If you can’t find your way to Crested Butte in the next week or 10 days, DON’T PANIC! The flowers at the lower elevations, like from in town to Gothic, are extraordinary, the best I’ve ever seen. This is the bloom I’ve been waiting my whole photographic life for, in terms of meadows thick with flowers of many different varieties. HOWEVER, you don’t have to go very high in elevation before flowers become non-existent. Go past Gothic on Gothic Road and it’s really, really green, but not much for flowers. Same for Washington Gulch Road. My impression is, as the flowers blooming now begin to fade, there’s gonna be a slow-motion color explosion working its way up to higher elevations. Come back in two weeks, maybe even three, when all the snow drifts have finally receded, and the upper meadows and highest tundra should be filled with Indian paintbrush (sorely lacking at lower elevations), columbine and other species. So here’s a location-specific quick take.
Gothic Road: Mules ears and lupine in abundance early on, excellent lupine around and right before Gothic. Some scarlet gilia and wild geranium, too. Decent columbines in the aspens. After Gothic, not much.
Washington Gulch Road: Thick with lupines early on, but unfortunately, they’re all interspersed with the fluffy white style of dandelions by the millions, so it’s tough to get a shot without them in it. There are a few meadows on private land near the start of the road with great variety, however. Shoot over a fence and you’ll have good options.
Brush Creek Road: This area probably has the best floral bouquet “mix” I’ve seen, scarlet gilia thicker than I’ve ever seen it anywhere, with lots of mule’s ears and lupines and other stuff I don’t know the name of. The flowers peter out fairly quickly on this road, although they do come back briefly and with less variety a little father up. I went as far as the first creek crossing on the Pearl Pass road and turned back due to the high, fast water.
Kebler Pass Road: I went about a mile past Horse Ranch Park/Dyke overlook (Beavis: “Hehe, you said dyke…”), and it’s pretty typical. There are spots of mule’s ears and lupines, with a little bit of pale yellow paintbrush, but nothing really worthy of making a special trip for. The road up to Lake Irwin was pretty sparse, too, except for occasional clusters of case's fitsweed. That might change, once Robinson Basin melts out. Could be really, really awesome in a few weeks. BTW, when did they pave the road OVER Kebler Pass? Used to be just that section of switchbacks over the creek on the west side, but now it’s paved almost two miles on either side of the pass.
The best flowers I found were right near town, along the road from CB to Mt. CB. There are hillsides choked with flowers around here. No one will know you’re shooting right next to Highway 135 when they’re looking at your pictures.
Contrary to earlier reports, Paradise Divide is accessible, but only if you go by way of the Washington Gulch road. Slate River Road apparently has some huge avalanche fields blocking the road near where it leaves the valley and starts climbing up towards the divide, although someone told me there was a road grader headed up that way to try to punch through.
Discussion
1 repliesGothic Road: Mules ears and lupine in abundance early on, excellent lupine around and right before Gothic. Some scarlet gilia and wild geranium, too. Decent columbines in the aspens. After Gothic, not much.
Washington Gulch Road: Thick with lupines early on, but unfortunately, they’re all interspersed with the fluffy white style of dandelions by the millions, so it’s tough to get a shot without them in it. There are a few meadows on private land near the start of the road with great variety, however. Shoot over a fence and you’ll have good options.
Brush Creek Road: This area probably has the best floral bouquet “mix” I’ve seen, scarlet gilia thicker than I’ve ever seen it anywhere, with lots of mule’s ears and lupines and other stuff I don’t know the name of. The flowers peter out fairly quickly on this road, although they do come back briefly and with less variety a little father up. I went as far as the first creek crossing on the Pearl Pass road and turned back due to the high, fast water.
Kebler Pass Road: I went about a mile past Horse Ranch Park/Dyke overlook (Beavis: “Hehe, you said dyke…”), and it’s pretty typical. There are spots of mule’s ears and lupines, with a little bit of pale yellow paintbrush, but nothing really worthy of making a special trip for. The road up to Lake Irwin was pretty sparse, too, except for occasional clusters of case's fitsweed. That might change, once Robinson Basin melts out. Could be really, really awesome in a few weeks. BTW, when did they pave the road OVER Kebler Pass? Used to be just that section of switchbacks over the creek on the west side, but now it’s paved almost two miles on either side of the pass.
The best flowers I found were right near town, along the road from CB to Mt. CB. There are hillsides choked with flowers around here. No one will know you’re shooting right next to Highway 135 when they’re looking at your pictures.
Contrary to earlier reports, Paradise Divide is accessible, but only if you go by way of the Washington Gulch road. Slate River Road apparently has some huge avalanche fields blocking the road near where it leaves the valley and starts climbing up towards the divide, although someone told me there was a road grader headed up that way to try to punch through.
There you have it. Go take some pictures, y’all!