Fall Photography in Colorado Trip Journal

Introduction

During this trip we spent most of our time in following areas.

• Rocky Mountain National Park
• Leadville, Aspen, Carbondale and Marble
• Crested Butte and Gunnison
• Ridgeway, Telluride and Silverton
• Great Sand Dunes National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park

During our summer trip to Colorado we had made a brief stop in the Rocky Mountain National Park and captured some wonderful images of Bear and Sprague Lakes. During that trip we were able to only spend one morning in the park but it was obvious that we had only touched the surface of the area. We were excited to get another chance to spend more time in the park when we found ourselves in the state again for fall.

On our previous trip into the park we had entered through the Grand Lake entrance. If you can avoid this entrance we would suggest you do so. Unfortunately, millions of trees have died due to the Mountain Pine Beetle and we seemed to drive through those dead trees for hours. So far the dead trees are not appearing in large numbers on the east side of the park but I have read some predictions that state 60% of the remaining trees will likely die in the next two years. In fact there was a noticeable difference in just the few months we had been gone.

When you arrive at the park gate be sure to get a map from the ranger. This map was very helpful in navigating the park. Also keep your telephoto lens handy as you drive around. The park is well known for its wildlife and you never know when an opportunity will present itself.

Fall is a perfect time to see the elk in rut and great opportunities can be found in the Sheep Lakes and Moraine Park areas. Simply drive along the road and look for the large groups of people parked along the roadside. Normally rangers will be nearby ensuring people don’t leave the roadside and get to close to the elk. If you want to see the elk active you should be there either during the first hour or last hour of daylight. At any other time you are likely to only see them resting in the field. Typically we found several small groups of 10-15 female elk in an area and each group had a male elk watching over it. When we arrived at the park it seemed that the majority of the fighting between the males had taken place and the groups seemed to be pretty well established. However, that did not keep the males from constantly bugleling and warning the other males to stay away.

During our summer trip to the park we had wonderful luck at Bear and Sprague Lakes and captured some great reflection images (see the Summer in Colorado panorama photo gallery). In doing research for this trip we had seen some great sunrise images of Dream Lake. Based on those images we decided we would try a hike to Dream Lake for sunrise. To reach Dream Lake requires a hike that is just a little over one mile long. Since the trail starts at Bear Lake we had to leave several hours before sunrise in order to make it in time. When we arrived at Dream Lake the sun was just beginning to light up the sky and it was just a little confusing as to where we should setup. The location we chose was to the left of the stream that was exiting the lake but I think you could get a great image anyway near the river outlet. After finishing our sunrise shoot at Dream Lake we headed back down the mountain. On the way back we stopped at Nymph Lake for a few minutes. It is a nice lake but the lily pads tend to congest the reflection and therefore I think Dream Lake makes a more dramatic sunrise location.

Leadville

After we finished our morning shoot in the Dream Lake area we left the park and headed for the Clear Creek area south of Leadville. During our research we had seen some nice images from the area. Jo also enjoys old building of any kind and I had read that there were some in the area. To reach the Clear Creek area drive south of Leadville on Highway 24. Continue past the Twin Lakes Reservoir (this is the turn to go over Independence Pass to Aspen) and turn west on Forest Road 390.

It was getting pretty late in the day when we turned onto the Clear Creek Road so we spent the remaining daylight exploring the road. We ended up spending sunset at the old town site of Winfield. It is located just short of 12 miles from the start of Clear Creek Road.  There were several nice cabins and some wonderful color in the trees in the area. There were also some great reflections in beaver ponds on the drive into the area so keep a watch out as you drive along the road.

On the way out of the area we stopped by the Vicksburg Museum located just short of 8 miles from the start of the Clear Creek Road to look around. The light was terrible and we were not able to take any good images other than a few vacation photos but the area has some potential and maybe worth your exploration. There are some recorded messages located on several of the buildings that will give you some great history of the area and there are several building located on both sides of the old main street. The recording indicated that a couple of the mailboxes were original and over 100 years old.

Aspen

During our fall 2007 trip to Colorado we had spent some time in the Aspen area photographing Maroon Bells and the old Ashcroft town site. Since we had to fight some pretty strong winds at Ashcroft and not all of our images had turned out as we had hoped so we were eager to visit again. Leaving the Clear Creek area we traveled over Independence Pass and down into Aspen. On the way down we stopped at the Independence ghost town but again due to the harsh mid day light, photography opportunities were limited.

If you love old buildings like Jo does, you need to visit Ashcroft. Not only is it easy to reach but it contains some wonderful subjects. To reach it simply drive from downtown Aspen north on Highway 82 until you reach the traffic circle.  Exit the traffic circle on Castle Creek Road and go about 10 miles. Ashcroft is a morning location and you will need to be there before the sun rises. Since it is so close to Aspen it can fill with people pretty quick. As you shoot keep an eye on the mountain peaks behind the buildings for the sun to begin illuminating them. It really can add to the scene.

