NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Fall officially begins September 22, on the Autumn Equinox. Late September and early October is when New Mexicans can expect to see peak colors. However, late October to early November is when the Albuquerque-metro area may start to see leaves change color in the bosque. According to the Forest Service's website, mid to late September head to the Carson National Forest. People can see the golden hues of cottonwoods. Peak is the end of September through mid-October. The Santa Fe National Forest will also have different shades of yellow leaves around that time. New Mexico Fall Foliage Forecast 2024: When to see peak colors The best forests to explore to find peak fall colors from October to early November are Cibola, Coronado, Gila, and Lincoln National Forests. Below are photos taken via Getty of leaves changing color in New Mexico over the years. Green and gold landscape with distant mountains and wispy cloudy sky in Carson National Forest, north of Taos, NM. LAMADERA, NEW MEXICO - OCTOBER 18, 2018: A black horse grazes in a pasture in rural Lamadera, New Mexico. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images) El Rancho de Las Golondrinas, Spanish Colonial Living Museum, , NM. (Photo by: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) El Santuario de Chimayo is a Roman Catholic church built in the early 1800's. This shrine, a National Historic Landmark, is famous for the story of its founding and as a contemporary pilgrimage site. It receives almost 300,000 visitors per year and has been called the most important Catholic pilgrimage center in the United States. In the autumn, the church and landscape are highlighted with colorful yellow Aspen trees. (Photo by Wendy Stone/Corbis via Getty Images) New Mexico, landscape of Jemez with yellow aspens. (Photo by: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) UNITED STATES - 2017/10/21: Trees in fall colors at the Rio Grande Gorge between Taos and Santa Fe in New Mexico, USA. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images) New Mexico, Chama River In Autumn. (Photo by Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)