Fall Colors Thread!!

It begins!! There aren't many things that I look forward to more than this. A little early for colors, but not to early to start planning. No better way to kick things off than to show the winning images from last year's Fall Colors Contest. You can see all of the entries here.

This thread is for posting updates on conditions, fall colors discussion and Q&A. This thread tends to get pretty long, so please try to keep discussions regarding specific trips and get-togethers in separate threads.

Showing conditions by posting a photo is highly encouraged! Because this thread will get very long, please consider posting smaller versions of images. A good guideline is 500 pixels on the longest side and 100kb size. We'll fire up the fall colors contest in a month or so, and that will be the perfect opportunity to post 'em big.

I made the trip from Wisconsin to Colorado last year and found the following resources helpful in planning my trip. I suspect the folks in Colorado have some additional resources they use. Many of the RMNP photographer sites also have some great fall pictures.

Darren Kilgore has put together some great information on Colorado Fall Color Drives .

I also found Andy Cook’s
“A Guide to Colorado’s Best Photography Locations to be useful”. He has a chapter on Autumn Foliage along with some maps which were very helpful.

The Photo Traveler web site also has a section on Fall Color in Colorado.

Colorado.Com web site also has some information as well.

Brent Doezerman’s web site has fall color pictures going back to 2002.





Phil Schwarz
E2311 530th Ave
Menomonie, WI 54751
e-mail: schwarzp@uwstout.edu
web: http://philipschwarz.zenfolio.com/

Bill Robertson from South Carolina (some of you know him) emailed me recently..."with all the drought all across the land this summer, you still thinking there will be great fall color this year in and around CButte and the San Juans........? boy, i hope so, cause i'm ready to come, if, there's good reason...."

Well, I sure hope there will be, but who knows? Any thoughts about that, anybody?

Rod

Hey Rod - this recent thread has some good commentary on this question.

Thanks, Rick, I hadn't seen that---really good stuff. I can hardly wait. I've passed it on to Bill.

Rod

Hello all!

Just walked in the door from my week in the San Juans. Haven't even downloaded my files yet. Anyway, thought I would pass along some observations regarding fall colors:

Telluride/Last Dollar area: Some small (very small) patches of aspens have already started turning! A few small stands were completely yellow already!

Ouray: From Ridgway to Ouray just about every deciduous tree (mostly cottonwoods/willows along streams) was definitely on the yellow side of green. The turning has begun!

Pagosa Springs Area: Many aspen groves were decidedly on the yellow side of green north of town towards Williams reservoir.

Northern NM: Chamisa is turning yellow--a sure sign fall is just around the corner! Many cottonwoods near the Rio Grande are already very yellow-green. I've never seen cottonwoods begin to turn this early. They usually start in late Oct!

The color change sure seems to be happening early this year! Does this signify an early winter?

The tundra looks very nice and golden right now.

This past weekend was down in Leadville and St Elmo and honestly I didn't notice anything....and I kept a lookin' but didn't see anything. I am stoked though I have to admit!

The color change sure seems to be happening early this year!

Said by someone every freakin' year! Mr. Noll wins the prize this time.

Hello all,
I was planning on coming out there this year about September 23 for 2 weeks. Sounds like I will be too late.

"I was planning on coming out there this year about September 23 for 2 weeks. Sounds like I will be too late."

I wouldn't say so at all. I've noticed that the color always seems to peak the week of my birthday, which is October 4.

That said, my family will be out from Illinois that weekend and we want to do an aspen hike, but I have no idea what might be easiest on flatlanders unaccustomed to the mountains. I always like Golden Gate this time of year, but I think that even the "easy" trails there might be too much for Mom. Any suggestions?

I was planning on coming out there this year about September 23 for 2 weeks. Sounds like I will be too late.

See what you started, Phillip?

Robert, if you come out on the 23rd of September, you will be coming into the very heart of the colors, and you will be able to follow the whims of fall colors as you chase them around the state as they begin to fade. It's not unusual at all to be shooting colors in their prime on Kebler Pass during all of the first week of October, after all. Sure, if I was coming out for two weeks, I'd probably plan to have 9/23 be somewhere near the early-middle of the trip, but you'll do just fine during that time frame. Come on out, and leave a lot of money in the local coffers!

I just wish i could hold my trip off another 2 weeks--im forced to head out mid-month. I'll be looking for tips on early color!

