Every fall the Colorado Rockies erupt with bright colors, making late Sept & early October prime viewing. It’s hard to pin down the exact week for peak color in advance as the previous winter’s snowfall, rain and fall temps all impact when/how the leaves turn color.
Three primary ecosystems produce the amazing light show. Large groves of Aspen trees turn yellow, with Cottonwoods typically morphing into an orange or bright red. Bushes and ground covers often can create a yellow, orange or dark red carpet which enhances the foliage display.
We started our travels in Steamboat Colo. The ski area is surrounded by hundreds of farms and there are great ops to grab photos of horses, cattle, and such.
Speaking of animals, Bullwinkle here was not photographed in the wild. The photo was taken in the backyard of our Steamboat townhome!
Numerous hikes in the area feature Aspens against the background of changing underbrush.
BTW, a clear sky provides a great op to produce star stars. For our photos buffs, the trick is to reduce your aperture to F22 and position the sun so it’s just peaking around a stationary object (like these trees).
My hands-down fav place to photograph in Steamboat during fall is the top of Rabbit Ears Pass. The photo below was taken with the help of a Mavic II Pro drone. I’m finding that drone photography is a game-changer. Aeriel photography allows the capture of views that were impossible before (unless you rented a chopper or fixed-wing aircraft).
This year, for the first time, I decided to explore fall color in Crested Butte. The area is home to some of the largest Aspen groves in the US. Ground zero for viewing is the dirt road that rises over Kelber Pass. The best shots were also taken with a drone (often flown one or even two miles away!), which allowed me to position the camera exactly where I wanted it!
Sometimes, rising before or at sunrise is required to view exceptional color. Both these shots were also taken at Crested Butte.
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