Fall in RMNP
The Aspen Transitioning to Yellow, Orange, and Red
As Ansel Adams traveled the country on a project to celebrate the national parks, he often took pictures in color as well as black and white. “Long before his death in 1984 at age 82, he foresaw that this "beguiling medium" might one day replace his cherished black and white.” (Smithsonian Magazine, November 2009)
In fall, the colors of Rocky Mountain National Park, the aspen transitioning to yellow, orange, and red are highlighted by the bright greens of the pine. The last week of September is typically when the colors explode. Like the bugle of the elk, it is a beautiful awakening to the coming cooler season.
On fall days, when I can break away from the lure of the dynamic bull elk, I find my camera’s ISO turned lower, the f-stop expanding the depth of field, and the shutter speed slowed to capture the colors in transition.
Throughout RMNP, there are spots that I seek. Near Grand Lake, the altitude just a little higher, the leaves seem to change a bit sooner. There are bands of yellow along Kawuneeche Valley, and burnt orange leaves along the road to the Adams Falls Trailhead.
Endo Valley, often home of moose to photograph, becomes a tunnel of yellow towering over the narrow road. There, you can stand at the base of the aspen, your chest against the white, and point your camera straight up. Doing so captures the height of the aspen, its yellow leaves against the mountain blue sky with the star burst of sunlight breaking through.
The hillside at Hidden Valley is incredible. Approaching from the Beaver Ponds, it rises up like a painting of glowing yellow with highlights of orange speckled among the green of the mountainside. That hillside is also special in the spring when the fresh green leaves newly growing are a light bright color as the sun strikes the mountain.
Just before Sprague Lake, as you approach on the road, the trees closest to you are shades of red. Inevitably, there will be several people standing before the reds, a camera or two on tripods and several with cellphones unable to resist the beauty. In a moment of awe, they snap picture upon picture.
Walking around Sprague Lake, I appreciate capturing the reflections of Hallett’s Peak and the continental divide, a dual image in the water and sky. The yellows of fall highlight the distant mountainside in the calm lake waters. Occasionally, an elk or moose will wade into the shallow lake bringing life to the image.
My Favorite Moments Every Fall
My wife, Carolyn, has a favorite image, one captured by another Estes Park photographer. I’ve tried to capture it, but the fall colors can be fickled as some years the reds fade quickly in the dry climate. It’s a grove of aspen between Bierstadt Lake and Bear Lake where the dark, speckled boulders dominate the foreground. Behind is the typical yellow, and, on good years, one tree fills the foreground with bright red leaves quaking in the slight breeze. Simple and colorful, the image evokes a feeling of calm.
Bear Lake, of course, offers much color like the band of yellow to the north of towering Hallett’s Peak. Then there is the boulder field to climb on the northside up the lake. Reaching heights far above the lake, the aspens are both red and yellow. The colors frame the image of Longs Peak in the distance and Bear Lake below. The climb is challenging, precarious, and as I’ve reached 70 years old, my dear wife has forbidden me from taking that climb again. (We’ll see…)
But the best of Bear Lake colors are as you step up to the lake’s edge and look to the right. There covering the hillside are spectacular shades of aspen. On a calm day, the reds and yellows dominate the reflection in the lake giving an image Monet would appreciate.
Yet, my favorite image, one I took during the spectacular fall of 2021, was inspired by the view from Storm Pass Trailhead. As I observed the miles of hillside, I wondered what it might look like halfway up the trail to Bierstadt Lake. The trek was a climb but the reward was incredible. A wall of yellow filled the picture to the backdrop of Hallett’s Peak. It was there I captured my favorite and most inspiring fall image in RMNP.
But my favorite moments every fall are sitting at a picnic table in RMNP. Surrounded by colors, the aspens are quaking as Carolyn and I play with our dogs Maggie, and, of course, Aspen. Two hamburgers are on the fire ring grate and baked beans are bubbling in a pot. As we talk and laugh, the cool breeze calms the day, and I know Carolyn is looking forward to ‘smores for desert.
