Fall Colors Thread - Page 2!

Page 1 of the Fall Colors Thread is getting pretty long. There's still a lot of color left in CO, UT, etc., so let's roll things over to a 2nd page.

Keep those reports - and especially pics! - coming!

Colors north of Sneffels are spotty... just like Darren has mentioned, the leaves are kinda dull and seem like they are changing from green to brown or from yellow to black. Weird stuff. CR7 looks to be pretty decent. This image was from October 2. Yesterday, October 3, I went to Wilson Mesa and there were some decent colors below Sunshine Mtn and some near the falls east of Telluride. With a bald blue sky, I went to the canyon just outside of Ouray on Camp Bird Rd, as it was in shade and the colors in there were pretty nice. I am finding that the colors are looking way better in the shade and in the overcast conditions. When the leaves are normally good, then even some late afternoon sidelight make them look great. This year, I am not even slightly motivated to shoot the colors unless shade or overcast is present. Just my two cents. I will post another image of Sunshine later.

Hey Jimmy,
That is a great report! Thank you very much.

I am just getting ready to head down there tommorrow. Some clouds/rain/snow are in the forecast. So things should get more interesting.

I am not quite sure where the falls are by Telluride. What road are they off of/near? Also any recommended roads near Wilson Mesa would be appreciated. I took Silver Pick Rd.(sp?) last year I believe.

Thanks again,

- Derek

I know I'm a bit late (was too busy last weekend), but it there any real color left off of 285 or Granella (sp?) pass?

Here is one from today along CR5.

IMO the colors are looking good on the north side of the Sneffels Range, and the red oak brush is off the hook! The aspens along lower Camp Bird road are brilliant yellow and green.

I would guess we still have another week of good stuff.

I'm heading to the Telluride area tomorrow; I hope it's as good as here.

Jack,

I *just* got back from Telluride and it is peaking! No photos yet. But I am sure there will be many posts from this week including yours eventually.

I met up with Don G., Rich V., Rene P. and Kalin W. over the weekend down there. The weather was great - snow, rain, fog, sun, etc... The only problems we ran into were deep *mud* and gale force *winds*. The wind was so strong it downed ~20 trees along Last Dollar Road. So we got our work out helping out to clear the road just so that we could drive by. It was like a war zone.

I second Jack's statement about the oaks around Sneffels. Up along CR7 on Sunday, they were quite amazing.

The best stands of aspen that we found in the entire loop of the San Juan skyway on Saturday were on CO 145 south of Rico from about MM 28ish all the way north to Rico. There is a road called Hillside Road (FR 436) that can be taken up and along the ridges through an amazing area of that stretch. The road was a little soft with all of the rain/snow on Saturday afternoon when we went through it, but my stock Cherokee (with less than new tires) made it up several miles just fine. When it started getting softer than I was comfortable with in those conditions, we turned around. The conditions were amazing though. The aspen were the most vibrant that we've found yet this year, steering away from the drab, mustardy hues that have been seen in so many other places.

Were any of you driving a small red car? I saw a couple in that car on CR7 in the early afternoon, and then saw the exact same car/couple up along Kebler in the late afternoon.

I spent a few rushed hours in lower Poudre Canyon (downstream from Rustic) Sunday afternoon. Colors are popping! The narrow leaf cottonwoods (my favorite Colorado fall color tree, this picture from a few years ago but it's at least as nice now) are as brilliant as I have ever seen them, practically incandescent in places. Shrubs and brush are heating up too. Should be good for at least another week. I'm heading back to China already, so shoot a few for me.

I second Josh's statement re: Hwy. 145 from Dolores to Rico.
Some of the most vibrant colors along the entire Skyway and they're still in excellent form as of today (Tuesday)!
Those side roads (Hillside, Scotch Creek, Taylor Mesa, Priest Gulch, etc.) allow access to beautiful forests for more detailed photography, along with nice vistas.

The cold front on Sat night turned the aspens in the ravine on Dallas Divide from a brilliant yellow to a bright orange on Sun AM and by Sun PM they were rust colored orange to brown. The aspens on CR5 are good in places but not vibrant since the cold front. By Monday the CR5 aspens have become less vibrant so I left for home.
The aspens between Coal Bank Pass and Durango on Hwy550 were peaking on Saturday and I don't think they would have been adversely impacted by the cold front as they are at a lower elevation and the temps didn't fall into the low to mid-teens like they did around Telluride and Dallas Divide.
Here in Woodland Park, the aspens are very nice in small areas but leafless in others.

I took a few detours on the way home from Snowmass on September 30th and found great color on Kebler and Ohio passes. We still had hours of daylight left when we reached Gunnison so we decided to take a look at Cumberland Pass. That turned out to have been a mistake as there was little or no foliage to be seen from the road and the road has been covered with 2 to 3" diameter rocks. It's a slow bumpy ride (about 17 miles worth) that I'd like not to have taken. I'd advise avoiding Cumberland Pass for awhile. It looks like who ever worked on the road took what had been a good road and made it substantially worse.