I was born and raised in Colorado, a place that instilled my love of the mountains. It was where I learned to backpack and ski, climb, and mountain bike. It was the landscape that got me started on the path of photography. I remember being a kid and backpacking in the San Juan mountains with my family. Exploring the high alpine meadows and blue lakes below Mt. Sneffels was one of the main reasons I picked up a camera. As I became more and more serious about photography, the San Juan mountains became one of my favorite subjects. For decades I would make the pilgrimage to Southwest Colorado to see and photograph one of the premier fall color displays anywhere in the world.

Colorado is the Mecca of yellow leaves and a place that all photographers can appreciate. Sure, there are places that have a wider variety of color, but aspens as far as the eye can see and snow capped fourteen thousand foot peaks is what sets Colorado apart. I was more than excited to be asked to co-lead our inaugural fall color trip to the San Juans with fellow guide Matt Meisenheimer.

We met our excited group of photographers in the town of Montrose. After orientation and a dinner where everyone strangely passed on the Rocky Mountain Oysters, we were set for a week of chasing color. We began early the next morning shooting a Colorado classic: Dallas Divide. We arrived in darkness and watched as the landscape slowly transformed into a kaleidoscope of yellow and orange aspens, red oak brush, and blue peaks. We were off to a great start!

From there, we settled into our base camp for the trip, the old mining town of Ouray. Ouray is a charming town nestled in a spectacular mountain setting that feels as if it was transported right out of the 1800s. Today it is popular with hikers, jeepers, and tourists alike. They even call it the “Switzerland of America”, though I will leave it to you to decide if it is a fair comparison.

We spent the first day of our trip exploring the Million Dollar Highway to Red Mountain Pass. This winding, narrow, and guardrail-less road is a famous (or infamous depending on your viewpoint) Colorado mountain drive. The road snakes through gorgeous terrain and old mining sites. The trees up there were at absolute peak and the hillsides were covered in gold and orange. We photographed many different viewpoints and scenes, including some historic mines, large aspen groves, and macro scenes. We finished the day with a sunset at a small lake with a view of Red Mountain.

After thoroughly shooting the color above Ouray, we turned our attention to Telluride. Telluride is one of the more picturesque towns in the state, especially in the fall. We drove past massive homes owned by the likes of Oprah and Tom Cruise, but instead ducked down some obscure county roads for the million-dollar views. Wilson Peak, a fourteener and one of the most aesthetic mountains in Colorado, dominates the skyline as aspens stretch across the landscape. Everything seems to fit into place and as the sun slowly rose, we remarked that this is one of those locations that was created for the purpose of photography.

On the other side of the mountains is Mt. Sneffels. This peak also rises over fourteen thousand feet and is the high point of one of the coolest ranges in the state. Sneffels is my favorite mountain in Colorado, a stunning peak that feels like visiting an old friend every time I see it. Below the mountains is a network of county roads that provide different viewpoints and foregrounds. We made sure to explore all the best spots, shooting at sunrise and sunset. These are some of the most beautiful scenes in Colorado and our guests were able to make some really nice images.

Another highlight was our day spent near Owl Creek Pass just north of Ouray. We drove a long way up and down the windy dirt road, occasionally spotting bears that turned out to be cows. When we arrived on the other side of the pass, we were greeted with some of the most vibrant colors in the area. We methodically worked our way from spot to spot, filling up our memory cards along the way. Our favorite location was an old, tall grove of aspens that Matt and I had scouted a few days before the trip. We were able to walk in the grove, stand among the trees, and shoot the canopy. Time flew as we carefully worked the compositions and explored the forest. We returned to the summit of the pass for sunset to shoot the classic shot of Chimney Rock. Matt prepared a wonderful dinner spread in the field and we enjoyed our time basking in the sunset light.

We wrapped our trip with one more sunrise near Ridgway and returned to Montrose. We had a delicious breakfast reminiscing over the great experience we had just shared. The groves, the peaks, and the historic towns had really delivered and provided so many photo opportunities. In my opinion, southwest Colorado is one of the best places to photograph fall anywhere on earth. It was such a pleasure showing a place that has meant so much to me over the years. Thanks to Matt and our wonderful group of participants who made the trip a success. I cannot wait to return next fall and see some more yellow leaves!