Summer Photography in Colorado Trip Journal

Introduction

During the trip we spent most of our time in three areas.

San Juan Mountains around Ouray and Silverton
Gothic and Paradise Pass areas around Crested Butte
Bear and Sprague Lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park

Yankee Boy Basin

We enjoyed using the Ouray and Silverton areas as our base for exploring the San Juan Mountains. We started our trip by driving into Yankee Boy Basin outside of Ouray. Travel south of Ouray on Highway 550 to reach the basin. As you start moving up the mountain make a right turn onto State Road 361. After a few hundred feet the road will divide. Keep left to stay on State Road 361 and continue towards Camp Bird. In about seven miles you will reach the Governor Basin junction. Take the right fork and within two miles you will reach the Yankee Boy Basin and its wonderful waterfalls and wildflowers.

Red Mountain Pass Area

The next morning we left Ouray and 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. This lake makes a great location for sunrise reflections of the surrounding mountains. After parking beside the lake we walked around to the backside and found a location near the edge of the water to setup our camera and waited for sunrise.

After shooting sunrise we spent some time exploring along Highway 550. The ghost town of Ironton is located near Mile Marker 85 and offers a number of photographic opportunities like the panorama below.

There are a several buildings scattered throughout the trees so plan on spending some time exploring the area. As you travel along Highway 550 keep an eye out for the numerous mining structures along the road.

Clear Lake Basin

During the afternoon we explored the road to the Clear Lake Basin looking for a potential sunrise location. To find this road drive north about two miles on Highway 550 from Silverton. Turn left on Forest Road 585 and head towards the South Mineral Campground. As you near the campground (in about four miles) you will find Forest Road 815 exiting to the right. This road will take you up to the Clear Lake Basin. If you reach the campground, you have missed the turn. We did return later that night to sleep at the campground and it worked well as we were able to access our sunrise location fairly quickly the next morning.

On the drive up towards Clear Lake Basin we found numerous opportunities to photograph wildflowers growing along the road side. The views near the switch backs at the top of the drive were wonderful and we ended up shooting sunrise from them. If you have never been into a Colorado high basin before consider traveling into this one. The entrance into the basin is really spectacular since the actual basin is pretty well hidden until the last minute. This made the impact of actually seeing the basin even more exciting for us.

Molas Pass

If you drive south of Silverton on Highway 550 about five miles you will reach the Molas Pass area. There are several nice views of the area on the hillside across the road from the lake. You may also wish to explore the views from the Little Molas Lake. It is located on a short dirt road located about a half mile west of the pass.

Animas Forks Ghost Town

We always enjoy exploring old ghost towns so after shooting sunrise in the Clear Lake Basin we headed to the Animas Forks ghost town near Silverton. To reach Animas Forks drive on State Road 110 northeast for about 12 miles (through Howardsville and Eureka). We arrived at the town around 9am in order to try to beat the crowds. The area is very popular and shooting the buildings with people walking around them can be pretty frustrating.

We were able to enjoy having the area to ourselves for the first hour but it quickly became crowed after that. The collection of buildings is impressive and the opportunities are endless. Somewhere we read that the large house with the bay windows was home of Evelyn Walsh McLean, daughter of Tom Walsh who once owned the Campbird Mine and Hope Diamond.

After spending several hours around the buildings we moved further up the road and located an old truck that provided a nice foreground object. The truck is setting on the right above the road. You will have to park on the road and walk up the hill a little ways to reach it. As you drive out to Animas Forks keep an eye out on the right side of the road for this great cabin and waterfall. Since it sits across the valley you will need to use your telephoto lens to capture a good image of it.

Velocity Basin

The next morning we drove north of Silverton for sunrise overlooking Velocity Basin. To reach the overlook we drove north on State Road 110. This is not the same direction as you drive going to Animas Forks ghost town so look at your map closely. You should be traveling to Gladstone instead. As you near Gladstone the road will split. You will need to keep to the right and I believe this road will become Country Road 52.

Once you have passed through town the road will again divide into three roads. If you continue right the road will take you up into the Velocity Basin and I believe this road is still Country Road 52. However to overlook the basin for sunset, we took the left road (I believe County Road 53). We took our sunrise images just pass the turnoff to Corkscrew Pass. After finishing sunrise at the overlook we headed back down the valley and drove into the basin. The timing worked well as we arrived in the basin just as the sun was starting to hit the tops of the peaks.

Crested Butte Area

The next part of our trip was spent in the Crested Butte area. To reach Crested Butte we drove to Gunnison and took the Ohio Creek Road. While the road is not the shortest way to travel to Crested Butte, it is a beautiful drive and worth the extra time. To find the road travel about three miles north of Gunnison and look for Forest Road 730 exiting to the left. We were a little late in the season but it was easy to see the road passes through some wonderful wildflower fields. There are also some nice Aspen trees and during the fall this road would certainly be worth exploring.

There are three roads north of Crested Butte that are worth exploring: Gothic, Washington Gulch and Slate River Roads. After spending the afternoon in Crested Butte we decided to find a campsite up Gothic Road so we could explore the area the next morning. To reach the Gothic Road 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. We were told by several people that the Rustler Gulch Trail was a good wildflower trail. We did not get a chance to hike the trail but you may wish to give it a try. The road to the trail is less than a mile past the Gothic Campground.

The next morning we photographed sunrise along the river beside the Gothic Road. There are many great locations along the river in which you can compose images. We especially liked the area around the bridge above Gothic Campground. During the afternoon we decided to explore the second of the three roads north of Crested Butte, Washington Gulch Road (Forest Road 811). The entrance to this road is located between Crested Butte and Mount Crested Butte. We traveled about 10 miles up the road until we reached its highest point at Paradise Pass. The area has several beautiful ponds and wonderful views in all directions. We ended up camping at the pass overnight so we could shoot sunset and sunrise. You can travel back down to Crested Butte via the third road mentioned earlier (Slate River Road). It exits to the right a few miles down the Washington Gulch Road you leave the pass.

Bear and Sprague Lakes (Rocky Mountain National Park)

TOn the way home we made a quick stop by the Rocky Mountain National Park. We drove into the park via the Grand Lake entrance. If you can avoid this entrance into the park 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 60% of the remaining trees will likely die in the next two years.

There are many locations to shoot in the park but since we were limited on time we chose to concentrate on sunrise at Bear Lake. As we approached the lake from the parking lot we turned right and started walking around the lake. There are many wonderful views around the edge of the lake and multiple locations to capture great images.

After sunrise we were able to quickly relocated back down to Sprague Lake before the harsh light appeared and capture the sun illuminating the trees along the shoreline.

Just like Bear Lake there are many nice locations along the shoreline. Having both lakes so close together is really nice and opens up many options.

Keep your telephoto lens handy as you drive around the park. You never know when a wildlife opportunity will present itself. The park is especially well known for its Elk herds.

Final Thoughts

Summer in Colorado is a wonder time. The access you have this time of year to the state’s upper basins offers opportunities for wonderful images that you just cannot get during other times of the year. Timing your visit for the wildflower bloom only adds to the possibilities. We only scratched the surface of the areas we visited and look forward to exploring the state more someday.

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