I'll be in Denver in about a week, and I'm looking for evening photo locations during the week. I've got work-related stuff all week, but I'm flying in a day early to go to RMNP. I've got class in the Cherry Creek area every weekday until 4:30, so time is of the essence. I don't want to spend more than an hour getting anywhere.
So far, I've written down:
Roxborough
El Dorado Canyon
Castlewood Canyon
Garden of the Gods (this is proabably a stretch, depending on how bad traffic is - I'm sure it's aweful southbound that time of day.)
Chautauqua Park
Are there any special traffic concerns with any of these choices? Are any of them better than others for late afternoon to sunset?
Also, do any of you have galleries near Cherry Creek, or are there some landscape galleries I shouldn't miss?
Posted by Doug Andrews on April 1, 2007 at 10:19 PM
If you think driving to Garden of the Gods will be tough that time of the day, the drive from Cherry Creek to Chautauqua Park in Boulder will be a nightmare. As for galleries, you can always check out John Fielder's gallery in Cherry Creek.
Posted by Joshua Hardin on April 1, 2007 at 10:45 PM
Traffic on I-25 and HWY 36 northbound tends to be worse in the afternoon from Cherry Creek/Downtown than southbound IMO. There is a lot of northbound traffic that comes from the Denver Tech Center, which may make it difficult to get to Chautauqua and El Dorado in less than an hour. Chautauqua tends to be a better sunrise shot as the sun is behind the flatirons backlighting them in the late afternoon.
You will have the same problem in Roxborough. The sun is behind the hogbacks in the afternoon, and morning shots tend to be more dramatic. You may have to call the park as their hours change quite often. They are usually not open for sunrise (except for an occasional day or two a month) and they may close before sunset. I'm not sure what their hours are for April. Roxborough does usually have wildlife when I visit however. I almost always see deer there.
Castlewood Canyon will probably be the easiest location for you to get to and I personally think it is underrated. It is good in the late afternoon before sunset. Beware though that the shadows inside of the canyon get deeper as the afternoon wears on. Hiking inside the canyon can be really fun. Remember, there are two ways to enter the park which require taking different roads. Again, check with the state park rangers for the park's closing time before going. The gates of this park usually close right after sunset.
At Garden of the Gods the west side of the Gateway Rocks gets nice light in the late afternoon until the sun goes behind the mountains. Evening light won't turn the rocks as brilliant red as the east side glows in the morning, but don't rule out GOG. Except for some big slowing at Castle Rock and some slowing the closer you get to Colorado Springs the drive on I-25 southbound isn't too terrible. You can probably make it there in around an hour from south Denver...once you get on the highway. Don't try this drive on a Friday evening though!
Hope this helps.
Posted by Grant Collier on April 2, 2007 at 12:57 AM
I like Castlewood Canyon in the fall, but I've personally found it a little too lacking in color this time of year. El Dorado might be tough this time of year too. Red Rocks is another possibility, though not quite as good as Roxborough. Most of the places are best at sunrise, but Roxborough, Garden of Gods, and Red Rocks can work at sunset. The Flatirons would be tough at sunset. Oh, and Fielder's Cherry Creek gallery is gone. Camera Obscura in downtown Denver is a nice gallery.
I am not sure why you are limiting yourself to an hour driving but sunset here right now is not until 7:25pm. Basically all your places are sunrise. If I could recommend one place to go it would be Loveland Pass. You can get some great mountain scenes straight from the road. Just my 2 cents. My city choice would be Daniels Park just south of Highlands Ranch. I would also recommend visting Reed Photo Gallery (also known as the John Fielder Gallery) lots of great images by locals and both Marc / David Muench. If I remember the address is 833 Sante Fe Drive, its basically downtown.
Thanks for the responses! You all have already saved me lots of time and effort. I guess I forgot the time I was traveling I-25 north through town on a Friday at around 3:30. It was sporadic, stop-and-go traffic, and the other car in our group got rear-ended by a carload of teens headed to work at the amusement park.
Jody, I was just trying to minimize drive time to enjoy more time outside. For my last little trip, I spent an inordinate amount of time driving around SLC trying to find just the right spots to get out and enjoy nature. I want to be more prepared this time.
Hi,
Don't know if you're into skylines...but the Spear exit (go west) in front of the Ramada Inn off I-25 is a great spot to take Denver skyline shots...especially at sunset.
Discussion
7 repliesI'll be in Denver in about a week, and I'm looking for evening photo locations during the week. I've got work-related stuff all week, but I'm flying in a day early to go to RMNP. I've got class in the Cherry Creek area every weekday until 4:30, so time is of the essence. I don't want to spend more than an hour getting anywhere.
So far, I've written down:
Roxborough
El Dorado Canyon
Castlewood Canyon
Garden of the Gods (this is proabably a stretch, depending on how bad traffic is - I'm sure it's aweful southbound that time of day.)
Chautauqua Park
Are there any special traffic concerns with any of these choices? Are any of them better than others for late afternoon to sunset?
Also, do any of you have galleries near Cherry Creek, or are there some landscape galleries I shouldn't miss?
You will have the same problem in Roxborough. The sun is behind the hogbacks in the afternoon, and morning shots tend to be more dramatic. You may have to call the park as their hours change quite often. They are usually not open for sunrise (except for an occasional day or two a month) and they may close before sunset. I'm not sure what their hours are for April. Roxborough does usually have wildlife when I visit however. I almost always see deer there.
Castlewood Canyon will probably be the easiest location for you to get to and I personally think it is underrated. It is good in the late afternoon before sunset. Beware though that the shadows inside of the canyon get deeper as the afternoon wears on. Hiking inside the canyon can be really fun. Remember, there are two ways to enter the park which require taking different roads. Again, check with the state park rangers for the park's closing time before going. The gates of this park usually close right after sunset.
At Garden of the Gods the west side of the Gateway Rocks gets nice light in the late afternoon until the sun goes behind the mountains. Evening light won't turn the rocks as brilliant red as the east side glows in the morning, but don't rule out GOG. Except for some big slowing at Castle Rock and some slowing the closer you get to Colorado Springs the drive on I-25 southbound isn't too terrible. You can probably make it there in around an hour from south Denver...once you get on the highway. Don't try this drive on a Friday evening though!
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the responses! You all have already saved me lots of time and effort. I guess I forgot the time I was traveling I-25 north through town on a Friday at around 3:30. It was sporadic, stop-and-go traffic, and the other car in our group got rear-ended by a carload of teens headed to work at the amusement park.
Jody, I was just trying to minimize drive time to enjoy more time outside.
Don't know if you're into skylines...but the Spear exit (go west) in front of the Ramada Inn off I-25 is a great spot to take Denver skyline shots...especially at sunset.
Cynthia Spence
www.geolightphoto.com
Yes, I like skylines, and I'll have a look at this location.