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Our Favorite Places:
Colorado Fall Color Drives
by Darren Kilgore
Last updated: 9/25/2007
Welcome to the number-one online resource for
Colorado fall colors!
Colorado is well known for its great palette
of colors in the fall and has many great spots for viewing the
aspen. I have detailed my favorite routes here which are the best
of the best in the state. Please keep in mind, too, that spring
is very awesome as well with the bright green leaves. Mid to late
May and early June are great for those wonderful spring greens.
Why am I confident this is the best site for
Colorado fall color information? Well, there are many official
state sites from the various media outlets that briefly describe
a multitude of routes, but you'll rarely find any pictures. And
then, if you do, they're so small or not the greatest quality,
so you're only left with taking the authors' word and you're left
to your own interpretation, especially if they only give you a
one-sentence description to go on! WIth my page, my pictures back
up my descriptions (well, hopefully!), and I'm sure most of your
are the visual type. In addition, some of the usual routes they
list are most certainly less than stellar, and if you're coming
from out of state, you don't need to be wasting your time trying
to find the gold rush if you could be spending it in a real hot
spot. In addition, as far as I know, I am the only one
who provides accurate peak date information for the forests that
I list, let alone any peak date information! If you're
planning to travel from out of state, you will be at a real loss
if you're trying to go by any other site. All the information
for a well-timed Colorado fall trip is located right here for
you. Finally, I am easily accessible being only an email away
if you have further questions for your trip!
This page is routinely evolving and being updated
throughout the course of the year, and I'm always looking for
ways to improve it, even if it's changing a word here or there.
Yes, additional drives or locations are always considered. If
I believe them to be worthy, they'll eventually find a place here,
too.
When To Go
Peak fall color in the main aspen forests throughout the state
ranges anywhere from September 20 to October 10, with September
27th usually being a good central target date for much of the
state should you plan a trip. The northern San Juans (Ridgway,
Telluride) generally peak in the first week of October. Generally
speaking, and I mean that loosely, trees in the northern part
of the state will turn earlier than those in the southern parts,
though it is not an exact science by any means and the trees will
turn when they feel like it. To illustrate, in 2002, with Colorado's
driest year on record, many scientists and others were predicting
the aspen to turn a week or two ahead of normal because of the
stress they had to endure throughout the year. It turns out that
it was the latest I've seen the aspen peak since I've been going
out to view them, which has been since 1997. The Telluride area,
as of October 12, 2002, was just getting into peak colors. In
contrast, 2001's peak date was on September 18 throughout much
of the state. So, there tends to be a lot of misinformation
on the Web and in the local news outlets. Many think the trees'
color and their color-changing timing is related to how wet or
dry, or whatever else type of weather phenomenon has happened.
I can give you an absolute guarantee you that is not the case.
The trees virtually turn the same time every year, give or take
about three days, with every once in awhile being an odd year.
Whatever the case, you'll always be able to find good fall color
to shoot from about September 10 to the middle of October at least
somewhere in the state. Not necessarily whole forests, but rather
more intimate scenes or individual groves.
Many wonder how the quality of the color display will be on a
given year. My answer to that is that it is, without question,
always the same brilliant-colored yellow that you're
used to seeing up against that blue Colorado sky. One pet peeve
of mine is seemingly every year one of the newspapers or newscasts
will mention the aspen blight disease which causes brown or black
leaves. Sure, there are always some trees affected by this, but
they are so very few it is never worth mentioning. In the fall
of 2006, all of the Colorado mountains received a big and very
wet snowstorm from September 20 through the 22nd. The amount was
anywhere from about 4-14", which was the most snow I've seen
that early in the season. This initially caused many of the trees
to go to a very dull mustard color immediately. However, the trees
that weren't already just about to shed them rebounded within
a week and went back to the traditional yellow. Now if that storm
didn't kill 'em, nothing will!
