Autumn Gold in Southwest Colorado
Here’s your ticket to autumn adventure in Southwest Colorado
1) Take a drive, on-road.
The Million Dollar Highway: This amazing stretch of U.S. Highway 550 is well known, where the million dollar views are so astounding you’ll find it hard to keep you eyes on the road. And on these roads, you want to pay attention.
Traveling over Coal Bank, Molas and Red Mountain Passes between Durango and Ouray, Colorado, the highway bends and curls like few others in America. Countless 12,000, 13,000 and even some 14,000 peaks come in to view, as does direct line of sight into the Weminuche Wilderness. Every autumn oceans of aspen blaze and shimmer in the breeze.
2) Take a drive, off-road.
Ten miles from downtown Ouray, Colorado is the top of the famous Imogene Pass, at 13,114 feet. Off roaders enjoy the undertaking of this classic 4-wheeler’s outing, and have the option of continuing on to Telluride just seven miles down the road on other side, passing the ghost town of Tomboy on the way. The pass road begins easily enough with a relatively smooth and gentle grade, but don’t let the mellow character fool you. Severe exposure and some rugged 4-wheel driving is mandatory to reach the summit. It’s also a tour through the area’s rich mining history.
3) Go for a ride.
Just south of the historic mining settlement of Rico, Colorado, about 28 miles south of Telluride, you can hop on the Scotch Creek trail and climb though ever-changing forests before reaching the Colorado Trail. Once on the CT, take in the rolling views of the Hermosa Creek drainage, the Needles and the Grenadier mountain ranges, then follow the trail south to a rickety sign marking the Salt Creek Trail where you head west and bomb six miles of mountain singletrack through endless aspen groves.
4) Head to the mountains
Mountain towns like Silverton, Colorado sit at high elevations (downtown sits at 9,000 above sea level). Hikers looking for fall colors can conveniently head up Kendall Mountain Road, gaining 3000 feet in six miles and offering commanding views of town, the San Juan Mountains and Deer Park. Whitehead Peak is another gem in the area, where runners leave the trail behind and use navigation skills to bag peaks all day long. Island Lake, Crater Lake, Ice Lakes, Highland Mary Lakes, the Continental Divide Trail- are all easy to follow and make for incredible mountain runs. And don’t let a little snow deter you, That’s all part of an autumn adventure in southwest Colorado.
5) Get the shot.
If you have an eye for photography you may want to plan ahead. Autumn in southwest Colorado can be simply overwhelming, and every fall photographers are setting up tripods on predawn roadsides, pull offs and overlooks waiting for that perfect moment to click their shutter buttons. For more on how to capture autumn images, see landscape photographer Hank Blum’s how to feature article here.
