Fall into Responsible Recreation: Give Wildlife Space

Bridget O'Rourke
Statewide Public Information Officer
720-219-2919
[email protected] Fall into Responsible Recreation: Give Wildlife Space

DATE: Oct. 15, 2026

DENVER — Colorado’s vibrant fall colors continue to paint the landscapes in a breathtaking spectacle. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) encourages sportspeople and outdoor enthusiasts to witness this natural wonder while following a few simple rules.

Colorado is home to more than 220,000 acres of public land, 43 world-class state parks, 350 state wildlife areas, 6,000 miles of streams and over 1,300 lakes and reservoirs. Each of these resources offers a unique and diverse experience. 

Below are tips and resources for making the most of your fall outdoor adventure while taking action to protect Colorado’s land, water and wildlife.

Know Before You Go
Before heading out, check current trail conditions, closures, weather and local regulations. Conditions can change quickly, and some areas may have temporary restrictions or closures to protect visitors or wildlife. 

• Plan your visit with the Quick Guide to State Parks or the Colorado State Parks Brochure (Guía De Los Parques Naturales).
• Use the online State Park Finder Tool to find a state park interactive map.
• Discover state wildlife areas and state trust lands with the 2026 Colorado State Recreation Lands Brochure.
• Explore campsite, cabin and yurt rentals at Colorado state parks.
• Look at the CPW Events Calendar to find Halloween events including guided hikes, moonlight and murder-mystery hikes, hayrides and trick-or-treating on trails. 
• Read our Leaf Peeping Guide: How to Chase Changing Colors.
• Download the free COTREX app to find trailheads, maps and closures.
• Bring layers — mountain weather changes quickly.
• The majority of public lands in Colorado are open to multiple types of recreational use. For safety reasons, big-game hunters using a firearm must wear fluorescent orange or pink in the field. It is illegal to intentionally interfere with hunters.

Keep Wildlife Wild. Live BearWise®.
In the fall, wildlife are more active, looking for food or potential mates. Elk, moose and deer are in their annual rut (mating season) and will attack if they feel threatened. Bears consume as many as 20,000 calories a day. As they build up their fat reserves to prepare for denning, they can stay active for 20-plus hours at a time. Bears may travel farther and take greater risks to eat the calories they need. This can bring them into neighborhoods and onto trails where trash and other human food sources provide an easy meal. 

Avoid human-wildlife problems this fall with a few simple steps.

• Give wildlife extra space and respect area closures.
• Do not feed wildlife; let them find natural food sources.  
• Properly dispose of trash to deter wildlife from entering residential areas.
• Review the BearWise Basics for Home and Outdoor BearWise Basics.
• Make sure anything that might attract a bear is safely out of sight, smell and reach.
• Keep wildlife in mind when placing pumpkins; consider keeping your real pumpkins indoors and removing tangle hazards from yards.
• Be prepared to cross paths with wildlife.
• Watch for wildlife on roadways. 
• Keeping dogs leashed helps prevent moose and bear attacks on trails.
• Report sick or stressed wildlife to a local CPW Office.

After Halloween, many communities and food banks across Colorado host pumpkin drop-off events for those looking for an alternative to throwing away or composting pumpkins themselves. Several ranches across Colorado also accept direct pumpkin donations for livestock feed. Zoos may even accept donated pumpkins.  

Leave It As You Find It
Parking in designated areas is critical — undesignated parking can destroy vegetation, ignite wildfires in dry grass or block search-and-rescue vehicles.  

• Help keep our trees healthy by not carving into them or pulling down branches.
• Pack it in, pack it out. Whatever you bring into the outdoors, take it out with you. 
• Keep dogs leashed and put waste bags in a trash can. Do not hang waste on trees or put waste bags in vault toilets. 

Stay Safe on the Water
Sudden immersion in cold water can cause gasping, inhalation of water and hypothermia, resulting in unconsciousness or swimming failure as muscles become numb.

• Wear a life jacket.
• Never overestimate your swimming ability. All too often, people underestimate the distance to shore or the effects of cold water. As a result, people can drown while attempting to climb back on a boat or get to safety.
• Paddleboards and kayaks are vessels, and life jacket requirements apply.
• Strong winds can raise water levels quickly and without warning. 
• “Clean, drain and dry” your watercraft, trailers, boots and waders to prevent aquatic nuisance species from sticking onto your gear. Find a CPW Gear and Watercraft Cleaning Station to decontaminate your gear.

Early-Season Avalanche Hazards
With snow falling in Colorado's mountains this week, remember that it doesn't take much snow to create avalanche hazards. Avalanches can occur whenever snow covers a steep slope, and even small early-season avalanches can carry people into exposed rocks or other obstacles. Before heading into steep, snow-covered terrain, consider the potential consequences of an avalanche. Starting Nov. 1, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) will post daily backcountry avalanche forecasts on avalanche.state.co.us.