Hey folks,
I was looking to come out around the 25th and spend about 3 or 4 weeks in Colorado and Utah. I wanted to spend a lot of time in southwest Colorado around Kebler pass and in the San Juans and was wondering what town is a good town to stay in as a jumping off point. I will have to rent a house because my wife and children will be coming along also. Thank you!

Rent a house? Wow! Are you sure your name isn't keanu reaves?

I would think Montrose would allow great access to both the San Juans and Kebler/McClure passes. If you come out the 25th, you'll probably find things at peak in a lot of places (past peak in some areas that always seem to turn early, like between Lake City and Creede), and will watch it slowly dwindle in Colorado before heading to Utah for what I suspect will be peak color again in some places.

Kevin- My family and I rented a 3-bed condo in Purgatory earlier this summer and we had easy drives to Mesa Verde and Silverton, with a travel detour at the Great Sand Dunes. Late September should still be off season there.

Alright, this has been said before many times - Peak color (Aspen/Oak Brush) will be sometime between Sept. 17 to Oct 6 somewhere in CO or closely surrounding states...Be there! (You'll be leaving most of your money at gas stations!)

Well, OK, if you're here on the 17th for one day only it still may be a bit early - maybe.

I thought I would pass along an update from the Collegiate Peaks area. I was up at Cottonwood Pass this morning for sunrise and took these shots on the way back down to Buena Vista. The aspens are turning bright green with some getting carried away and turning yellow. The cottonwoods along the creek are turning as well as the underbrush. There are a couple of aspen patches that have turned on the side of Mt. Yale and Columbia. Just a few more weeks to go!

http://www.montetrumbull.com/galleries/NPN/index.html

Monte

Thanks Monte - especially for the pictures. I sees gooder than I reads.

I just happened by as I know Darren and wanted to see what was happening this way - and I must say the winners posted at the top of this thread are phenomenal!! I'm off to look at all the entries.... Great work!!

Took a drive along Tarryall Road and Boreas Pass to Breckenridge last Monday. Several aspen stands were turning but appeared to have brown/black edges - not very bright or good looking. Kind of like last year in areas. Hope the high country fares well.

Hello
I am also planning a trip to the tetons and was wondering on any ideas on a date for peak color?

Thanks
Gale

Gale - peak color is usually the last week of September on average. Some year its the week before and some years its the first week of October.

Just a quick note I have spent a couple of days on the Grand Lake side of RMNP and I have see quite a few small groves of aspens that had turned gold already but look like they turned gold and died quickly. Also saw several aspens with some limbs that had a clump of gold and the rest green.

Non-hotspot update:
My cousin and I awoke at 3:30 AM this morning to climb Mount Audubon before heading into work (9/11 drove us to do it). The tundra is still very green in most spots up there. The temperature at the trailhead was 28 degrees when we left, however, so things will certainly be changing quick if the temperatures stay in that range. Aspens along the peak to peak highway were definitely lightening in their shade of green, but nowhere near what I would consider "changing". There are a few stray pockets of very young aspen that had gold on them, but 99.9% were still very much green, similar to a late spring color of green.

Additionally, there was no change whatsoever the entire duration of 4th of July road, or the South Arapaho Peak climb that we did on Saturday. But, again, the temperature was 37 at the trailhead at 7:30 AM, so changes will be on the way soon. I expect both areas to be in the normal range of change, sometime after Sept 20.

Aspens still green, but the maples are starting to show some nice color here.

Guy

Some are already peaking...

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The color change sure seems to be happening early this year!
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Said by someone every freakin' year! Mr. Noll wins the prize this time.
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Saw by this guy and I've got pictures...do I win a prize, Todd?

Del Norte, old growth aspens on September 4, 2007

Sure, there are a few stands that tend to turn early. (Judging by how green these aspens still are, I'd say close, but no cigar. Unless you're actually referring to your ATV, which seems to have turned quite nicely!) I know I've seen the aspens between Spring Creek Pass and N. Clear Creek Falls either at peak by now, or totally bare a little later. But generally speaking, someone always sees a branch of yellow leaves in late-August or early-September and starts a mini-panic about the colors turning early "this year," no matter what year "this year" refers to.

In other words, just like always, be here anytime from around September 20th and October 7th and you're bound to find great color somewhere.