It is absolutely impossible to get good and
reliable reports from the forest service and various chambers
of commerce, whether speaking to them directly over the phone
or viewing their Web sites as to what the leaves are doing and
when to go. You would think they would be the best resources,
but I guess they try to market their areas somehow. If you called
them in mid-January they would tell you the leaves are at their
peak and to get there NOW! They are worthless. So, the best places
to get the information tend to be the various message boards from
people who have just visited the areas and report back. The best
places to keep track of the updates, without question, is the
Nature
Photographers of Colorado forum. We have a number of folks
on here who have the same interests as myself and who also do
quite a bit of traveling, so the updates are current and fast.
I typically do a pre-run during the weekends leading up to peak
color, and link all of the vital updates on this page as well.
Also, I recommend checking out my good friend, Brent Doerzman's,
recent
trips page. The links on there go into their respective picture
pages. Just look for the various fall trips that he lists. Dates
are posted next to each image in his fall galleries. This greatly
aids to get an idea of what the various forests look like on a
given date.
The Places To See
(all roads listed are passenger car accessible except
where noted)
Kebler Pass
Sunset on the Beckwith peaks near mile marker 11
The first route that should be on the top of anyone's
list is undoubtedly the Kebler Pass road which goes between Paonia
Reservoir, near Somerset, to the west and Crested Butte to the
east. This 30-mile stretch is home to the largest aspen forest
in the world! Traveling from the west, you'll gently climb to
some very impressive panoramas of the Raggeds to the north, the
expansive view to the west and southwest, and the Beckwith mountains
of the West Elks to the south (pictured above). A little further
up the road, you get treated to very impressive views of Marcellina
Mountain which lies on the border of the Raggeds Wilderness. Much
of this road is filled with windy turns and is quite the experience
if you have a sunroof (open, of course) and let some leaves fall
next to your lap if there's a breeze. There just simply isn't
a better place to experience aspen in the fall than this place.
A number of grand scenics and limitless intimate forest shots
can be taken here, not to mention literally hundreds of great
dispersed camping opportunities.
Mt. Owen, Ruby Peak & the Dyke above Kebler's signature
aspen display
from the Cliff Creek trailhead
Marcellina Mountain from near Horse Ranch Park
Lost Lake Slough makes for a nice sunrise shot
between mile marker 15 and 16. It lies a couple miles back in
along a forest road. About five miles west of the Kebler Pass
summit, and between mile markers 19 and 20, is a turnoff to the
Cliff Creek Trailhead which is just a few hundred feet to the
west from the Horse Ranch Park driveway. You'll be sure to want
to drive the real short distance up to the trailhead and stop
here as it provides a magnificent overlook to one of the most
colorful patches in the state (pictured above). You can always
count on a couple of those clusters to be a brilliant red and
orange. Be sure to use your longest telephoto lens to zoom in
and isolate the colorful group along with a wider lens to take
in the entire scene. This is best photographed at sunset, but
mid-morning through the rest of the day really works great, too.
Peak color note: Much of the entire length of
the Kebler road is usually at peak around September 30, however
the grand scene of the Beckwiths (first picture above) as seen
between mile markers 10 through 13 will have a good mix of green
yet in the forest at that time. It is usually all yellow around
October 6th, though there will be a few smaller bare patches at
that point.
East Beckwith Mountain taken near mile marker 21
Ohio Pass
The view to the southwest from just below Ohio Pass looking
off to the Castles and the West Elk Mountains
Just below the 10,007' Kebler Pass summit to the east is the
turnoff for the Ohio Pass road that heads south to Gunnison some
25 miles down the road. The 10,101' Ohio Pass is reached just
one mile south along this road, then down just a bit further provides
excellent views to the Castles, the appropriately named formations
in the West Elk Wilderness, as pictured above. This upper stretch
of Ohio Pass is filled with a massive aspen forest of its own
and limitless photo ops. Kebler Pass and Ohio Pass are an unprecedented
one-two combination. As you drive further down the road and out
of national forest, you'll drive next to ranch land with more
impressive views over to the Castles.
Peak color note: Ohio Pass reaches peak color
a couple days prior to Kebler Pass and is usually at peak around
September 27th.
Fall drives don't get much better than along the Ohio
Pass road
McClure Pass
This signature stand lies just past the Marble turnoff
at the big curve
before ascending the pass. Just look for the 10 other cars at
the big pullout!
