The big picture: We've rounded up 10 family-friendly ways to make the most of the fleeting season, from corn mazes and pumpkin patches to elk bugles, tarantulas and a winding mountain train ride.

🎃 Pick a pumpkin — and get lost in a corn maze: Make a date at Anderson Farms in Erie, tackle the 8-acre maze at Chatfield Farms or pick from the patch at Munson Farms in Boulder.

🚂 Ride through the aspens: The Georgetown Loop Railroad runs its Fall Colors Train on select weekends Sept. 18–Oct. 4.

🌶️ Taste Colorado's harvest: The Pueblo Chile & Frijoles Festival, Sept. 18–20, celebrates Pueblo's famous peppers with plenty of roasted chiles, food and festivities.

🕷️ Witness the great tarantula trek: Thousands of male tarantulas emerge onto southeastern Colorado's grasslands each fall in search of mates. Make a weekend of it at La Junta Tarantula Fest, Sept. 25–26.

🍎 Celebrate apple season: Head to Cider Days in Lakewood, Oct. 3–4, for apple pressing, wagon rides, tractor pulls and, naturally, plenty of cider.

🍂 Chase the changing leaves: Load up the car for a cruise along Guanella Pass, Peak to Peak Scenic Byway or Kenosha Pass — among Colorado's top leaf-peeping drives.

🥾 Hike the gold: For little legs, try the 2-mile Bear Creek Trail to Castle near Idledale, which gains just 157 feet.

🫎 Hear an elk bugle: Elk Fest takes over Estes Park Oct. 3–4, when the town's famously vocal elk are in the thick of mating season.

✨ Light up the night: Glow at the Gardens lights up Denver Botanic Gardens Oct. 15–18 and 21–24 with hand-carved pumpkins, performers and glowing displays.

👻 Get (not-too) spooky: Trick-or-treat at Boo at the Zoo, climb aboard the Colorado Railroad Museum's Harvest Haunt or dress up for the Broadway Halloween Parade.