Crested Butte is king for fall leaf peeping?

Colorado’s Rockies provide a literal triple crown for bomber landscapes each fall.
• Huge fields of Aspens turn brilliant yellow.
• Punctuated by majestic mountain peaks.
• Crazy skies providing optimal lighting as fall storms pass over the landscape.

As you’ve read in the past, we spend half the year in Steamboat, Colorado. The ferns along the mountain floor create a great-looking carpet to frame the aspens trees. Pictured below is Steamboat’s the Spring Creek Trail.

But if you want to see the really good stuff, it’s worth making the journey South. I stopped in the old mining town of Marble, home to the abandoned Crystal Mill accessible by a highly technical 4WD road (40 mins out of town), The Mill was built the late 1800s and was used to create high pressure water used in strip mining for Silver.

My next base of operation is the ski town of Crested Butte. While America’s national parks are packed with tourists each fall, most ski towns are very chill with plenty of room for outdoor enthusiasts. What makes this ski town amazing is it’s close proximity to Kebler and Ohio Passes which contain the two largest Aspen groves in North America. Ergo, the most amazing color I’ve seen anywhere!

Generally speaking, Ohio Pass shows off it’s best views at Sunrise!

The morning light peaks through the Aspen Groves creating some unique wooded landscapes!

After a rain, the leafs on the mountain floor collecting moisture!

While Kebler tends to be an optimal place to watch sunset.

This shot was taken several miles from the road using my trusty Mavic III drone.

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On route back I was lucky enough to get a morning parking pass the view the Maroon Bells (outside of Aspen, Co). There are few parking spaces to view this iconic setting at sunrise. I needed to reserve 8 months in advance!