After this big snowstorm everything was magical in Estes Park this morning. Wish you all could have seen it! It is still pretty amazing out there right now. Unusually, we haven't had any wind since the storm. Perhaps tomorrow morning will be equally as beautiful. Make sure to open the larger image.
Thanks everyone for your kind words! Stan, as you know it all depends on elevation. Dream Lake typically begins to open near the outlet around the second week of April, a lake like Black Lake usually opens up around the second week of May and higher lakes might not begin to open until early June.
Very nice capture Erik: You really caught the right conditions. Thanks for sharing. When I was up there about 2 weeks ago, the wind was blowing so hard I could not mount the camera on a tripod ;O)>.
Simply glorious! I love the color contrasts and the panoramic format.
Did you take this off the shoulder of the road or was there a bit of adventure involved?
The starscape is terrific! I've never minded a bit of light pollution in many evening images, especially when the placement is as perfect as it is here. Excellent captures, Erik!!
Both shots are excellent and I'm totally envious....I spent all day watching that storm dump on Estes Park via the cities webcams. Ive always wanted a shot of Hallet and the trees around Dream Lake plastered with spring snow. I packed my truck full of the appropriate gear, set my alarm for 2:00am, but in the end I chickened out to make the drive from Highlands Ranch to Bear Lake before sunrise. I went to bed that night watching the news speak to all the car accidents in the metro area. Woke up and realized it would be too risky. I was also unsure if I could actually get to the lake from the Bear Lake turnoff. I had no idea if it would be drivable or if they fenced it off until they plowed it. Just too many unknowns...
Eric, does the park service gate off the road up to Glacier Gorge and Bear Lake during these snow events?
Kane, you made the right call if Bear Lake was your destination. They didn't open it until the following day. Sometimes you can get in before they close the gate, but often they close it if they know a big storm is coming.
John, I'm ashamed to admit it, but I took the snowy panorama from the side of a dirt road. There is too much private property in this area to have much of an adventure.
Discussion
14 repliesJust for fun, here's a link to an image I shot last night. I've been trying to get this shot for two winters and last night the conditions were finally right. The funky color is mostly due to light pollution from you guys down in the Denver metro area. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SI0-OaErJgQ/UYO5ImegJdI/AAAAAAAAHys/sC2jxmn928U/w481-h719/20130502_stars-over-longs_25-FB.jpg
Did you take this off the shoulder of the road or was there a bit of adventure involved?
The starscape is terrific! I've never minded a bit of light pollution in many evening images, especially when the placement is as perfect as it is here. Excellent captures, Erik!!
Eric, does the park service gate off the road up to Glacier Gorge and Bear Lake during these snow events?
Thanks,
Kane
Kane, you made the right call if Bear Lake was your destination. They didn't open it until the following day. Sometimes you can get in before they close the gate, but often they close it if they know a big storm is coming.
John, I'm ashamed to admit it, but I took the snowy panorama from the side of a dirt road. There is too much private property in this area to have much of an adventure.