Our first sunrise at Maroon Bells was an experience we will never forget and I am sure it was the same for the 150 other photographers we shared it with. In spite of the large crowds the location is wonderful and we highly recommend you spend a morning there. Just like Ashcroft, this is a sunrise location and you must be here at least an hour before sunrise to get a good spot around the edge of the lake. Look for a nice foreground object to anchor your scene and hope for no wind and a few clouds. Once you have finished exploring the back of the lake the deep shadow in the valley below the peaks should have filled in with better light.

Carbondale

To reach Carbondale we drove north of Aspen on Highway 82 until we reached Snowmass. There we turned onto Country Road 11 and drove until it intersected with East Sopris Creek Road where we turned right (north). When we reached West Sopris Creek Road we turned left (west) off of East Sopris Creek Road and made our way into Carbondale. As you drive this route the scenes change from mountains to rolling ranches and farms. There are some nice overlooks of Mount Sopris at the top of the pass on West Sopris Creek Road. An area known as the Crown can be reached by taking the spur road near the top of the pass. I have seen some photos of this area taken under nice morning light but it was under midday light when we passed through and the possibilities were pretty limited.

Marble

The Marble area offers many nice photograph locations but so far each time we have visited the area we have done so in heavy rain. As you travel south from Carbondale and approach the Marble Road exit, the road will begin climbing up to McClure Pass. Watch the turnouts for great overviews of some nice Aspen forest. Several of these overviews that look back to the east make nice sunset locations. Watch the forest areas around the turnouts for large carpets of ferns under the aspens.

As you drive into the town of Marble watch both sides of the road for potential images. This area contains a lot of potential but so far we have just never been blessed with nice weather. Marble is also the location of one of Colorado’s icons, Crystal Mill. To reach the mill you will need a 4 wheel drive vehicle or search the web for one of the tour guides that can take you to the mill. We have not been able to make it up to mill yet but have certainly seen some wonderful images taken there.

If you would like to spend some time in a quite area without many other photographers, you may consider driving up Forest Road 265. To find the road travel south of McClure Pass around 7 miles and the road will be on your right hand side. You will pass through several ranches and farms before beginning to climb up the valley.

Crested Butte

Every time we have visited Colorado our most productive area has been around Crested Butte. Not only do we enjoy the town but it is surrounded by beautifully mountains that have rewarded us with some wonderful images. Spending the night on top of Paradise Divide is one of our best Colorado memories. To reach Crested Butte we left the Marble area and drove south until we reached Kebler Pass Road (County Road 12). The views along Kebler Pass Road will just get better and better as you drive towards Crested Butte. So far our most successful strategy has been to explore the road during late afternoon, spend the night at Lost Lake campground, shoot sunrise at the lake and then drive the road again in the morning.

During our summer trip we had spent the night at Paradise Divide and had witnessed a wonderful sunset. We also knew that we had only scratched the surface of good images around the area’s small ponds so we decided to spend a second night there. There are three roads north of Crested Butte that are worth exploring: Gothic, Washington Gulch and Slate River Roads. All three roads will take you to Paradise Divide but we decided to travel up Washington Gulch Road (Forest Road 811). The entrance to this road is located between Crested Butte and Mount Crested Butte. You will need to travel about 10 miles up the road to reach Paradise Divide. If you enjoy reflection images, then Paradise Divide should certainly be high on your list of places to visit.

We also enjoyed exploring the Gothic Road. You can either travel back down from Paradise Divide via Gothic Road or if you are starting out in Crested Butte just travel north on Highway 135 through Mount Crested Butte until it turns into a dirt road (State Road 317). At this point you will be traveling on the Gothic Road. There are several camping spots along the road and the Gothic Campground is located about two miles past the town of Gothic. Near the campground the road will cross the river on a small bridge. Several locations in this area can provide nice opportunities for both sunrise and sunset.

Gunnison

There are two possible routes from Crested Butte to Gunnison. If you are not in a hurry you should consider traveling the Ohio Pass Road. To reach the Ohio Pass Road travel west out of Crested Butte on Kebler Pass Road. Just before you reach the top of Kebler Pass you will find Ohio Pass Road exiting to the left (south). As you drive south you will find some wonderful views across large aspen forest. Some of the peaks are distant so using your zoom lens may prove to be most effective.

Ridgeway

To reach Ridgeway from Gunnison we drove west on US 50 until we reached Cimarron Road (around 2.5 miles east of the town of Cimarron). Make sure you are not turning on Little Cimarron Road because it is a dead end road and will be seen first. We traveled down Cimarron Road until we passed over the Owl Creek Pass. The roads were a little confusing to us but we believe the road then turned into County Road 8 and then into County Road 10 before intersecting with US 550 around 2 miles north of Ridgeway. While we had good luck finding some nice wildlife along the first part of Cimarron Road, the drive was fairly rough and made for a pretty long afternoon. If we had it to do over, I think we would have skipped the turn onto Cimarron Road and explored County Roads 8 and 10 from the Ridgeway end.