I drove from Frisco to Gothic today via Cottonwood Pass, then hiked to Frigid Air Pass (no aspens). Everything seems pretty normal, although I was surprised by how much yellow there was off 91 just south of 70. These are my observations, followed by pictures:

Frisco: Not much going on, lots of light green and some rare yellow
Leadville: Not much going on (fair amount of yellow off 91 prior to Leadville)
Collegiate Peaks, Cottonwood Pass: Rare splotches of yellow.
Crested Butte: Mostly green, rare yellow.

Pictures:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jensenl/visuals/album/2007/crestedbutte/

Tomorrow I will be checking out Kebler Pass.

Great pictures Lars,

You have some of the first 'real' colors I have seen this year, specifically the Aspens off 91.

Thanks,

- Derek

So, that confirms that we're basically right on normal for the year. That stretch of 91 and the aspens on the north side of Grand Mesa are usually showing plenty of color by this time. Usually the stands on the north side of Elbert near the Halfmoon camping areas have some color this weekend as well.

Took a ride up to the La Sal mountains today. Most of the aspens along the La Sal loop road are still green, while the aspens higher up the mountain are in full fall color. Large swaths of aspens glowing yellow.

Cottonwoods in and around Moab area are still very green. Probably still 3 weeks before they even start changing.

Drove through Kebler Pass and climbed Marcellina Mountain today. There are patches of yellow like there is everywhere I've been but the vast majority of trees are still very green. This is totally normal, I believe, and it's interesting how the trees that turned early this year are the same ones that turned early when I was there in 2005. Rain last night and tonight for those who like to guess how that affects things. Anyway, I updated my page with some photos:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jensenl/visuals/album/2007/crestedbutte/
Lost Lake tomorrow (not expecting color), and then maybe RMNP on Monday.

Most excellent images Lars! Really gives a good sense of where things are at right now. Also makes me feel good to see a good amount of green since I won't get down to Kebler for another two weeks!

Congrats on the summit too!

Drove through Breckenridge and Frisco to Gore Pass - Rabbit Ears Pass - Muddy Pass this weekend. Aspens are only 10 to 30% turned around Boreas Pass (best are on the west side) and maybe 50% around Gore Pass. Not much around Rabbit Ears, except spotty color on some of the hillsides. I'm shocked how much beetle kill(?) there is in the evergreens north of I-70 & all the way to Steamboat. One third to half the trees are standing dead...

This shot was taken along Boreas Pass Rd.

It appears they'll all peak in the next 1-2 weeks - - pretty normal, it seems.

Ken

Lars, terrific photo report on the fall color progress. That view from Marcellina is too cool. How hard is it btw?

Thanks again for posting.

Mike, if you want the Maroon Bells in full fall color you will probably want to stick to the earlier dates of 9/22-9/27. The Bells seems to change earlier than the rest of the area and you will still get really good color at McClure and Kebler near the middle and end of your stay. But a pic of the Bells progress would be nice.

Just returned from my yearly fall outing (had to go early this year due to work). DOnt have too much to add to above notes; i went over independence to Aspen, around to Marble and then down Kebler for an abbreviated long weekend. Color was decent in pockets, but looks like peak most areas will be 1-2 weeks from now. Will cross post this, but 314 to Crystal is very open. Decent color up there. A fair amot of the Aspen has unfortunate brown/black spots pretty much everywhere. East of the divide, things are just starting to get going--hardly anything up in Teller/Park counties. Would love to post some pics, but thanks to Canon/BH sending me defective software, i cant download anything--have to wait a week for a new disc

Craig - It's a pretty tough hike up Marcellina, my girlfriend was ready to give up or pass out about 1/3 of the way up but we stuck with it and both made it. According to my GPS, it was 7.2 miles and about 2900 ft of vertical. There is no trail so it's a bushwack to get to the spot on the mountain where you can climb it (GPS recommended), then it is about 2500 ft of very steep hiking, followed by a really fun and less steep ridge that leads to the top. It was really cloudy so my photos are not as good as they could be, but there are beautiful mountains in all directions. More info here:
http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/153146/marcellina-mountain.html

Mt Owen is an easier hike and also has a great view west over Kebler Pass.

More on fall colors:

We drove through Leadville again on Sunday and I was amazed at how things had progressed, pockets that were mostly green just 2 days prior were now mostly yellow.

