As I write this in mid-October, snow is falling outside my window and only a few yellow leaves cling to the aspen forests above town. It has been a phenomenal fall season here in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado, with vibrant aspen colors, lots of amazing light and clouds, and fresh snowfall frosting the mountaintops. We were even able to make a quick trip up to the Wasatch Range in Utah which was also showing off a dazzling array of aspen colors. Here is a collection of my favorite photos from this autumn's outings.
Autumn Overload
October 2021 | San Juan Mountains, Colorado
Highline Sunset Panorama
A mind-bending, nearly 360º panoramic view of brilliant sunset light on Mount Emma (13,581 ft.) and the Sneffels Range, as seen from a high perch above Telluride, Colorado - September. Dallas Peak is on the left and the ultra jagged Saint Sophia Ridge is on the right. The town of Telluride is down in the valley to the right.
550 Colors
Vibrant autumn colors along Highway 550 on Red Mountain Pass between the towns of Ouray and Silverton in southwest Colorado. The aspens around here are always the first ones to change color in late September.
Dappled Droplets
Raindrops on aspen leaves.
Abrams Autumn
A mountainside full of golden aspens with Mount Abrams behind.
Rainbow Forest
An aspen forest showing off nearly all the colors of the rainbow in early October in the Mount Olympus Wilderness in the Big Cottonwood Canyon of the Wasatch Range in Utah.
Autumn Overload
A vast forest of colorful autumn aspens in the Mount Olympus Wilderness in the Big Cottonwood Canyon of the Wasatch Range in Utah.
Golden Squall
A snow squall moves up through the rugged valley of the Animas River south of Silverton, Colorado.
Sunrise Over the Animas
A glorious sunrise above Mount Garfield and the rugged Animas River gorge south of Silverton, Colorado. This is the canyon that the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad runs through. To the left you can see the tips of Vestal and Arrow Peaks of the Grenadier Range, and in the right background is Pigeon Peak and the mighty Needles Mountains.
Wilson Pond
Brilliant fall colors reflected in a pond below Wilson Peak in the San Miguel Range.
Grand Finale
Golden autumn aspens reflect in a pond.
Fallen Forest
Aspen boles reflected behind floating fallen aspen leaves.
Floating Fourteener
Wilson Peak (14,016 ft.) reflected in a pond full of fallen aspen leaves.
Wilson Peak Autumn Morning
Morning light on Wilson Peak, with golden aspens below. Fresh autumn snow cakes the mountain on this calm, frosty October morning, while elk bugle in the distance.
Wilson Gold
A plethora of golden aspen leaves floating in a pond below Wilson Peak.
Floating Carpet
A vast expanse of fallen aspen leaves floating in a pond.
Aspen Shish Kebabs
Towards the tail end of autumn the trails are covered in fallen aspen leaves, and hikers' trekking poles quickly start to look like aspen leaf shish kebabs!
San Miguel Autumn Afternoon
Dark clouds pass over Wilson Peak (14,016 ft.) and the San Miguel Range as late afternoon sunlight bathes the golden aspens and valley below. To me this scene evokes a classic feel of the fall season in the arid southwestern Colorado mountains.
October Snow
Fresh October snowfall cakes the pine trees as golden aspens tower above.
White and Gold
Snow-caked pine trees dwarfed by golden aspens in October along the Sneffels Range.
Sunset Over Ridgway
Courthouse Mountain and the Cimarrons glowing with intense sunset light above the town of Ridgway in late October.
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