McClure Pass, in combination with Kebler and
Ohio passes, would be my recommendation if you only had a single
weekend for which to view fall colors. I could easily spend a
week or two in this area alone. Starting near Redstone on the
north side and ending approximately due west of Ragged Peak near
the turnoff for Collbran lie a string of great photo ops. The
divide itself is pretty low by Colorado standards, only topping
out at 8,763', but it does provide some pretty spectacular views
off to either side, including one of Mt. Sopris. The beautiful
Chair Mountain and Ragged Peak dominate the skyline as you descend
the southern side. You might even take a stab at composing a scene
with the brilliant red scrub oak which is plentiful from here
to Paonia.
If you have time, drive the seven miles back
in to Marble, and Crystal as well for that matter, providing you
have a high clearance vehicle. There are plenty more aspen along
that route awaiting you to arrive with your camera, namely the
iconic Crystal
Mill. Immediately south of the Marble turnoff on the west
side of the highway is a set of intense scarlet red trees. Then,
just a short distance later to the south is a large hairpin turn.
Here, you'll see on of the great aspen stands for which to photograph
on the inside of the turn. Overcast skies will provide the best
pictures, by far.
Peak color note: This section has the wonderful
green, red, orange and yellow mix around September 29th, as pictured
above. If you wait another four to five days (October 4th), you'll
have red and yellows only (peak color). Shooting from McClure's
summit to the east at sunset will reward you with intense warm
light on the aspen-covered hillside as it will from just a few
miles down the road from where the best shots of Chair Mountain
and Ragged Peak lie.
Warm sunset light bathes the hillside to the east from
McClure Pass' summit
Chair Mountain and Ragged Peak
Maroon Bells
Maroon Bells from Maroon Lake
What Colorado fall color trip would be complete
without a stop to our most fabled destination—the Maroon
Bells out of Aspen? Be sure to get here for sunrise and stay until
late morning. Shooting sunrise can be tough here if the skies
are clear since there is a high ridge at your back. A blended
exposure may work best since the slope to the left of the lake
will be solid black otherwise. Or, zoom in far enough that you
aren't including any of the protruding hillsides, which would
then be conducive to using a graduated filter. Your best hope
for a wider shot is to have a big cloud bank overhead that can
not only provide brilliant color at sunrise, but provide enough
reflected light on the dark areas to give you a much better exposure.
Be prepared to share the Maroon Lake shoreline with at least 20
other photographers on most mornings. On the picture above, as
taken on a most memorable and magical Sunday morning of September
24th, 2006, there was quite possibly a record crowd of photographers
here lined up before and at sunrise—I would hazard a guess
of around 130 people! It was the most I've seen here, by far,
which many others have also attested. After shooting the Bells,
on your way back out, there are a few pullouts that offer great
vantage points for some other areas along Maroon Creek.
Since you'll be in the Aspen area when you travel
down Maroon Creek Road to the Bells, when you come back out, you
might want to consider taking Castle Creek Road which heads down
the next valley to the east accessed from the same round-about
intersection. There are some huge aspen forests towards the end
of this road on the hills, and stopping in at the neat preserved
ghost town of Ashcroft will be worth a couple of shutter clicks
as well. If you have four-wheel drive, you can drive up to Taylor
Pass and on into Taylor Park, though the trees will be at their
best at the very start of this road.
Peak color note: The aspen forest that lies
within the classic Maroon Bells shot, like shown above, peaks
earlier than most everything else in the state. The normal peak
date is around September 25th. This makes the Bells a good destination
to start your Colorado fall trip.
Capitol Creek
Mt. Daly and Capitol Peak
If you happen to be on your way over to McClure
Pass as you head up to the road to Carbondale when departing aspen,
another awesome road heads out of Snowmass (not Snowmass Village)
which eventually leads to the grand vista of one of Colorado's
finest peaks—Capitol Peak (14,130'). Turn at the only light in
Snowmass, then when you come to a "T" intersection,
turn right on to Capitol Creek Road and you'll be on your way.