Color also seemed more prevalent around Crested Butte on Sunday but Kebler Pass is still very green. Ohio Pass on the other hand, had some nice color at higher elevations.

McClure Pass had a fair amount of yellow on Sunday but the aspens at lower elevations were still very green.

We drove through Aspen on Sunday too but it was raining and the mountains were all socked in so while I didn't see any color, it may have been there. If I recall correctly, the west side of Independence Pass didn't have much color, but the east side was showing some nice yellow. Twin Lakes, specifically, had lots of yellow at high elevations.

RMNP, Monday: Not much good color that we saw, there are some yellow aspens right at Alberta Falls, but elsewhere things were mostly green with some dull color. Did see some Elk though which was nice.

Added some new pictures from these areas:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jensenl/visuals/album/2007/crestedbutte/

I just got back from an extended weekend around the Aspen area and can confirm everything Lars has said. The area got snow on Monday and the high peaks in the Elks and Sawatch are looking very nice.

McClure Pass: about 80% aspen have turned on the north side, mostly in the high elevations, lower areas are still green. The south side of the pass has barely turned.

Capitol Peak Trailhead: about 40-50% of the aspen have turned, the peak had nice snow on it yesterday, should look good from this weekend into early next week.

Independence Pass: A fair amount of yellow mostly around the higher elevations. The brush around the Indepenence ghost town is a vivid orange and red. East side of the pass has a lot more color in the aspen.

Twin Lakes: Looking really great with nice color (about 75-85% aspen have turned) and there is snow on Mt. Hope, Elbert, etc. Now is a good time to shoot this area.

Freemont Pass: The few aspen stands in this area have mostly turned. The area around Copper Mtn. has turned a lot in just the past four days.

For those who have been wondering about Maroon Lake above is a shot of the Bells from Tuesday morning.

Also, a shot of Capitol Peak taken on stormy Monday evening to go with my post above.

Man, I am itching to go and about ready to roll after seeing those pictures and will be headed to Aspen Friday, Joshua---thanks. Around Steamboat it's about a week away, I think, and the Flat Tops got a dusting of snow. Aspens here are about 10-20% changed, but a few spots already nice, like this scene above this morning on the road to Sheriff's Reservoir.

Rod

Just did a day hike today up on Red Mtn Pass near Ironton. I'd say the aspens are about 30% yellow. Some nice big groves of yellow, but lots of green still too. See a few recon pics here.

Everything on the west side of Owl Creek Pass is still green.

Tuesday 9/18 I drove the road from Meeker to Yampa along the Flat Tops. Things were still pretty green. Probably less than 10% have turned. The underbrush is quite colorful though.

Wednesday 9/19 I travelled up Clear Creek Canyon as far as Winfield. Things are looking real nice. Probably at about 80% have turned especially the farther up the canyon you go.

Hi all. I going to be driving up from Phoenix to spend a few days in some of the fall color in the San Juan Mountains. My original intent was to come up the week after next (Oct. 1) but in looking at the reports it looks like next week (Sept. 24) might be a better bet. My employer is flexible enough I could swing either. Anybody that has been down in that area care to offer a guess as to which might be my best option? Thanks in advance for any and all replies.

Jim

Here's a little tip:
If current computer forecasts hold up, i'd say there is a very good chance the high elevations will get significant snow this weekend (over a foot above 12K ft) there may be lesser amounts at pass level, but probably not enough to spoil the foliage (although last years storm was awesome same time even at pass level) This should provide nearly perfect conditions for photos by monday. If i werent working, thats when id plan for.

I will be visiting RMNP 9-26 to 3-1 and wanted to see if anyone had any updates on fall color and best spots to capture it in the park. I am only there for a short visit and want to maximize my time. Also, what are the best spots for wildlife. Thanks!

Just back from Capitol Reef, Escalante, and surrounding areas. No color changes at all (even on Boulder Mountain!), but lots of great green in the normal areas (Calf Creek, Burr Trail, etc). The aspen at Vail were glowing on the way home, I would think peak for them would be early the week of the 24th.

Is it better to goto Crested butte/aspen area this weekend or the next weekend ?

Aspen this weekend. Crested Butte next weekend.

Hmm .. So, would the colors be gone by next weekend in Aspen ?

Mike, I was heading to Maroon and Independence Pass next week so thanks for the advice. Maybe I'll skip Inde.

