Indian Peaks Sunrise Suggestions

I'm looking for a sunrise photo other than the Bear Lake area in RMNP. Does anyone know of good locations in the Indian Peaks area for sunrise with lakes that won't require much trudging through snow this time of year? Thanks for the suggestions!

Brainard Lakes Area is exactly what you are looking for. Its just outside Ward, CO. Don't know if the road to Brainard Lake is open past the winter gate yet. If not, its a very short walk to Red Rock Lake.

sunrise with lakes that won't require much trudging through snow this time of year?

Easy! Head up to Red Rock Lake. It's only about 1/8 mile from the gated closure on the Brainard Lake road, quite easy to get to. Great spot with nice views of the Indian Peaks like Mt Toll. Sadly, I don't have any pics showing what its like this time of year, only winter stuff! Hopefully someone else will. I guess that means I need to get up there soon too!

By the way, saw a report on a hiking site I frequent that said the Brainard Lake road gate would be opened June 8th. God luck!


EDIT: looks like Doug beat me to it!!!

Anyone know if Brainard or Red Rock Lake is thawed out yet? It may only be 1/8 mile from the parking lot, but somehow I managed to get lost on my way to it last Nov. I headed south from where I parked, but you have to head up the road a little bit and then turn left (south). In my defense their was a lot of snow on the ground at the time.

Here's a summer shot from Red Rock Lake.

As I recall, this was Red Rock Lake in June a year or two ago, shortly after sunrise. Looks like we all have a version of that shot.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm surprised that there's so much snow that they don't even open up until June 8th! I'm going nuts with how busy my full time job is (definitely more than full time), and I have to get some good photography in before I off myself. Any other place that anyone can think of that is a dramatic sunrise photo, even if it doesn't involve a lake?

Looks like this is turning into a Red Rock Lake thread; here's mine.

I agree that it's about the best view in that area that requires practically no hiking. A short hike to Dream or Emerald Lake can be well rewarded; I'm just not sure how the sun is oriented this time of the year.

Along the Front Range, Chautauqua Park can offer up some sweet compositions, especially now that the flowers are out.

You might want the try the Sawhill Ponds in Boulder. I'm at work now, so I don't have any photos to post. I've shot sunrise there a few times, and there are a number of good photo opportunities within only a couple minutes of walking. And at least in the fall, there was often fog, which is something you don't get much around here.

Thanks everyone. I went up there this morning and actually hiked to Brainard Lake as it was easy going on the road. (I'm exhausted from getting up at 2:45 in the morning - now I know why people camp.) The alpenglow wasn't very good (must be because of the haze), but I did get some okay shots just a little after sunrise. I'll post something later in the week after I get the film developed. The snow was still pretty deep around Red Rock Lake, but was not strong enough to support boots, so I didn't get a shot from there, but thanks for the suggestions! It worked out well in the end.