September: Aspens, Balloons, and Big Climbs

The first gold shows up in the highest aspen groves in mid to late September and works its way down toward town. Want to know exactly where to go? Click the image below to read my full Fall Colors guide, with the best hikes, drives, and train rides.

Labor Day weekend brings the Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off, the biggest hot air balloon festival in the state. The Pikes Peak Marathon and Pikes Peak Ascent, often called the world's most elevating marathon and half marathon, take over the mountain in September. Oktoberfest season kicks off in the last weekends of the month, and Rock Ledge Ranch usually hosts its annual powwow around then too.

October: Pumpkins, Harvest Festivals, and Halloween

October fills the calendar with pumpkin patches, harvest festivals, and Halloween traditions. Patches open their gates, the Harvest Festival returns to Rock Ledge Ranch, and October doubles as Arts Month across the city. The Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival also returns each fall with 16 days of events for all ages.

Then the last two weeks lean into Halloween. Boo at the Zoo, the Emma Crawford Coffin Races in Manitou Springs, and Old Colorado City's Pumpkins in the Park all land within days of each other. Manitou also runs its Skeleton Craze all month long, and its ghost tours fill the weekends.

November: Easing Into Winter

November slows the pace. The downtown Veterans Day parade marches through the city, and downtown's independent shops rally for Small Business Saturday after Thanksgiving. The real sign that fall is handing off to winter is Skate in the Park at Acacia Park, the city's outdoor ice rink, which opens in mid November each year. It ran for its 13th season in 2025 and stays open through January.

And if you want one more thing to look forward to, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's Electric Safari lights up in December.

Good to know: Skate in the Park's opening night and ticket price change slightly from year to year. Admission was 15 dollars with skate rental in 2025, so use the link in the calendar below for the current season.

This Year's Dates: Fall 2026

Annual holidays and events from September through November. Refresh this calendar each fall.

Good to know: Events can change with weather or capacity, so confirm before you go. I could only confirm the powwow and Harvest Festival dates through event listings, so double check them with Rock Ledge Ranch. Labor Day Lift Off runs over Labor Day weekend, so use its link for the exact days.

Iris Insight 💡

Fall weekends here fill up fast, and the timed ticket events sell out first. My rule for families is one big thing per weekend, and then leave room for a slow morning with a good cup of coffee. You will enjoy the big thing more.

Restaurants With Fall Menus

Fall is when local kitchens lean into squash, apples, and everything warm. Here are five spots worth a table this season, each with a link so you can check the current menu before you go.

📍 Four by Brother Luck | 321 N Tejon St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903

The menu changes with every season, four times a year, guided by what the chef calls the hunter, the gatherer, the fisherman, and the farmer. Choose a rotating four course tasting or order a la carte, and know that the fall menu is exactly what this kitchen is built for. A happy hour runs Tuesday through Sunday afternoons if you want an easier way in.

📍 Homa Café + Bar at Kinship Landing | 415 S Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80903

This year's fall menu brought fall themed drinks and several new seasonal dishes, including a warm Berry Hand Pie. Homa is the craft café and bar on the hotel's first floor, and it earned a Best of the Springs Silver award for Best Hotel Restaurant.

📍 Snooze, an A.M. Eatery | 7587 N. Academy Boulevard, Suite 120, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

The Denver founded brunch favorite rolls out a fall menu every September, and Pumpkin Pecan Pie Pancakes have been a returning star. This year's menu also brought Tiramisu French Toast and Build Your Own Mimosas. Some dishes are seasonal only, while others are new permanent additions.

📍 The Warehouse Restaurant and Gallery | 25 W Cimarron St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Chef James Africano changes the menu with the seasons, so ask about the fall lineup when you book. Open 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

📍 Bristol Brewing Company at Ivywild School | 1604 S Cascade Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80905

Look for Venetucci Pumpkin Ale, a once a year release that has been part of Bristol's Give Back Mix Pack, with proceeds supporting local nonprofits. Ask whether this year's batch is out.