Bill

Red Mountain Pass is looking good! About 50% yellow or more. Here's a couple recon panoramas from another hike today.

Here is a shot driving up Cottonwood pass from Buena Vista this evening. The turn is a little over 50% in most areas and looks to be progressing fast. Pretty sunset tonight, Hope I got a keeper!

I'd call Golden Gate about 40-50% yellow. Pictures to follow.

Spent the morning in RMNP. Sunrise was kinda dull, no clouds. Overall on the east side, about 50% of the Apens are at peak. The best areas with peak vibrant coloras were small pockets around the Storm Pass & Galcier Basin THs. Bear Lake area colors seemed rather dull and flat. Rest of the east side was a solid mix of from summer green to just reaching peak. East side should start to go towards 100% this week. Drove over Trail Ridge Road and down the west side. About 75% of the Aspens at peak there. Continued on through Middle Park and over Berthoud Pass. Middle Park is at nearly 100% full peak now!! Really gorgeous this morning. Unfortunately the Pine Beetle infestation is horrendous. If the hillsides and such aren't glowing gold they are that nasty rusty brown. Not really a nice color combo. The area around Jones Pass has some decent color as well, just about at peak I'd say.

I'll vouch with Rebecca - Golden Gate is ~40%, with most of the major stands not turned yet (haven't been up to Fraser Meadow to check it out - tomorrow). There's the normal nice stand just off the Bootleg Bottom trailhead that's a decent orange (from a distance); Aspen Meadows is not turned, lower elevations aren't turned for the most part, but the stands along the mountainsides are doing well.

Best viewing in Gilpin appears to be right near 46 & 119; the Dory Hill Cemetery is gorgeous as usual and there are some good views along the Peak-to-Peak just north of the intersection with 46. Leaves are turning rapidly; I swear some of the stands are brighter now than they were this morning!

I was up at Frazer Meadow, it was full on gold. The rest of the park isn't anywhere near as far along.

Drove the San Juan Skyway this weekend, and the best colors were along the Molas Pass->Ouray stretch of road and the West Fork/Dunton 'high' road between Dolores and Lizard Head Pass. Still another weekend or two away from peak colors along the rest of the trip.
A nearly daylong rainstorm on Sunday left snow on top of the high mountains.

What John said. The Sneffels range got a good dump yesterday. The aspens are still green along the north side of the range. Here's a pic.

Wow - still really green down there!!! Thanks for the pic Jack.

MAROON BELLS: Monday morning, from maroon lake, compared to Friday, this area has changed a lot. The yellow groves in the center has dropped some leaves (about 20%)and one small grove is now bare. Clone tool :-0. The right side has turned nicely 40% changed. Got some snow since Friday. Maroon Creek Road looks great. Get here quick.

MACCLURE PASS: Sunday morning, the Marble side was 30% changed. The aspens on that hairpin pullout off were still green but they may have lost some leaves. It was blowing hard.

MARBLE: Sunday morning, 30-40% changed. Nice I drove to the quary it was 40% changed - very nice.

TIP: Drive all the way down Snowmass Creek Road. Nice groves near or at peak and farms

Mike, thanks for the timely advice I'm heading there tomorrow,

Cheers,

Bill

While the clouds and light snow were at Maroon Bells this morning, I found Ashcroft at the end of Castle Creek Road.

Colors were vivid and near fully turned where the pavement ended and the jeep road began.

Update from Ridgway (9/25) -- Still VERY green! I took some pics of a nice sunset on the Dallas Divide last night and then of a cloudless sunrise this morning. There were a few scattered patches of yellow-green out there, but the majority was still green. Last Dollar Road had a couple of stands turning, but that was about it... I went over McClure Pass on the way here (yesterday), and it looked ~60% of the way there on the north (Carbondale) side. I'll probably head to Ouray and Silverton today; I'll update later if I do.

Went up to the bells this morning. Colors are looking nice. If you are headed up there I would make it by this weekend. Not as much snow on the bells as I would of thought from the last storm. Mt. Sopris and the downvalley locations got more snow on the peaks than the Aspen Valley. Hope this helps. Robbie George

I was on Kebler yesterday afternoon. Still a ton of green, especially the further west you get. Some sections of brownish dull, but some healthy golds as well. Looked like The Dyke is going to have a nice array of colors.

