Gold in them thar hills: Aspen season in the Rockies

In each my visits to Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park implicit the years, I’d ne'er seen aspens turning golden oregon elk bugling. Now I have, acknowledgment to a precocious September trip. Twice we drove from Denver into the mountains to hike trails nether shivering aureate leaves and agleam bluish skies. I soaked up the glorious autumn scenery a bully 2 months earlier we tin expect to spot immoderate (meager) autumn colour present successful Austin. Today I’m sharing my favourite leaf-peeping and wildlife sightings successful and adjacent Rocky Mountain National Park.

Lily Lake

At Lily Lake, aspens successful tawny meadows fluttered their leaves similar pennants against stern grey cliffs.

Butter-yellow leaves against a bluebird entity

An aged lodge sags nether the value of years, surrounded by glowing aspens.

“Eyes” ticker you from ghostly aspen trunks.

These aspens weren’t astatine highest colour yet, but close.

A pistillate sitting connected a rock, propped connected 1 arm, evokes an Andrew Wyeth painting.

There’s golden successful them thar hills.

Walking astir Lily Lake, we enjoyed aspens nearing highest color.

The way offers views of Longs Peak, Mount Meeker, and Twin Sisters.

Humbler views are bully too, similar these cottony seedheads successful a meadow.

Lily Lake

Peak to Peak Scenic Byway

One time we drove the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway, a 55-mile way from Estes Park to Central City, stopping astatine pull-outs to respect views similar this.

Glorious!

We spotted 5 moose this time — bulls, cows, and yearlings — including this cattle I photographed from a harmless distance.

Look what a breeze does to these graceful trees. There’s a crushed they’re called quaking aspens.

Fall River area

One greeting successful Rocky Mountain National Park, we explored the Fall River area. Heads up, visitors: you indispensable get a timed-entry licence to participate definite areas of the park, similar this one, for overmuch of the year. Plan ahead.

Aspens were lighting up the wood edge.

Meadows were beauteous excessively successful shades of brown.

A expansive aged tree

Bear Lake

Bear Lake is simply a fashionable spot to hike successful the park, truthful we started early. The water is beauteous successful autumn with yellowish aspens zigzagging down the upland and reflecting successful the water.

Yellow and orangish aspens

The way astir the water offered much aureate views.

I emotion this Lincoln Log-style bench.

Alberta Falls Trail

The way up to Alberta Falls is different beauteous hike.

Aspens aren’t the lone autumn colour successful the Rockies. Ferns were turning rusty orange…

…and airy yellow.

This is my favourite spot on the trail, which I remembered from a erstwhile sojourn years ago. I’d thought then, this indispensable beryllium unthinkable successful the fall, erstwhile the aspens turn. And present present I was, walking done a cathedral of gold.

Check retired my video of this aspen grove.

Towering aspens on the trail

And astatine last, the waterfall!

Sprague Lake

Sprague Lake was caller to us, and we took a pleasant locomotion astir it 1 afternoon.

We noticed a cattle elk wading crossed the shallow lake…

…and past moseying toward us. We were lasting connected an place with a sturdy rail, but I did wonderment if she planned to travel close to us.

She kept connected going, yet exiting astatine the extremity of the water and ambling crossed a span to rejoin a herd we’d seen earlier.

Golden grasses outlined the lake.

Along a way to a camping area, we spotted much aureate aspens.

Gold connected gold

Autumn hues

Elk astatine Estes Park

While we saw elk successful the park, we didn’t perceive immoderate bugling there. So earlier heading home, we joined a quiescent assemblage of elk watchers astatine the Estes Park play course, wherever elk stitchery connected the tract each evening. A large bull was perpetually patrolling to support his harem of cows distant from restless bulls connected the perimeter.

Here helium is rounding up a cattle that was grazing farther than helium liked. Notice arsenic helium saunters onto the bridge, a fewer radical scatter. He is big.

As acheronian fell, I yet heard what I’d travel for: an eerie, teapot shriek — a bull elk bugling. My autumn sojourn to the Rockies was complete.

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