There is a nice aspen forest that you'll drive through just prior
to getting your first glimpses of Capitol through the trees from
which you can shoot, but the real treat is of the grand Colorado
scene when the view opens up to Capitol with the golden forest
below near the Capitol Peak trailhead. The road is passenger car
to this point, but the road will be a bit rough. After the trailhead,
4WD and high clearance are usually required to ascend a hill with
some ruts. The picture above was taken from along this hill. Should
you drive to the end of the road, there is another great vantage
point of the peak.
Flat Tops Scenic Byway
A colorful scrub oak and aspen display between Meeker
and Buford
This 82-mile drive between Meeker and Yampa
is home to a grand aspen forest that lies between Ripple Creek
and Dunckley Passes, and virtually the whole route is lined with
them. This byway easily rivals Kebler Pass for fall color viewing
in terms of the number of aspen you'll see. It doesn't have peaks
such as those found on Kebler, and you won't drive through the
tunnels of aspen found on Kebler, but the Flat Tops of the White
River Plateau provide for no lack of wonderful scenery. In addition,
the area east of the small settlement of Buford sees little traffic,
so you'll get to enjoy this landscape in relative solitude.From
Meeker, the aspen get started around 16 miles in at, oddly enough,
mile marker 16. One of the great stands along this road is at
mile marker 23 on the south side. From here on out, you can choose
any number of aspen scenes to shoot.Once in the White River National
Forest a short while later, you'll soon come to the first campground
along the way—North Fork. From the
North Fork Campground, it's about seven miles to the turnoff for
the beautiful Trappers Lake. Be sure to take the (roughly) eight-mile
spur back to the lake if you've never been before. The lake sits
in the Flat Tops Wilderness, so from the parking lot, it's a quick
five-minute walk up the hill to get to the lake. The Amphitheater
stands sentinel over the lake in this classic
Colorado scene. I find it best to photograph in late afternoon.
Looking southeast to Pyramid Peak (11,532') from along
CR 19
Backlit aspen and cottonwoods from along CR 19
Back on the main track, the road starts to ascend
the 10,343-foot Ripple Creek Pass immediately after the Trappers
Lake turnoff. A couple miles later after along the descent, you'll
pass by Vaughn Lake. It's not to picturesque this time of year,
but the hillside above it is a wonderful vibrant green in the
springtime. Several miles down the road, you'll come to a small
settlement and a junction with County Road 19 which lies in the
heart of the biggest aspen forest along the byway. CR 19 heads
north and parallels the East Fork of the Williams Fork River which
leads towards Pagoda. I would definitely recommend at least driving
the southern half, or about five miles of this road. Cottonwoods
line the river down below and aspen cover the opposite, low hillside
to the west. It's nice in mid-morning with front light, then in
the late afternoon with backlight.Continuing past the junction
with CR 29, the road starts ascending up 9,763-foot Dunckley Pass.
From the top, you gain expansive views of the surrounding forest
below along with that of the White River Plateau, including Pyramid
Peak. Photographing from the pass works best at sunset. Descending
Dunckley Pass to the east is gradual and eventually the aspen
start to fiddle out where ranch land takes over.
The view to the south from Dunckley Pass to the White
River Plateau
Owl Creek Pass
Jackson Station below High Mesa adjacent to Silver Jack
Reservoir
One of my favorite backcountry routes is the Owl Creek
Pass road. This road is 41 miles in length and goes between the
little settlement of Cimarron (30 miles east of Montrose) and
Ridgway. It is a very quiet road and one can expect to not see
a lot of other travelers here. The first part of this section
follows the Little Cimarron River in beautiful ranch land country.
As the road gently climbs after a few miles, some nice vistas
open up to the south up the valley towards Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn
Peaks, two fourteeners. At the 20-mile point, you come to Silver
Jack Reservoir. This area is my favorite section of the road and
the images displayed here are taken adjacent to the reservoir.
This group is part of the signature aspen stand along
this route
near Silver Jack Reservoir. You won't miss it. Just look for 10
tripods
planted in the ground and the orange and red trees.
A little further up the road, there are three forks (East,
Middle and West) of the Cimarron River which you can drive further
to the south to near the Uncompahgre Wilderness, the first two
being around six miles in length. There are many great camping
possibilities along these spur roads. Just below the pass on the
Ridgway side, the aspen really open up and line the road for a
good distance. This is also the area of great views of Chimney
Rock and Courthouse Mountain. Down the road a ways later as you
start to make a somewhat steep descent, there are incredible views
that open way up and let you view the entire Sneffels Range. And
finally, as you're nearing Highway 550 and driving along some
of the most beautiful ranch land anywhere, more possibilities
of capturing the Sneffels Range await.