Green
Patchy
The Dyke
McClure, south side

Thanks for the updates Mark and Robbie! I'm really surprised that the Kebler area is STILL so green...

Joshua and Robbie, what time of day did you take your pictures?

Robbie, I see the alpenglow, so I'm guessing yours was early, like 7:00 AM?

Randy, the bells shot was taken at 7:20 a.m. Get there early if you want a spot. There must of been 100+ photographers there this morning. The parking lot was full. I got there at 6:15 and almost didn't get a decent spot. Good Luck! Robbie

Red Mountain Pass -- Looking very nice on the north (i.e., Ouray) side, about 80% of peak.

When are the leaves done at Maroon Bells? Won't be able to get there until the 8th of Oct. Was planning on doing Rifle Falls as well.

I was at the Bells this morning, some stands have no leaves already, others are in full color. Attached is a photo. The valley isnt fully lit until about 9am or later. I also went to Kebler, not near peak yet, maybe another week, McClure, south side is yellow, north side has a way to go, Independence Pass is at peak and east of there it is past with trees bare.
Bill

Thanks for the great updates - and especially the pics! I'm heading out shortly and can't wait!

Mark - I've never been up to the Bells that late in the season, but I'd expect it to be well on the downhill side by that time. If it were me, I'd head towards Dallas Divide, Ridgway and/or Silver Jack Reservoir. We were there in early October last year; a storm had done some damage, but there was still some great color.

Thanks Rick. Will have to check out those areas.

Is this weekend good for bells and Aspen area ?

Randy, sorry for the delay. I shot the bells again this morning and went to Crater Lake above Maroon Lake too. My two favorite times to shoot the bells are sunrise ~ 7 am. Like Robbie said, get there early. And like Bill said around 9:00 (although I prefer ~ 10 am when the shadow in the valley is almost gone). So, if you are ambitious, shoot Maroon Lake at sunrise, hike to Crater and shoot it at about 9 am then run back down and shoot Maroon again. The snow is melting fast up there and there was even less today than in Bill's shot. Have fun!

Piri, this weekend should be fine for the Bells too. As you can see from Bill's shot the trees in the very front still need to turn, but other stands have lost a few leaves. This is normal. You will be fine, relax.

Chris, I didn't get to Steamboat, but I did go to the Flat Tops on Tuesday - Wednesday. Up there was a little bit of everything - some trees past peak, some at peak, some brown-looking, some green that still haven't turned yet. That may not be much help but I will upload some pics soon.

Chris, regarding conditions around Steamboat---I haven't been home for a couple of days (see my next post) but it's farther along than some other areas---here's a couple of pictures from Monday of this week, first Sand Mountain near Steamboat Lake, and the Flat Tops near Toponas.

Rod

Here's the Flat Tops picture.

LATER???? Yes, it seems to me in my experience of the past four years or so that the colors are later than usual in most places in the state. In the past few days I have been in Steamboat, all over the Aspen area, McClure Pass, and Silver Jack. Ashcroft at the end of the road and Maroon Bells are close or at peak, but the other places we usually go still has a lot of green. The picture above is from the hairpin curve at the bottom of McClure around 1:00 pm today looking at the road to Marble and is as good as it gets around there. Top of McClure looking east is still more green than anything else. If I had only one weekend to go out, I'd skip this weekend and wait until next.

Rod

I also checked out Silver Jack late this afternoon and it was kinda disappointing. The usual orange/red stand of trees south of Silver Jack were a pale yellow as seen above. The groves on the mountainsides on the way up from Hwy. 50 were a sea of green with splashes of yellow. I'd say peak at Silver Jack is maybe a week away. There's also some leaf mold in some places. Also, there's no snow on the Uncompahgres. But there are some stands of gold among the green, so it will get there sometime in the next week or so.

Rod

Castle Creek near Ashcroft

I don't like trying to estimate percentages of "peak" color. I'll just post a pic (suffering a bit from JPG compression) from a rainy Sunday, September 23...

Wista DX, Rodenstock APO Ronar 300mm, Provia

Stormy afternoon at Mt. Daly & Capitol Peak

One more from above the Capitol Peak Trailhead on September 22...

