Fall Colors in the San Juan Mountains
This October we had yet another glorious season of autumn colors here in the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado. Having just returned home from a long road trip to Idaho and California, I was content to hang around close to home so I mostly just visited some of my favorite aspen forests around the Sneffels Range area near Ridgway and Telluride. The conditions were pretty ideal for photography this autumn, with vibrant aspen colors (likely due to the previous snowy winter and wet summer), fresh autumn snowfall on the peaks, and lots of juicy sunsets.
I hope you enjoy this selection of my favorite photos from this beautiful fall season in the San Juans!
A curious pika checks out the photographer.
Sunbeams radiate from the sun rising directly behind Wetterhorn Peak - September.
Clouds swirl about the Red Mountains as an autumn snowstorm lifts at Crystal Lake.
Snow smothered yellow and green aspens.
A hillside of gold and green aspens powdered by fresh autumn snowfall.
A rainbow of colors in a backlit and snow-smothered aspen forest.
Snow-covered Red Mountain is visible in a window through the aspens - October.
A dirt road winds through a golden forest of aspens. If you look closely you may see the deer standing in the light towards the end of the road!
Middle Peak rises above a forest of quaking aspens.
What you're seeing here is a macro closeup image of an aspen leaf. Sunlight is shining on water droplets on the backside of the leaf, making this funky "bubble" pattern glow through the leaf.
Mears Peak towers over a forest of golden aspens in October.
The last rays of sunset light illuminate Wetterhorn Peak (and Uncompahre Peak behind and to its left), as seen from some aspens a long distance away in the Sneffels Range.
A hillside of quaking aspens near Telluride; some have already lost their leaves and others are still glowing golden.
A single bright red aspen amongst a forest of yellow ones.
A herd of elk graze in a meadow surrounded by colorful autumn aspens near Telluride.
Intense sunset light streams under the clouds, illuminating Wilson Mesa below Wilson Peak - October.
Aspen trees glow in the sunset light with Mount Sneffels above in the distance.