Good to know: Restaurant menus rotate, and a dish named here may be retired by the time you visit. Four by Brother Luck and The Warehouse are built around seasonal menus, Homa and Snooze had fall menus I could confirm this year, and Bristol's pumpkin ale is an annual release. Ivywild School's food and drink vendors are also changing this fall, so confirm hours and offerings before you go.

Iris Insight 💡

When you book a table in fall, ask what is new on the seasonal menu. The best dishes of the year are often the ones that only last a few weeks.

Coffee Shops for Fall Drinks

Pumpkin spice is only the beginning here. Local shops go all in on maple, caramel apple, toasted marshmallow, and a few drinks with names you will need to see to believe.

📍 KB Coffee and Bakery | 1802 Dominion Way, Colorado Springs, CO 80918

The bright pink drive thru stand just released this year's fall menu, including a toasted pumpkin latte. In past falls the lineup has also featured a golden pumpkin latte and a traditional pumpkin spice latte.

📍 Hold Fast Coffee Co. | 2360 Montebello Square Dr, Suite H1, Colorado Springs, CO 80918

A north side roaster and cafe that releases a fall menu each season, with this year's set for September 19. Open Monday through Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

📍 Misty Mountain Collective | 705 N Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Opened in December 2025 near Colorado College, this zero waste coffee shop serves drinks in mason jars with a refundable deposit, and its menu includes a section of witchy "potions." It is the most Halloween feeling stop on this list. Open daily, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

📍 Wayfinder Coffee Co. | Several Colorado Springs locations

Known in recent falls for a haunted brews menu, with drinks like a Butterbeer latte, a pumpkin cold brew, harvest tea, and hot apple cider.

📍 bird tree cafe | 218 N Tejon St, Suite 110, Colorado Springs, CO 80903

A classic downtown cafe across from Acacia Park that releases specialty drink menus built around seasonal flavors.

Good to know: Coffee menus can rotate weekly at some shops, so a drink named here may already be retired. The links above show current menus, and KB and Hold Fast are the two I could tie directly to a fall 2026 menu release.

Iris Insight 💡

Here is my Saturday morning plan for families in October. Grab a fall latte from one of these spots first, then head straight to a pumpkin patch while everyone is still in a good mood. It works every time.

Halloween Decorations

Here is the honest truth about the best decorated streets in town. There is no official list, because neighbors and not committees decide how far to go, and the winners change from year to year. What I can tell you is where locals tend to look.

Neighborhoods and Traditions

Old North End. Century old Victorian homes just north of downtown, near Colorado College and Monument Valley Park. It shows up year after year on local best of lists for Halloween, with a lot of decorated homes and neighbors who dress up to hand out candy.

Wolf Ranch. A newer northeast Colorado Springs community built around a lake and miles of trails, and known as one of the go to spots for trick or treating. Wide sidewalks and a real neighborhood feel make it easy to cover a lot of ground on foot.

Broadmoor Glen. Tucked into southwest Colorado Springs at the base of Cheyenne Mountain, this walkable neighborhood has long had a reputation as a candy seeker's haven, with families driving in from other parts of the city for the trick or treating.

Downtown Manitou Springs. Its own town just west of Colorado Springs, and the most festive stretch of the whole guide. Every October, more than 30 downtown businesses decorate their windows with skeletons in the Skeleton Craze, a yearly competition run by the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce, and visitors can vote for their favorite.

Good to know: These four come up repeatedly in local trick or treat roundups and Halloween guides, so treat them as strong starting points rather than an official ranking, since house by house decorating varies year to year. I intentionally left out private home addresses.

For the Brave

If a yard display is not scary enough, Colorado Springs has three commercial haunts that run every fall. They are intense, so check age guidance before bringing teens.

📍 Hellscream Haunted House | 3021 N Hancock Ave, Colorado Springs

It has been scaring Colorado Springs for more than 15 years. In 2026 it runs September 25 to November 7, with tickets from about 26 dollars.

