Colorado, above the ordinary.

Crested Butte, CO

Kebler Pass

A 10,000-foot gravel pass west of Crested Butte that runs through one of the largest aspen groves in North America. In late September the entire valley turns gold and orange beneath the Ruby Range and the twin summits of the Anthracite Range. Wide pullouts along the road give clean views of aspen slopes with mountain backdrops.

Sunrise light turns the Flatirons a warm orange-pink above a dark band of snow-dusted evergreens. The jagged sandstone slabs rise steeply against a clear lavender sky, with patches of snow clinging to the foothills.

Boulder, CO

Flatirons Vista

The Flatirons are five large tilted slabs of sedimentary rock on the southwest slope of Green Mountain in Boulder. These iconic rock formations rise dramatically from the foothills at angles of 40 to 50 degrees. The formations are visible from much of Boulder and serve as the city's most recognizable landmark.

Wide panoramic view of Red Rocks Amphitheatre, with sweeping rows of pale stone seating curving down toward the stage framed by towering red sandstone walls. Bright daylight and a hazy blue sky open out to the distant plains beyond the rock formations.

Morrison, CO

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

A naturally formed amphitheatre surrounded by 300-foot red sandstone monoliths that date back 290 million years. The venue sits at 6,450 feet elevation and is surrounded by a park with hiking trails offering views of the rock formations and Denver skyline. The red sandstone glows intensely during golden hour light.

Wide view over City Park’s green lawns and curving paths, with Ferril Lake and a small boathouse in the middle distance and the Denver skyline rising beyond. The scene is framed by mature trees under a clear blue sky, with soft mountain silhouettes on the horizon.

Denver, CO

City Park and Ferril Lake

Denver's largest urban park features Ferril Lake, which provides one of the most iconic reflection shots of the Denver skyline with the Rocky Mountains behind it. The 330-acre park was designed in the City Beautiful tradition and includes mature tree-lined paths. The lake's calm morning surface creates mirror-like reflections of the skyline.

A wide view of Horsetooth Reservoir at golden hour, with calm water reflecting the foothills under a soft blue-green sky. Jagged rocks frame the foreground while a lone person stands near the ridge, overlooking the winding shoreline.

Fort Collins, CO

Horsetooth Reservoir

A 6.5-mile-long reservoir nestled against the foothills west of Fort Collins, formed by four dams on the eastern slope. The reservoir's distinctive hogback setting creates dramatic landscapes, especially when combined with sunset light. The water reflects the surrounding foothills and produces vivid colors at dawn and dusk.

Clear alpine water fills the foreground, with a pale driftwood log along the shore and submerged rocks visible through the shallows. Across the lake, a dense band of evergreen trees rises to steep gray peaks under a bright blue sky with a few small clouds.

Estes Park, CO

Bear Lake

A high-elevation lake at 9,450 feet surrounded by Hallett Peak and Continental Divide peaks. The lake's calm morning waters create near-perfect reflections of the surrounding mountains. It is one of the most accessible alpine lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The bronze Four Corners marker is centered in a pale stone plaza, with the names Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah set into the pavement around it. Low benches, a visitor area, and a bright blue sky frame the open high-desert monument.

Cortez, CO

Four Corners Monument

Four Corners Monument marks the only point in the United States where four states meet: Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. The site is managed by the Navajo Nation and features a bronze marker set into a granite platform. The surrounding high desert landscape of red earth and distant mesa formations provides a stark, open backdrop.

Clear turquoise water fills the foreground, reflecting a mossy travertine rim and a small waterfall spilling over the ledge into the lake. Steep canyon walls and dense evergreens rise behind the shore under a bright morning sky.

Glenwood Springs, CO

Hanging Lake

A travertine-rimmed lake of impossibly clear turquoise water perched on a cliff ledge in Glenwood Canyon, fed by waterfalls that spill over moss and fallen logs. A short but steep trail climbs 1,000 feet from the canyon floor to a boardwalk along the shore. Spouting Rock, a waterfall bursting straight from the cliff face, sits a few minutes above the lake.

morningspring · summer

White-capped pink and ochre clay hoodoos rise from a narrow badlands wash, with a small trail and sparse green shrubs winding through the center. Bright daylight and a blue, cloud-filled sky emphasize the layered, eroded textures of the spires.

