Ahh, autumn in Colorado. And autumn Aspens in Colorado. So much to enjoy about them.
Peak color for Aspen trees in Colorado tends to be mid-September through early-October. I’ve always enjoyed this time of year in the Colorado mountains. But of course, so does everyone else. The mountain passes and back roadways are filled with leaf-peepers and traffic. Hordes of photographers line the scenic overlooks, snapping away making clichè images of mountainsides under a bluebird sky. You know the photos I’m talking about: you’ve seen the same ones in a drawer of old postcards at your grandma’s house. But I digress.
Aspen and Birch forests have long been among my favorite photography destinations. Lovely Aspen and/or Birch forests can be found in many states, and I especially like those of Colorado, Maine, Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, and the Michigan Upper Peninsula. I tend to prefer to visit the Birch forests near the Great Lakes at peak color, rather than fighting the hordes in Colorado in September. The peak Birch color around the Great Lakes is later than the Colorado peak, and it doesn’t attract quite so many tourists. The air is cool, and it really feels like fall. At Colorado peak color, it’s often basically still summer. As a Midwesterner, it never quite feels right to me to view fall color in a tee-shirt and shorts.
However, I thoroughly enjoy visiting Colorado’s Aspen forests a little bit later than that – mid-to-late October. Most of the leaves have fallen by this time. The white Aspen trunks stand starkly against the golden autumn grasses on the mountainsides. The few remaining Aspen leaves waive proud goodbyes in the mountain breeze.
And significantly, there tend to be few other visitors. In fact, I sometimes encounter no other hikers or photographers on mountain trails at this time of year, even near some of Colorado’s more popular mountain towns.
Late last October was such a time. Hiking in Summit County to a couple of my favorite Aspen forests, we encountered few other people. No other photographers at all. The air was cool in the daytime, cold in the evenings, and the patterns and textures of the forest were on clear display, standing out from the muted colors in the scenery. Such a beautiful time to be photographing the Autumn Aspens of Colorado.
So here are a few favorite images I made during several days of hikes into the forest. My focus on these outings was to capture the repeated vertical patterns and stark black/white contrasts of the Aspen trunks, and the other beautiful textures found in the autumn forest. But I couldn’t avoid adding a few landscapes into the mix since those frequently presented the opportunity. During this trip, we had to take a day off from hiking due to deep snow. But in mid-October it’s generally still warm enough below the tree line that the snow melts by the afternoon of an overnight snowfall.
During these outings, I also pay close attention to the forest floor. I’ve found that fallen, dead, and decaying Aspen branches exhibit their own stark beauty. And of course, Aspen leaves are beautiful whether or not they’re still attached to a tree!
And finally, it’s also fun to create some moody shallow-focus woodland art at times. The first image below is an Aspen leaf, quaking in the wind at f/2 on a vintage lens. The second, some woodland berries – that hadn’t yet become bear chow. I’m sure it wasn’t long.
