COSights

By Astrid · 7 places

Chasing Aspen Gold

Where the high country turns for a few short weeks

Aspen season in Colorado is short and it does not negotiate. For two or three weeks in late September the high country goes gold, and the only sensible response is to be standing in it. These are the places I return to when the light starts slanting and the groves begin to turn.

  1. 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.
    1

    Aspen

    Maroon Bells

    The most photographed lake in the state earns it in late September, when the aspen benches below the twin peaks go gold above Maroon Lake. Take the first shuttle of the morning and let the reflection do the rest.

  2. Snow-covered meadows and scattered bare shrubs fill the foreground beneath the jagged Wilson Range, with Mount Wilson, Wilson Peak, and neighboring peaks stretching across the horizon under a partly cloudy blue sky. A line of dark trees and faint hillside contours frame the wide winter panorama, with warm light catching the mountains.
    2

    Ridgway

    Dallas Divide

    The Wilson Range floats above meadows and rail fences on Highway 62, and in autumn the whole foreground turns to gold and orange. Claim a pullout before sunrise; the regulars arrive in the dark.

  3. A dirt road curves gently through a dense aspen grove, with white trunks framing bright yellow fall leaves glowing in warm golden-hour light. The scene feels quiet and secluded, with fallen leaves scattered along the road and a few dark evergreens peeking through the trees.
    3

    Telluride

    Last Dollar Road

    A dirt road that tunnels through some of the densest aspen groves in the San Juans, with the Wilson peaks breaking through at the gaps. High clearance buys you compositions the highway crowd never sees.

  4. A wide panorama from Boreas Pass Road shows a dirt turnout beside a few parked vehicles and the restored Section House, with a sweeping valley opening between green, treeless hills under a partly cloudy morning sky. The scene feels high alpine and historic, with distant ridgelines fading into the horizon.
    4

    Breckenridge

    Boreas Pass Road

    An old narrow-gauge railroad grade that climbs through aspen to the Continental Divide at 11,481 feet. The gentle grade means you can stop anywhere, and the restored Section House at the summit gives the color a subject.

  5. A winding mountain road curves toward a broad, snow-streaked volcanic peak under a clear blue sky. Dark evergreens and rocky slopes frame the scene, with lingering snow patches scattered across the alpine terrain.
    5

    Nederland

    Barr Lake at Brainard Lake Area Sunset Point

    The Peak to Peak Highway between Nederland and Ward carries the most reliable fall color on the Front Range, with the Indian Peaks stacked behind it. Scout the unmarked pullouts on the drive up, then commit to one for sunset.

  6. A winding brown stream snakes through a lush green wet meadow in Kawuneeche Valley, with dense willows in the foreground and dark conifers and bare trees lining the valley. Cloudy light softens the distant mountain slopes, giving the landscape a quiet late-summer feel.
    6

    Grand Lake

    Kawuneeche Valley

    On the quiet west side of Rocky Mountain National Park, the young Colorado River wanders through willow flats while aspen turn on the valley walls. A moose stepping out of the willows at dawn is a real possibility here, not a rumor.

  7. Framed by the broken timbers of an old structure, a bright alpine meadow and dark spruce trees rise toward rugged, snow-patched Tenmile Range peaks under a clear blue sky. The scene feels sunlit and open, with weathered wood in the foreground adding contrast and depth.
    7

    Frisco

    Officers Gulch Pond

    A beaver pond just off I-70 that holds a near-perfect reflection of the Tenmile Range on calm mornings. In fall the aspen accents on the hillside double themselves in the water, and the whole scene fits in one frame.

← All lists

Next shortlist

Let It Rain: 6 Places That Improve in a Storm