Your nature year
Grand Junction, Coloradothrough the year
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Grand Junction?
For a day trip, Black Canyon is 60 miles off; its fall foliage is usually well under way by mid-October (statewide). Grand Junction sits at about 4,649 feet. Grand Junction usually sees its last spring frost around Apr 14 and its first fall frost around Oct 23, a frost-free stretch of about 192 days at NOAA's Grand Junction Wfo station, 3.1 miles away. About 4 weeks pass between first leaf and first bloom here. Leaves usually come out around Mar 21 and the first flowers around Apr 21. We follow 3 places within 150 miles of Grand Junction; the nearest lies 60 miles to the southeast. Statewide, Colorado's fall color is usually well under way by mid-October.
Updated Sep 28. Sources: US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) ↗ (opens in a new tab), US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Best this weekend nearby
- San Juan Skyway · 105 mi · Fall foliage
Usually Sep 11–Oct 20
Sat Oct 3: Sunny, 57°F · Sun Oct 4: Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 56°F
No report yet
Places in their own usual window that weekend; reports are the latest official ones, forecasts from the National Weather Service.
Grand Junction's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Apr 14 to ~Oct 23
- First leaf ~Mar 21
- First bloom ~Apr 21
- Fall color under way ~Oct 11 (CO)
- Today
Near Grand Junction right now
- Fall color is usually well under way by mid-October in ColoradoStatewide · USA-NPN volunteer observations, 2020–2025 · not a forecast~13 days
- First fall frost usually around Oct 23 · last spring frost around Apr 14NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Grand Junction Wfo (3.1 mi, 50% dates)~4 weeks
- Maroon Bells · 87 mi · usually Sep 21–30Fall foliage · in its window now
- San Juan Skyway · 105 mi · usually Sep 11–Oct 20Fall foliage · in its window now
Grand Junction's nature year
- Spring green-upMar
- Last spring frostApr
- Fall color (CO)Oct
- First fall frostOct
Nearby, season by season
Fall foliage
- Black Canyon · 60 miStatewide: usually well under way by mid-October~10 days
- Maroon Bells · 87 miusually Sep 21–30
- San Juan Skyway · 105 miusually Sep 11–Oct 20
Snow in Grand Junction
Snow usually becomes possible around Nov 28 (our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%). NOAA's normals at Grand Junction Walker Fld (3.4 mi away): 18 inches of snow in an average year, about 6 days with 1 inch or more.
NOAA's chance of at least 0.1 inch of snow on each date (one value per week, September to May), averaged over 1991–2020. A typical year, not a forecast.
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Apr 14
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Oct 23
About 192 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Mar 21
First bloom around Apr 21
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Grand Junction Wfo (3.1 mi from Grand Junction), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in Grand Junction?
On average around Oct 23, and the last spring frost around Apr 14: about 192 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Grand Junction Wfo, 3.1 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Grand Junction?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Mar 21 and first bloom around Apr 21, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see fall foliage near Grand Junction?
Black Canyon, 60 miles (statewide: usually well under way by mid-October); Maroon Bells, 87 miles (usually Sep 21–30); San Juan Skyway, 105 miles (usually Sep 11–Oct 20). Distances are straight-line.
When does it start snowing in Grand Junction?
Snow usually becomes possible around Nov 28: our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%, at Grand Junction Walker Fld. An average year brings 18 inches (NOAA 1991–2020). A typical year, not a forecast.Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal snowfall) ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (daily snowfall probabilities) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How we know
US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, Spring Index 1991–2020 averages (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, colored leaves observations (opens in a new tab) (Sep 28)