Wista DX, Rodenstock APO Ronar 300mm, Provia

OK, here's a place that's nice right now---the Flat Tops, especially the west side of Ripple Pass (above) and the west side of Dunkley Pass. Mostly gold, it's ready for the taking and lots of situations, not just vistas. Lousy light this morning, so please pardon the lack of drama.

Rod

Nice Rod. At least you got some clouds which is more than I got on my visit earlier this week. I concur that the middle of the byway is the best from Dunkley Pass where there are good vistas (just beyond Dunkley there is still a bunch of green though), between the passes there are good closeups with lots of yellow, a good vista at Ripple Creek and some good color a few miles past Ripple. I also shot Trapper's Lake which had some nice snow on the peak and OK color in the brush surrounding the lake.

FYI..... Been in Ridgway for a week now and today there is a beginning of yellow starting to show up. Nothing like last year, Checked out Dallas Divide and went up Last Dollar Road.
Still looks likw it needs another 3 days or so unless something drastic happens to speed up natures process. It is nothing like last year...so far. I haven't drove up Owl Creek but I could see from Ridgway the first signs of yellow up the mountains in that direction.

The yellows are peaking on the east side of Glacier Park. Just back from a week there and I must say I've never seen quakies that turn orange and red. Amazing eye candy.

Some of you might have had word that I was working on putting together a week-end pro get-away to shoot the fall colors near Sedona/Flagstaff/Payson. Location is yet to be determined, but with the help of a couple guys with many years experience with the turning leaves in the area, we will have the best shooting locations, off the beaten track.

Clear your Calendar for not this upcoming week-end but the one after, Oct 13-14.

Plan is to have 2-3 vehicles for transport, some may leave Phx early Sat, some later in the day. Lodging to be determined, bring a sleeping bag.

My agenda - Leave after work @1pm sat, return Sun night after sunset

Let me know that you're coming andI'll keep you posted as to who is in.

For NPN/RMNP give me a call 602-614-0514

This is from northern Utah's Wahsatch range near Park City, taken last Friday.

The Peak-to-Peak just dropped any leaves that weren't well attached last night. Mountains are snow covered from Parry Peak north through the Indian Peaks, and a strong wind was blowing through the night and into this morning. Flurries down to 8500', mixed with blowing Aspen leaves at 7:30am around Golden Gate.

Things being as spotty as they are in Colorado I ran over to Utah last week. My presence there had the usual effect on fall color resulting in some new names for old hot spots. Mt. Nebo is now named Mt. Neblah and the Alpine loop is now called the Alpine Poop. If that doesn't paint a vivid enough picture for you, I will just say they were fugly and let it go at that. Farther north, we did run into some fall color. Though somewhat muted, there was plenty of it. Sunday we had some snow so I don't know how that will affect things. Can't say the aspen were looking good anywhere over there, but maybe they will still change. Right now it is about like Colorado with pockets of fair color. I did hear all of the paint stores over ther were out of yellow and orange spray paint and that color intensitying filters were going for $500 each in Salt Lick City. Based on Don's picture above, it looks like he found something nice.

Drove Kenosha Pass-Cottonwood Pass-Keblers Pass-Ohio Pass-Dallas Divide-Lizard Head Pass-Ophir Pass-Red Mountain Pass-Monarch Pass all last weekend. Some decent pockets of color around Kebler/Ohio and Lizard head.

Most of the stands in the Aspen area were close to the end in most of the higher areas of Aspen on Sunday. Areas below 8000 feet still have some green, but just about anything above that range (most of what anyone in this forum would be interested in) is one swift breeze away from blanketing the ground. All in all, even the stands that did have color just did not appear that healthy. They all took on the cloak that the Eastern Side of Independence Pass has shown us over the past few years without the vibrant gold that we're used to from Colorado aspen displays. The other odd thing I noticed was that the general leaf density (ie, total # of leaves on each individual tree) even of trees that were fully green just didn't seem as high this year. Everything seemed "thin", so to say.

All of these images are from Sunday 9-30

Capitol and what's left of the groves beneath
Closer view of Capitol and groves beneath
Close-up view of snow conditions on Capitol
What is left of the stands in the lower portions of Capitol Creek Valley
Stand of trees about to call it a year in Conundrum Valley
Another stand of trees about to call it a year in Conundrum Valley
A less fragile stand in the lower portions of Castle Creek Valley at lower elevation

Time to start a Page 2 for the Fall Colors Thread!