Canyon Country

Calhan, CO

Paint Mines Interpretive Park

A hidden badlands of white, pink, orange, and purple clay hoodoos eroded into a prairie draw east of Colorado Springs. Native peoples gathered pigments here for thousands of years, and the colored bands still glow at low sun. Trails wind through narrow gullies among spires that photograph like a miniature desert.

golden hourspring · fall

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From the Journal

Stone steps and a weathered rock outcrop on a ridge overlook a green, forested valley under a clear blue sky. Sunlight rakes across the cliff edge and nearby shrubs, giving the scene a warm late-day feel.

Elated

Sep 9, 20266 min read

Waiting My Turn at the Ledge

On a clear September evening above Durango, I learned that the best light sometimes asks for nothing more than standing still and letting other people finish first.

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A rugged alpine peak rises above green slopes and lingering snow patches under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds. Rocky grassland and a few boulders fill the foreground, with the basin’s wide mountain walls stretching into the distance.

Wry

Sep 2, 20267 min read

The Basin, Three Months Late

I finally went back to Yankee Boy Basin for the shot I never manage to time right, and found out what a September storm does to a plan built for July.

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Wide view across a sunlit grassy park with paved paths, a bench in the foreground, and Ferril Lake behind a line of trees. Downtown Denver rises beyond the water with the Rockies faintly visible in the distance under a clear blue sky.

Restless

Aug 13, 20264 min read

Two Stops, No Patience, Denver

A tripod that never leaves the trunk finally comes out for Ferril Lake, and a restless afternoon refuses to settle until well past dark.

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Off the tourist trail

Hidden Gems

Sunrise light warms smooth sandstone outcrops and pale rock ledges beneath a cloudy sky, with ponderosa pines and a charred tree trunk framing the foreground. The low angle emphasizes the layered, weathered formations across the mesa-like slope.

Hidden Gems

Colorado Springs, CO

Palmer Park

A 737-acre park featuring sandstone formations, mesa overlooks, and ponderosa pine forests on the east side of Colorado Springs. The park offers views of Pikes Peak to the west and the Great Plains to the east. Numerous rock formations throughout the park create natural frames and foreground interest.

A person in a white dress and hat stands in a sunlit field of tall golden grass, facing jagged red sandstone hogbacks and pine-covered foothills beyond. The warm light and wide composition give the scene a quiet, late-summer feel.

Hidden Gems

Morrison, CO

South Valley Park

A Jefferson County Open Space park featuring dramatic red sandstone hogback formations similar to but less visited than nearby Red Rocks. The Coyote Song Trail passes through a gap in the hogback offering views of both the foothills and the plains. Deer Creek flows through the park, attracting wildlife including mule deer and raptors.

A circular stone great kiva sits partly excavated in a wide sagebrush clearing, with low sun warming the reddish masonry walls and the dry grasses inside the pit. Trees and open sky ring the site, emphasizing the remote, solitary setting.

Hidden Gems

Cortez, CO

Lowry Pueblo

Lowry Pueblo is a partially excavated Ancestral Puebloan great house containing about 40 rooms and 8 kivas, dating from approximately 1060 to 1150 CE. The site includes one of the best-preserved great kivas in the region with original painted plaster still visible on the walls. It is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and sits on an open sagebrush plain west of Pleasant View.

High-elevation lakes & tundra

Alpine Lakes

Glenwood Springs, CO

Hanging Lake

morningspring · summer

Two jagged Maroon Bells peaks rise above a dense foreground of dark evergreen trees, with streaks of lingering snow tucked into the rocky faces. Soft blue sky and a few clouds give the scene a clear, high-alpine feel.

Aspen, CO

Maroon Bells

Twin 14,000-foot peaks reflected in Maroon Lake, widely considered the most photographed location in Colorado. The distinctive maroon-colored Elk Range peaks create a striking composition against alpine meadows and aspen forests. The area is a designated wilderness within White River National Forest.

Golden light touches the top of a rocky ridge above dark evergreen forest, while smooth granite slabs fill the foreground. The scene feels alpine and still, with a pale blue sky and a few golden aspens tucked into the trees.

Estes Park, CO

Dream Lake

A subalpine lake at 9,900 feet nestled beneath the sheer face of Hallett Peak. The 1.1-mile trail from Bear Lake passes Nymph Lake before reaching Dream Lake's dramatic backdrop. In winter, the frozen lake and snow-covered peaks create a striking monochrome landscape.