John Wayne filmed the movie True Grit in this area and we came across this YouTube video that shows “Then and Now” scenes from the movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EUP9rOLf30). It is pretty neat to see exactly where some movie scenes were shot and what it looks like now.

By far the most famous location near Ridgeway is the Dallas Divide area. Simply travel west on State Highway 62 from Ridgeway for about 8 miles. Once you near the top of the hill look for a large parking lot on the left side of the road. There is also a smaller parking lot a little further down the road that offers different views across the valley that you may wish to explore. This location is good for both sunrise or sunset and with good clouds it can be great. Since you are located in the foothills of the San Juan Mountains the color seems to peak in this area a little later than the trees located up in the mountains.

This area is very popular so you may wish to get there early in order to find a location amongst the many photographers. As you can tell in our images we were there a little early for peak color but the area was still beautiful. This image was taken near sunset and was the first time the sun had been able to break through the clouds to illuminate the peaks. Most of the time getting side light on mountains will really improve your image as the shadows tend to give more depth to the peaks.

There are several dirt roads that are worth exploring in the Dallas Divide area (County Road 5, 7 and 9). These roads move you closer to the mountains and provide the opportunity for some nice images. Parts of these roads pass through private property so stay on the roadway to shoot. We had limited time after shooting sunrise so we were only able to explore County Road 5 & 7. If you are shooting sunrise at Dallas Divide you may wish to move to County Road 7 as soon as you finish. Toward the end of the road we found some wonderful views of the mountains. We did drive County Road 5 and there were certainly some nice views there but we were a little early and most of the trees were still green. When the trees are at peak I expect there are many great images on all these roads.

Telluride

As mentioned before Jo loves old buildings so we drove over to the Telluride area specifically to visit the Alta ghost town. I had read about the site and it sounded like Jo’s kind of place. To reach the location drive south about 5 miles past the exit to Telluride on State Road 145. Look for a dirt road exiting to the left going to the Alta Lakes. Our original plan was to sleep at the lakes and shoot sunrise before visiting the ghost town. However, since we ended up arriving very late and had to drive the dirt road in the dark, we decided to spend the night at the ghost town and skip sunrise. We wore ourselves out at the ghost town the next morning and never made it up to the lakes but if you have time I expect they are worth exploring. We were limited on the amount of time we could spend in the Telluride area and were not able to explore the area as much as we would have liked. I have seen some nice fall images from Trout Lake so it may be worth a visit. To find Trout Lake travel further south on State Road 145 until you near the top of Lizard Head Pass. When we left the Telluride area we drove north of the Telluride exit on State Road 145 for about three miles. We then turned right onto the Last Dollar Road and followed it until it reached State Highway 62 near Dallas Divide. The road offers many opportunities for nice images and is certainly worth the time and effort.

Silverton

After finishing our drive on Last Dollar Road we drove to the town of Ouray. It is a great location for exploring the San Juan’s between Ouray and Silverton. The next morning we drove south on Highway 550 to Red Mountain Pass. A small lake can be found on the right side of the road near Mile Marker 87 and it make a great sunrise location. After shooting sunrise we spent some time exploring along Highway 550. The ghost town of Ironton is located near Mile Marker 85 and there are a several nice buildings scattered throughout the trees in the area. As you travel along Highway 550 keep an eye out for the numerous mining structures along the road.

During the summer we had spent some time in the Animas Forks ghost town near Silverton and Jo had come away with some great images. We decided to revisit the town and see what we might find during the fall. To reach Animas Forks drive on State Road 110 northeast for about 12 miles (through Howardsville and Eureka). The collection of buildings is impressive and we found endless photo opportunities there.

Great Sand Dunes National Park

After finishing in the Silverton area we began headed towards home. As sunset neared we found ourselves close to the Great Sand Dunes National Park so we decided to stop by briefly. The park is located near the city of Alamosa and it was a race to reach the park before the sunset. As we approached it was clear that the sunset was going to be blocked by clouds near the horizon. Jo only had enough time to grab a few shots from the road entering the park before the sun disappeared behind the clouds.

Final Thoughts

Anytime spent in Colorado is wonderful but fall is really special. While great images can be created in many locations, knowing where and when to go can greatly increase your opportunities for those spectacular images. There are so many great areas in Colorado to explore and we certainly did not see all of them. However, hopefully this eBook will help you find some of the great spots that we enjoyed.

If you ever have any questions, suggestions on how to improve this guide or just wish to send us an email with a great photography spot, please contact us at ginnphotography@comcast.net.

Thank you and good shooting,

Jo and Phil