Considering a June trip to Colorado and need some help? We’ve got you covered!
June in Colorado is a busy month, with children out of school and many families traveling. June weather will bring moderately warm temperatures with comfortable, dry air. Booking far in advance is a must & activities like hiking, rafting, fishing and golfing are a joy in this warm weather month.
June is definitely a beautiful sight to behold in Colorado. The mountain snows have melted, the summer sun is warm, the days are long and nature is bustling with activity. This season ushers in the Summer vacationers and families, making it one of the most popular times to visit the Centennial State.
This guide will cover everything you need to know about what to expect in Colorado in June. From weather to things to do and places to visit, it’s all here.
This article is part of Roundtript’s series of expert Colorado travel guides for every month of the year.
 Spring in Colorado |  Summer in Colorado |  Fall in Colorado |  Winter in Colorado |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | June | September | December |
| April | July | October | January |
| May | August | November | February |
For a summary of each Colorado month & season all in one place, check out our big guide to the Best Times of the Year to Visit Colorado.
Colorado Weather in June
Colorado weather conditions are warming up in June with Summer fast approaching. The average highs will be around the low 80’s°F (27°C) and average lows are in the low 50’s°F (10°C). Typically the highest temps will be seen around the afternoon and the cooler temps will come through the night.
Colorado weather all throughout the year is very dry, making the heat more bearable during the day. However, the sun can be very intense at midday, so it’s highly recommended that you not only dress appropriately (preferably in layers that can be removed during the day), but that you also bring plenty of water and sunscreen when performing outdoor activities.
In June, the snow is gone in all lower altitude parts of the state and most of the muddy areas from the Spring snowmelt have dried up. This month will also see minimal rainfall, making your vacation warm and dry. But some of the higher mountain ranges may experience frequent thunderstorms. June also brings in some of the longest days of the year, seeing about 15 hours of daylight.
No matter the time of year, altitude will always be a factor when traveling to Colorado. Some towns like Alma have an elevation of 10,300′ and others like Wray have an elevation of over 3,000′. As a matter of fact, altitude sickness affects nearly 10% of all visitors. You can prepare your body by eating healthy foods, drinking plenty of water, sleeping well, resting frequently and avoiding alcohol.
Colorado Affordability & Crowds in June
Colorado in June sees a significant rise in tourist volumes when compared to the Spring months of April and May. Most schools are out this month, making it the ideal time for a family vacation. With the surge in visitors, you can also expect for hotel and lodging prices to go up this month. Crowds may start to gather in the best tourist areas of the state, especially in the National Parks, so it’s best to plan in advance for any tours and excursions you want to do.
Hotel rates will vary by city, with most ski towns offering a wide range of rates, small towns being the cheapest and the capitol city of Denver averaging around $300-400 per night for the best hotels. With the influx of visitors, it’s also possible that booking hotels, restaurants and excursions may be difficult. It’s best to plan in advance, call ahead where necessary and reserve the top things you want to accomplish first.
Colorado Snow & Skiing in June
Colorado snowfall has completely stopped by the time June rolls around. Skiing is still available for the biggest fanatics of the sport, but there are only a few places in some of the highest altitude areas of the state where you can achieve this. Snowmelt has also come to halt, so most lower parts of the mountains valleys and trails will be clear and dry.
Best Colorado Ski Resorts in June
Arapahoe Basin
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area has the longest ski season in the state (typically lasting from October till early June). While June may have some of the lowest amounts of snow, it doesn’t stop some ski junkies from finding the best slopes this late in the season.
Arapahoe Basin offers the ultimate Rocky Mountain experience with some of the lowest crowds and most incredible landscape views. It’s equipped with 1,428 skiable acres with a summit elevation of 13,050′. It’s appropriately nicknamed “the Legend” for it’s epic terrain that appeals best to intermediate and advanced level skiers.
You’ll find this ski area in Dillon, CO in the Arapaho National Forest. It’s most suitable for a quick casual ski trip where you aren’t in it for frills or expensive meals. Expect to stay outside of the area and travel in to ski each day.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park, like others in Colorado, offers backcountry skiing to anyone and everyone as long as there’s snow on the ground. It’s one of the best places to go as the Summer months begin to approach since most of the ski resorts have shut down. However, there will be no lodging in this area – you’ll drive to the mountain to ski and shelter elsewhere. Estes Park is the closest town for lodging.
