The arrival of fall colors is just weeks away in Colorado, sure to put on a show worth planning a trip into the mountains for.

As far as timing goes, expect the first fall colors to show up around September 10 this year, according to Explore Fall. Peak fall colors, however, will come much later – and you’ll want to wait to plan your trip for then.

Two big questions related to when fall colors will appear and how long they’ll stick around tend to be temperature and precipitation. The arrival of lower nighttime temps tends to be what triggers the appearance of brilliant yellows, oranges, and reds among Colorado’s foliage, with drier conditions – which have been present in Colorado this year – often meaning an earlier transition in the trees.

It’s also important to consider how weather conditions once fall hits can impact how long fall leaves are present. A stormy season tends to knock leaves down faster, though the National Weather Service is currently calling for below-average precipitation – at least through October – which could mean fewer storms that cause these leaves to fall.

As far as peak fall colors go this year in Colorado, Explore Fall is predicting that the last week of September will be when fall colors start to hit their color peak in the Central Mountain region. Meanwhile, fall colors in the area of the San Juans and Sangre de Cristos should peak in that first week of October. Peak fall colors should be present along the Front Range as mid-October nears, with the entire state past its peak by November.

Most of those planning for a mountain-bound leaf-peeping road trip should plan to hit the road those last few days of September into that first week or two of October. That said, keep in mind that changing weather conditions can have a major impact on when fall colors pop up and how long they stick around.

One of the best methods for scoping out an area can be to turn to social media. Platforms like Instagram utilize a location-tagging feature, which can be used to get a pretty good idea of what conditions might be like if sorting geo-tagged posts by recency. That said, once fall colors start to pop up – act quickly, they might be gone soon.

A few popular places to see fall colors include Estes Park, Aspen, Breckenridge, Telluride, and Steamboat Springs, but in general, fall colors are hard to miss in Colorado.

Find an interactive fall color map that shows the entire state and allows one to adjust for a date-specific preview here.