Peak color note:
The Silver Jack Reservoir side peaks about four days earlier than
the Ridgway side. The trees in the immediate picture above peak
earliest along the route, usually around September 28th.
Pinnacles of High Mesa adjacent to Silver Jack Reservoir
taken at the intersection of East Fork of the Cimmaron River
County Road 5, Ridgway
The majestic Mt. Sneffels
County Road 5 starts in Ridgway and travels back into
an amazing aspen forest. This road is perhaps less traveled compared
to County Road 7 to the west, but certainly no less impressive.
Here you will find another classic shot of Mt. Sneffels towering
above the hills and forests, as pictured above. You'll know the
spot when you come to is as the road turns right out in a clearing.
This spot is best at sunrise, but if there are clouds at sunset,
it will be great then as well. Perhaps just as great as this view
is the opportunity of unlimited possibilities of intimate forest
scenes of aspen, as this road is lined with them. In fact, I have
found more possibilities along this route using the road as a
lead-in line through the trees than any other road that I've been
on. It could be that I haven't paid too much attention on other
roads, but it is so much more apparent along this one! This is
a another true hot spot for fall photography.
One of the many possible road lead-in scenes you'll find
along this route
County Road 7 (East Dallas
Creek), Ridgway
Mt. Sneffels from one of the most beautiful valleys in
the state
County Road 7, signed as Dallas Creek
from Highway 62, is one of my favorite roads in the state since
it leads to my favorite spot in the state—the wonderful
valley at the end at the foot of the majestic Mt. Sneffels, the
crown jewel of the San Juans, and my favorite mountain. It's just
so darn photogenic—from any angle! The turnoff is about
four miles west of Ridgway and heads south. It is about eight
miles in length and the photo ops don't really start until the
last two miles of it. The signature shot comes when you round
the corner and the valley opens up before you around mile marker
7. If you've never been here before, you will certainly wonder
why after your first visit! I should note that this isn't a fall
drive, per se, rather it is a great fall hot spot.
This is a popular area in the fall amongst photographers,
so you may not be alone. Mid-morning and early evening is the
ideal time to shoot here. The end of the road is about a mile
further and stops at the Blue Lakes trailhead. This area has a
number of great camping spots that I've taken advantage on a number
of occasions. Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have given that information
out, either! Well, I'll just have to kick you out if I find you
in my spot!
Near the Blue Lakes Trailhead
For some addional spots worth checking out close
by, take County Road 9, signed as West Dallas Creek a mile to
the west, which travels through Ralph Lauren's ranch land (and
gate at the start that you will need open and close if found that
way) and to Box Factory Park under Mears Peak at the end. Dallas
Divide is about six mlies up the highway from here for some more
views of the mighty Sneffels Range. About a mile and a half on
the west side of the divide is a turnoff for Last Dollar Road.
Take this road all the way down to Telluride for some more aspen
and some awesome views of the San Miguels (Wilson Peak, etc.).
Million Dollar Highway (550)
From Ironton Park, which is the big, flat valley
that you climb up to from Ouray, to the Purgatory resort, north
of Durango, lies another stretch of high-volume aspen, with a
grand forest being in Ironton Park. This also includes the highly
recommended Lime Creek Road (unimproved dirt road) which bypasses
Coal Bank Pass on either end. Both roads offer a multitude of
scenes to point a camera at any time of year with some of the
best mountain backdrops in the state, but the yellow hillsides
really make the area come alive. Crystal Lake, on the northern
end of Ironton Park, is a popular place to shoot looking south-southeast
towards the Red Mountains. From here, the highway continues to
the summit of Red Mountain Pass, then eventually drops into Silverton
before climbing back up Molas and Coal Bank passes.
Peak color note: This particular area turns about
as early as anything in the state, usually reaching peak around
September 24th.
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To see more of Darren's photos and articles
about Colorado, visit www.MyColorado.org
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