Not all Colorado fall color hikes have aspens. Instead, the alpine tundra is covered with brilliant orange and red brush. If you start low enough though, some certainly have both. The Abyss Lake hike is one of those, and at 16 miles round trip, hikers must be prepared for a long day if doing the entire length.
The Abyss Lake trail starts off at lower aspen groves, going through the forests before coming to the treeline. The trail continues up past this point to a lake in a glacier-carved basin beneath two 14ers. Hikers will be impressed by the deep colors of the alpine brush once they reach the basin. If you aren’t feeling up to hiking the entire trail, many hikers choose to turn around halfway at treeline, making it about 8 miles round trip.