Skiable acres are dependent on the ability level of the skier, therefore the mountain is your oyster. Drive up via Trail Ridge Road and ski to your heart’s content on any of the slopes that contain great powder.
Best Things to Do in Colorado in June
Below are some of the best places to visit in the month of June. In addition to these places, other Spring activities available this time of year include ATVing, backpacking, ballooning, boating, camping, canoeing, fishing, golfing, paragliding, hiking, horseback riding, hunting, kayaking, mountain biking, rock climbing, water skiing, water rafting, and ziplining.
See the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Much to our surprise, Black Canyon is Colorado’s least visited National Park. So when the Summer crowds start picking up elsewhere, the beautiful Black Canyon is the place to be. But be ye warned: it can be fairly dangerous hiking the steep and deep trails through the canyon. It also takes hours worth of driving to get here and there is no on-site lodging.
However, there are many activities to take part in while visiting, including hiking, fishing, and stargazing. June is a great time to visit Black Canyon with the longer days on the horizon, as well as warmer weather to enjoy. We’d recommend adding the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park to your vacation plans during the week, but not necessarily making it your full vacation – unless you plan only to visit Colorado for a weekend.
Visit Ski Villages
Ski towns and villages completely transform from the Winter months to the Summer months. No longer are the ski runs filled with powdery snow – instead, they’re open for hiking and biking trails, climbing excursions and other similar activities. The experiences will vary by area and we’ve included some of the best places to visit in June.
Vail has some surprisingly great activities for visitors to do in the summer. Some of the most notable that differ from the usual hiking and biking include riding the Forest Flyer alpine coaster, exploring the botanical beauty of Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, go tubing at Epic Discovery, hike with a llama through Paragon Guides or take advantage of the whitewater rafting with multiple outfitters.
Boulder is a great place to be, especially in early June when the weather is perfect. Some of the best activities to experience at this time include tubing down Boulder Creek, exploring the Boulder Beer Trail, enjoy one of the many outdoor concerts throughout the month, go boating or swimming in the Boulder Reservoir or let the kids splash in the Pop-Jet Fountain downtown.
Steamboat Springs in June is a month full of fun, taking advantage of all that the Summer warmth has to offer. Aside from the typical hiking and biking excursions, enjoy the Old Town Hot Springs where families can swim and relax together, take flight in a hot air balloon during the Steamboat Hot Air Balloon Rodeo, try out the Alpine Slide, or enjoy a nice round of golf at one of Steamboat’s three 18-hole courses.
Hike Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park is easily accessible from the town of Estes Park and just a short drive from the cities of Denver and Boulder. June is a great time to be here since the Winter snow is melted, making hiking the trails much more of a breeze. However, the crowds do begin to pick back up in this month.
Hiking is the most popular activity in Rocky Mountain National Park, but it isn’t the only way to see it. You can experience the full glory of the Rockies from your car while driving on Trail Ridge Road, finding a spot to camp, going fishing or even rock climbing.
While hiking over 350 miles of trail, you could encounter wildlife such as elk and bighorn sheep, get gorgeous pictures with sweeping vistas and experience a killer workout. The wildflowers are blooming in June, creating a breathtaking landscape with the pine and spruce forests, as well as sparkling alpine lakes.
Experience Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
Great Sand Dunes is the ultimate outdoor adventure that thrill-seekers can take part in. This unique stretch of landscape in southern Colorado offers hiking, fat biking, sand sledding, camping and horseback riding, just to name a few.
Because the mornings start out cool and the afternoons become hot, it’s recommended to start the morning with sand boarding or sledding before the sand scorches. You can also hike any of the dunes or one of the forested trails around the Park, or see more by driving Medano Pass 4 Wheel-Drive Road.
The hot afternoons are a perfect time to cool off in Medano Creek. The Creek offers tubing and river rafting and gets quite popular on the weekends in June. It’s suggested that you take advantage of week days here, because the water can get crowded on the weekends.
Hike Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park is the perfect destination for hiking enthusiasts and athletes who love a challenge. The National Park is filled with over 600 Ancestral Pueblan cliff-dwellings dating back to 600AD and has some of the most well-preserved archeological sites in the country. June becomes quite busy, so it’s suggested that you plan ahead.
Ranger-led tours of the Park can be booked at the Visitor Center before arriving at Mesa Verde, located on the main highway leading up to the destination. The tours involve not only walking and hiking, but could also include times where climbing, crawling and awkward maneuvering are necessary. If you don’t want to exert this much effort to see the Ancestral Pueblan cliff dwellings, they can be viewed from afar at the designated overlook that you can drive up to.
