Fall Color Reports, 2008

[Steven Peckham]

Thanks for posting the update on Bear Lake. Looks like I need to plan an extra trip up there some time next week.

[Brian Davis]

Took a drive back behind Boulder this morning - most of the aspens are still green at lower elevations, but above 8000 feet they're starting to turn. When they've turned, they're mostly yellow - a few reds here and there.





I've got more photos (and a Google Earth plot of the photo locations) at my website

[Aleksandra Miesak]

Went to RMNP for a test run this morning. The clouds were pretty low and it rained most of the time but it was still a quiet and beautiful morning. The Aspens are looking good in a lot of places but it might be another few days before it all turns to "gold".

I don't think I got high enough to get a good view of the lake but it was hard enough trying not kill myself on the wet rocks as it is

[Jeff Shearer]

Aleks, looks like you had more motivation that I did this morning when I woke up and saw pouring rain outside of my window. I didn't get up to Rocky until mid-morning, and loved the howling winds and wet rocks that I found when I got there (sarcasm!). My tennis shoes definitely did not have enough traction to find the vistas I wanted--so much for preparedness. I would def. agree with you in that the aspens around Bear Lake are still a few days out. The aspens in the lower elevations are still completely green and I would suspect at least another week--and maybe more--before those even get close to peaking. The elk are bugling their lungs out, though.

[Joshua Hardin]

I was in the Quandary Peak area south of Breckenridge today. Aspen are about 50% turned around there, I'm guessing that is probably the case for most of Summit County right about now. The ground brush is looking nice too. Aspen between Hoosier Pass and Alma were a little further along, maybe about 80% turned.

Also went over Kenosha Pass, where aspen have just begun turning - say about 15%, and over Guanella Pass which is beginning to turn quickly - should be peaking late this week. The weekend should also be good up there. Beware of 30 min -1 hour waits for road construction on the Georgetown side of Guanella though. I also heard a road construction project was beginning on Boreas Pass today too if anyone is headed in that direction this week. Will post images when I process a few RAWs.

[Chris Rice]

Made my way up to Rocky this morning for the sunup, and it was very pleasant waiting for the big ball of fire to make its grand entrance. There was significant leaf-off from gusts from the front that came in late yesterday. A park ranger at Bear Lake said it was gusting to 50 mph all night at the Trail Ridge gaging station, so it defintely had an effect on the weak aspen leaves.

Here are a few picks from the hour or so I remained up there.

[Darren Kilgore]

Courtesy of Jimmy, as taken on 9/24:


Red Mountain Pass looking to Brown Mountain



Crystal Lake and the Red Mountains down the valley from the previous picture



Silverton

[Jeff Shearer]

Attached is a photograph from Crystal Mill taken yesterday afternoon (Wed. Sept 24th). Still green for the most part. Went to Kebler Pass/Crested Butte area immediately after Crystal Mill and I would say that the majority of the trees are still green.

After talking to several photographers that I met in Crystal and Crested Butte, I am headed to Lake City, where all the photographers that have been there say that it is better than anything they've seen. Will post if I can.

[Steven Peckham]

Posted this as well at NPN if the image upload does not work. As others are saying, the leaves are changing quickly around bear lake. I would venture a guess that this weekend will be the peak as most clumps of aspen are now yellow.

Spotty changes down below the glacier gorge parking lot. Looked to me that the small cluster of aspen in the morain area (in a 1/4 mile from the road up to bear lake) are changing.

S

[Neil Corman]

I was at RMNP on Tues evening/Wed morning. As others are saying the aspens are looking good on the north side of the lake, and many photographers are showing up in the morning. In the evening there were quite less people on Tuesday, with maybe 2 of us in the trees and then some at the lake. If there is not any significant wind in the area, I would say you would be good this coming weekend as well. Storm Pass area looks like it is coming along as well, however with the position of the sun you would be best to be there in the evening to get the soft light.

On Wed morning I saw an Elk playing in the lake at Sprague Lake making the photographers grab for their long lenses, in mentioning this to another photographer at Bear Lake they say they had heard about it happening on Tuesday as well. No aspens at Sprague but the normal shot across the lake.

Wind was howling at Bear Lake on Tues morning, calm on Wed morning.