📍 Fear Complex | 2220 E Bijou St, Colorado Springs

Four distinct haunts under one roof, The Sanitarium, Haunted Mines, Sinister Manor, and the 3-D Carnival. In 2026 it runs through November 9, with tickets from about 32 dollars.

📍 Dark Side of the Abbey | The Abbey at Cañon City, 2951 U.S. 50, Cañon City

Good to know: In 2026 it runs September 25 to October 31, Fridays and Saturdays, 7 to 11 p.m., with tickets from 25 to 50 dollars.

Trick or Treating, Done Right

Stay on the sidewalks, never step into a yard or touch a display, and be respectful of privacy. If you are somewhere without consistent street lighting, wear reflective clothing or carry flashlights, and inspect treats before eating them, especially anything homemade or home wrapped.

Bonus: How to Find This Year's Best Displays

Nextdoor is the local favorite, since neighbors tend to rank the top trick or treating neighborhoods there every year. FrightMaps is another useful tool, with a live map of home haunts and yard displays across Colorado, including Colorado Springs, and each listing shows hours and scare level.

Iris Insight 💡

Trick or treating is one of the fastest ways to feel out a neighborhood. Notice which streets have porch lights on, which families set up chairs in the driveway, and whether people stop to say hello. You will learn more in one evening than in a dozen listing photos.

Pumpkin Patches

Pumpkin season runs through October, and the three below are the ones I would start with. Each link goes to the official page, so you can check the current dates before you drive out.

📍 Venetucci Farm Pumpkin Fest | 5210 S US Highway 85/87, Colorado Springs, CO 80911

Every weekend in October, with a different theme each weekend. In 2026 that means Oktoberfest, Great Pumpkin Beer Festival, Cider Weekend, Witches and Wine, and a Costume Party and Pup Kin Fest to close it out

Cost (2026): About 8 dollars per person for general admission, pumpkins are 10 dollars each in any size, and you pick flowers 10 stems for 15 dollars

Locals have been picking pumpkins at this farm for generations. Expect a hayride, a spooky trail, a makers market in the red barn, food trucks, and coffee vendors, and yes, they serve pumpkin spice lattes. Bring your own wagon, since the farm has only a limited number.

📍 Wishing Star Farm | 24024 State Highway 94, Ellicott, CO 80808

Saturdays and Sundays, September 26 to October 31, Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Mondays except Monday, October 12

One of the largest petting zoos in Colorado, about 25 minutes from Colorado Springs. Beyond the pumpkins there is a hay ride, a barrel train ride, a jumping pillow, a hay slide, and more, which makes it a strong pick for families with younger kids. Weekday visits Tuesday through Friday are by reservation for groups and field trips.

📍 Miners' Pumpkin Patch at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry | 225 North Gate Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80921

Every Saturday in October, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cost (2026): 13 dollars pre purchased, 15 dollars at the door, pumpkins are an additional cost, and children 3 and under are free

A fun fact for anyone exploring the north side, this patch sits right in Northgate, and it has been growing since it began in 2012 as a small harvest festival. Along with the pumpkins there are hayrides, gold panning, a pumpkin catapult, a hay maze, a vintage cider press, food trucks, and live music, and your ticket helps support the museum. Only service dogs are allowed.

Good to know: Prices and hours were checked in late September 2026 and can change, so buy tickets ahead when you can. Venetucci's flowers are available until the first frost, typically around mid October, and dogs are welcome at Venetucci only on the Pup Kin Fest weekend.

Your Fall Bucket List

Here is the list I would hand a friend who just moved to town. Print it, screenshot it, or stick it on the fridge, and see how many you can check off before the first snow. This year's exact dates are in the calendar above.

Make Fall in the Springs Yours

Fall is the season that makes people fall for Colorado Springs. It is a city that celebrates it out loud, with gold on the mountainsides, pumpkins on the farms, and a coffin race down a mountain town's main street.

If you read this guide and thought, I could do this every year, I would love to help you find the neighborhood that fits the fall you picture.

Take the quiz and find out where you actually fit.