Visit Crested Butte
Crested Butte is a quaint and cozy ski town in the Rocky Mountains. During the Winter you can experience the snow sports in all their glory, but the Summer is actually one of the best times to be in town. Crested Butte is best known for it’s great bike trails and beautiful blankets of wildflowers in the summer – and they’re just beginning to bloom in mid-June, peaking in July.
The last weeks of June mark the beginning of Bike Week, where the mountain trails open up and host clinics, competitions and challenges. Temperatures are fair and dry, making the activities much more enjoyable and fun for all. The hundreds of miles of bike trails along Crested Butte Mountain Resort include paths for all ability levels, ensuring that even beginners will have a great time on the mountain.
Experience Grand Junction
Grand Junction is a city located in Colorado’s Western Slope region; a gateway to some of Colorado’s top attractions like Colorado National Monument and the Grand Mesa.
Colorado National Monument offers more than the typical Colorado Rockies mountain scenery. It’s filled with beautiful landscapes of rock formations, canyons, arid plants and bushes. It’s very popular for long distance biking, trail hiking and off-road driving adventures.
The Grand Mesa is the largest flat-topped mountain in the world, stretching over 500 square miles. The Grand Junction gives easy access to the Grand Mesa, which is a great escape from the approaching summer heat (the summit never rises above 80°F (27°C). Hiking, fishing, biking, driving and camping are all easily achieved at the Grand Mesa.
The City of Grand Junction has loads of additional experiences when you’ve had your fill of outdoor activity. Downtown Main Street has many shops, boutiques and stores to meander through and plenty of restaurants to choose from. As a matter of fact, it’s best known for being in the heart of Colorado’s wine country, so there’s no better place to taste wine in the state.
Ride the Durango & Silverton Railways
This Old Western train ride is sure to thrill people of all ages, taking off from the original depot built in 1882. The towns of Durango and Silverton are connected by this preserved railway, which operates using the original methods kept up by the current conductors and railway workers. The train rides are meant to give visitors a beautifully scenic experience along with a history lesson on Southwestern Colorado.
Tourists will love to experience any of the multiple train rides available with the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway, taking you to various destinations in close proximity to Durango. The tours will wind through many acres of the San Juan National Forest and give guests glimpses of deep canyons, spans of spruce trees and fields of wildflowers. There are many different packages to choose from, one including a stay at the Grand Imperial Hotel.
Tour Pike National Forest
Pike National Forest is home to over one million acres of beautifully preserved forests, streams and mountain areas. Visitors love the outdoor activities including hiking, fishing, boating and camping. The National Forest is easily accessible from the city of Colorado Springs and is well known for it’s great hike to Pike’s Peak.
Pike National Forest makes for a nice family vacation for outdoor lovers whose ideal vacation would be hiking any of the family-friendly trails that leads to Manitou Park, picnicking by the lake, driving along any of the scenic roads or fishing in Eleven Mile Canyon.
June Events in Colorado
There are many events to experience in Colorado. Below we’ve listed the biggest and most popular long term events that appeal to most travelers.
GoPro Mountain Games
Vail hosts the GoPro Mountain Games annually in the first week of June. This is an event that has something for everyone, whether it be one of their various athletic competitions like running and rock climbing or playing lawn games with friends. The nights are typically ended with a fun community concert.
Telluride Balloon Festival
In June the natural beauty of the Telluride Valley serves as the perfect setting for the Telluride Balloon Festival. If you want a unique and colorful experience with great photo ops, you can’t beat the brightly colored hot air balloons taking off from Telluride’s beautifully preserved Valley Floor that rise up into the bright blue sky with the tall peaks of the surrounding San Juan Mountains behind them.
Colorado Shakespeare Festival
The Colorado Shakespeare Festival starts up in June and typically runs through the first week of August. College actors and actresses from the University of Colorado Boulder perform daily, showcasing the best of Shakespeare’s work on the stage. View the lineup of performances before heading into town as there are many performed over this monthlong period.
Colorado Renaissance Festival
The Colorado Renaissance Festival is held annually in the city of Larkspur, CO. The festival runs over the course of one month and hosts many themed events, encouraging attendees to wear era-appropriate costumes. Guests will watch minstrels, barmaids and knights in shining armor perform daily, eat, drink and be merry.
