Cripple Creek, CO 80820 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Cripple Creek, CO?
Around 06/02 is the usual last spring frost, about 278 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/19, about 108 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Cripple Creek in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 3 weeks of growing season left in Cripple Creek before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
06/02 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/19 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/17 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Cripple Creek compares
About 108 days separate Cripple Creek's last and first frost, putting it 39,542 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CO, it ranks 513 of 624.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Cripple Creek can differ from the 80820 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Cripple Creek's frost date answer different questions.