Autumn always seems to come to end in Rocky Mountain National Park to quickly. While its a wonderful time of year in the park, photographing the fall season is a challenge. Photographers are at the mercy of the weather and trying to be in the right place at the right time always mixes preparedness with a little bit of luck and maybe a dash of serendipity.
The coming crescendo of the autumn season in Rocky Mountain National Park will be met with satisfaction and enjoyment of the season, but also a little bit of sadness as we watch the landscape begin its transformation from the brilliant colors of autumn moving towards its long winter slumber. It’s a both a humbling and somewhat frightening experience to watch winters grip removed by the growth and warmth of spring and summer only to see it wiped away in such a short amount of time. Though I wont say I appreciate the coming of winter and the end of fall, it does allow one sometime to recharge and reflect on the beauty of the past season.
So while the fall season in Rocky Mountain National Park is quickly moving towards and end, there are still some opportunities to photograph the last hold outs of autumn. As of this writing there are still a few stands of aspens in the lower elevations of Rocky Mountain National Park that have some color. Moraine Park, a few areas around Upper and Lower Beaver Meadows as well as Horseshoe Park can still yield beautiful fall photographs. Higher elevations such as the Bierstadt Moraine and the Boulder Brook area are now far past peak.
Dont give up quite yet on fall in Rocky Mountain National Park. There are still a few areas that can yield some nice autumn images over the next week or so in the park. Enjoy the last vestiges of fall while they are still able to be enjoyed.