Favorite Locations

Autumn in Winter Park

Autumn in Winter Park

Winter Park, nestled beneath Berthoud Pass in the Fraser Valley, is more or less my home-away-from-home. I could write volumes on this area and know it well. One of my favorite times of year to spend in the Fraser Valley is in late September and early October. During this season, the fall colors are on full display. While the Winter Park and Fraser areas do not have sweeping mountainsides of aspen trees, pockets of these pristine trees do exist, and finding them is a lot of the fun. 

Corona Pass Road (CR 8) is one bumpy 4WD road that is worth exploring and offers nice views of the town below as the road winds up to Rollins Pass.

The first 5 or so miles are pretty easy driving, but after that, you'll want to slow down as the road gets a wee bit rougher (and a lot more in some places). Several dirt roads also surround Winter Park and Fraser, and as the roads twist and wind through forest, they'll often take you through an Autumn aspen wonderland. Along these sometimes good and sometimes bumpy county roads, aspen often line the way.

In Autumn, driving these roads seems like driving through a golden tunnel. From Winter Park, a maze of county roads connect Winter Park to Fraser. Though the mileage between the two towns is only about 7 miles on these roads, I can spend hours exploring the side roads and trails that lead to beautiful aspen groves on a pretty fall day.

And what's even better is that I rarely see anyone else along these roads. That makes for a perfect way to spend a cool October morning.

Ophir Pass

Ophir Pass

Not far from Telluride in the San Juan Mountains, the historic mining town and current municipality of Ophir, Colorado, is governed by a general assembly of citizens and has a population of ~ 193. A dirt road - Ophir Pass - exits the small collage of buildings and rises to a height of 11,789', connecting Ophir and Silverton.

The views are incredible, especially in Autumn, but the road is a bumpy and sometimes intimidating 4WD road with a few shelf areas that are a bit unnerving to pass. Still, the fall colors of gold and orange make it worth the trip, and hidden somewhere in this area are the famous and well-kept-secret "Dancing Aspen."

Grand Mesa, Colorado, in Autumn

Grand Mesa, Colorado, in Autumn

High atop the Grand Mesa in western Colorado, the aspen are often beautiful in late September and early October. With plentiful lakes on the mesa and mountainsides of aspen groves, the gold and orange that permeates the area for a few weeks makes for some amazing landscapes and even some more intimate scenes within the aspen forests.

Autumn in Rocky Mountain National Park

Autumn in Rocky Mountain National Park

One of my favorite places near the Denver area to shoot is Rocky Mountain National Park in Autumn. While this area may not have the same amount of golden aspen as the San Juans, there are still some beautiful scenes to enjoy, including one of my favorite paths near Bear Lark.

Butler Gulch

Butler Gulch

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Point Park Pier - Grand Lake, Colorado

Point Park Pier - Grand Lake, Colorado

Point Park Pier is on the southwest side of Grand Lake, The park itself is about as big as my living room, but the small shoreline and pier offer great views of the lake, Mount Craig (12,007') and the distant peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Pier on Grand Lake

Pier on Grand Lake

On the northeast side of Grand Lake just south of Rocky Mountain National Park, a small beach and a pier make for a great place to play and relax. Early in the morning the colorful boats and still water make for some great landscapes of this beautiful area. See more in my Grand Lake gallery.

Bear Lake in early October - Rocky Mountain National Park

Bear Lake in early October - Rocky Mountain National Park

Bear Lake near Estes Park and on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park is mostly surrounded by pine trees, but there are a few patches of aspen. In Autumn, the aspen turn orange and gold and create some amazing windows that look down on the lake at sunrise. No paths exist to reach this location - a steep uphill bushwhack will lead to this perch. But the scrapes and bumps are worth it to take in this sight. This is one of my favorite sights of fall - Bear Lake in the fall - as Longs Peak rises in the distance.

Artist Point, Colorado National Monument

Artist Point, Colorado National Monument

One of my favorite views in Colorado National Monument comes from Artist Point. This sunrise photograph from the western slope just outside of Grand Junction shows the amazing red and orange colors of this rugged canyon.

Berthoud Pass - Current Creek

Berthoud Pass - Current Creek

One of the hikes that starts along the north side of the north side of Berthoud Pass is a trail that leads up Current Creek. High up near treelike, the path fades and the valley opens up to majestic views of the Fraser Valley. Even summer mornings are frigid up here between 11,000-12,000 feet in elevation. My feet are usually soaked and frozen, but the morning sunlight soon warms me up again. I love my time up here.