Greeley Stampede
Greeley, CO, is home to the Greeley Stampede, held every year for about two weeks just before Independence Day. It’s coming up on nearly 100 years of existence. Guests will enjoy the rodeo races and events, along with plenty of food, attractions and concerts to take part in.
Colorado in June: Week by Week
First Week
Summer warmth and breezes fill the air during the long days of June. The first week will bring in the first batch of vacationers ready to get out and experience all that the long days of Summer in Colorado have to offer. Snowfall has completely stopped at this point, with only the highest altitudes maintaining fair levels of snow for skiing and snowboarding.
Visitors are able to enjoy the best warm weather activities with very fair weather and minimal rainfall. Some of the best things to do in the first week of June is to plan a trip to Boulder, where the trails have accommodated hikers of every ability after closing for the ski season.
As far as events, visitors will be thrilled to watch the Telluride Balloon Festival. The festival sees hundreds of balloons lift into the air with a gorgeous backdrop of the San Juan Mountains. Also taking place this week is the GoPro Mountain Games in Vail, featuring concerts, athletic competitions and family-friendly events over a several day period.
Second Week
The temperatures remain mild and warm for the second week of June and visitors continue to pour into some of the most visited parts of Colorado. Denver airport is more than likely bustling at this point, seeing thousands of families on their way to the National Parks and ski villages that are open for summer fun.
This is a great week to experience the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway, which will take you on a journey through Southwestern Colorado on an historical tour. Experience the sights and sounds of 1882, while getting a scenic view of the San Juan Mountains. Other great activities to consider are the Alpine Coaster in Vail or the tubing and slide ramps in Boulder and Steamboat Springs.
The Colorado Shakespeare Festival hosted and performed by the theatrical department of the University of Colorado Boulder begins it’s monthlong event this week. Visitors will have the opportunity to catch a show now through the beginning of August.
Third Week
The third week in June in Colorado doesn’t differ too much in temperature, though higher temps are on the rise through the end of the month. Most locations will still have cool nights, with Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve having some of the most spectacularly starlit nights. Crowds are teeming at most of the best tourist destinations in the state, but warm weather activities are being enjoyed by all.
One of the best places to be to avoid these crowds is the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park. The park is a little off the beaten path and you’ll want to bring a camping tent or prepare to drive a ways back to your hotel, which keeps tourist crowds at bay. However, the sights and awe-inspiring beauty of this stark black canyon are truly worth the effort to get there.
The third week in June is opening week for the Colorado Renaissance Festival in Larkspur. The festival runs through the end of August and hosts a multitude of themed events, encouraging attendees to wear era-appropriate costumes and enjoy the gallantry and pageantry of the village, where minstrels, barmaids and knights in shining armor perform daily.
Fourth Week
By the time you’ve reached the fourth week of June, crowds have reached max capacity and a lot of tourist destinations will be packed full. You’d be well-advised to plan months in advance for a trip at this time considering that most families are also planning to visit Colorado this month. But it’s for a great reason – you can’t beat the low rainfall, warm temps, blooming wildflowers and dry weather of June.
Biking enthusiasts will love the mountain trails and pathways of Crested Butte and the ones near Fruita at this time of year. While there may be an influx of visitors, the trails won’t be slammed and the weather will be gorgeous. Crested Butte has a lot going on in town, making it a dream vacation for bikers, while Fruita will feel more like a hidden, but not so hidden gem.
The Greeley Stampede takes place at the end of the month, usually running for one week through Independence Day. It features typical rodeo shows, complete with cattle roping and barrel racing, along with a fair fit for the whole family. In Crested Butte, visitors can enjoy Bike Week, which hosts clinics, challenges and races for expert bikers and celebrates the opening of the mountain trails.
Conclusion
Colorado really hits it’s stride in June with the Summer vacationers coming out to play. Those who love warm weather and outdoor sports will especially enjoy the many various activities that Colorado has to offer this time of year. However, the crowd levels surge at this point, making it a little more difficult to feel alone in the wilderness.
If you don’t mind the loads of tourists coming to experience the same thing you are, June will be a perfectly good time to go. Hiking and biking are a hit with the locals and visitors will also love taking advantage of these and many other experiences. The National Parks are filled with people looking to get fresh air and a history lesson in June, since the weather is superb and the days are long.
The weather in June is some of the best throughout the year, with the snowfall done, the rainfall at a minimum and the warm temperatures not quite at their peak. That, along with the fact that kids are out of school and families are traveling, is why June is one of the most popular months for visiting Colorado.
