Good morning all. Been a whirlwind of a few weeks here in Rocky Mountain National Park. We are quickly moving towards the back nine of autumn color in RMNP as we close out September. All I can say is what an autumn its been so far in Rocky. Culminating with snow and rain back on September 23rd, the fall color has been nothing short of spectacular this year. I’d go so far as to say this is the best fall color season in Rocky Mountain National Park that I can remember.

Until our rain and snow even on the 23rd of September, we have had very mild weather. Temperatures have not gotten below freezing which has allowed the various types of foliage to change colors and for the leaves to remain vibrant and colorful in a coordinated manner. Pair that with a wet spring, wet early summer and then a warm and dry late summer early fall and the colors in RMNP have really popped this year. Golden yellows, fiery reds, and vibrant oranges have all been easily found not only amongst the aspen trees in Rocky, but also amongst the smaller ground cover, bushes and small plants. The weather and timing of peak fall color has merged this year to make it one for the books.

I’ll have lots more images to share in future blog posts but as we are turning the corner here on fall in RMNP, I suggest getting out sooner than later to enjoy what has been a season to remember. All its going to take is a cold snap, snowstorm or big wind event and most of the fall color will be done for the season. This is what makes autumn in Rocky both amazing and a bit somber. Fall sneaks up on you and can be gone just as quickly. Get out and enjoy it while you still can.

Lake Helene, a spectacular lake located at the base of Notchtop Mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park. A great place to hike to or take a break on one of the longer circuit hikes in RMNP. Helene is also a great spot for autumn colors in Rocky Mountain National Park is you are interested in photographing something other than Colorado’s golden aspen trees.

I hiked in to Lake Helene early last week hoping for both a good sunrise as well as a chance to reconnoiter the area around Lake Helene to see how the autumn colors where coming along. The willows and underbrush around Lake Helene tend to display some of the earliest signs of autumn in Rocky.

After bumping finding my friend and fellow photographer Erik Stensland already setup along the shoreline, I found a spot myself and waited for sunrise. The weather forecast looked promising and the winds were calm at Lake Helene which can be a rarity, especially as we move out of summer towards fall.

There were some high clouds floating over Notchtop Mountain before sunrise, but there appeared to be less than forecast. As is often the case in Rocky Mountain National Park, one needs to stay patient as a lot of the action in the skies, both good and bad will happen right before sunrise. 90% of the time, the clouds you’re chasing may dissipate just before the sun rises. But that other 10% of the time you may get lucky and have a bunch of clouds show up just before the skies explode with color.

This morning last week was just one of those types of mornings. The winds stayed mostly calm and a bunch of low hanging clouds moved in over Lake Helene and Notchtop Mountain just as the sun was coming up. Pair that with the moon setting almost between the notch in Notchtop Mountain and it was a memorable morning.

After shooting the breeze with Erik for a few minutes, I took in the spectacular fall colors along the shores of Helene. Reds, oranges and yellows all could be found. So while the higher elevations of Rocky Mountain National Park are looking great, the aspens and elk rut are now rounding into shape. In other words, the most exciting time of year for photographers in Rocky Mountain National Park is upon us.

Finally had a little bit of time yesterday to get over to the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park for sunrise. Conditions on the east side of the park were clear and very windy. These types of mornings on the east side of RMNP are perfect for exploring the west side of Rocky for a few reasons.

For one, if there are strong westerly winds on the east side of Rocky, It likely the winds are very calm or non-existent on the west side of the park. This is obviously important for a few reasons, but foremost would be the chance to capture reflections and the second reason would be to keep objects like trees, leaves and blades of grasses and wildflowers mostly still when photographing them.

Another reason these are the perfect type of mornings for the west side of Rocky is that even on clear mornings, the west side of the park seems to me to have a better chance for clouds or fog to be present or to form. The east side of Rocky is basically in the rain shadow of the Rocky Mountains, its the dry side and its practically a desert type environment on the east side of the park. The west side gets more moisture, is colder and feels less of the effect of the rain shadow, hence the better chance you may get some interesting atmospherics.

Leaving the wind behind, I headed over to the west side of the park and photographed from one of my favorite little ponds in the Kawuneeche Valley. This pond, near the former Green Mountain NPS Cabins which were almost all destroyed by the East Troublesome Fire, has a beautiful view of Baker Mountain, as well as Bowen and Baker Mountain.

With some light frost on the grasses and the feel of autumn in the air, the pond had a little bit of fog over its surface just as some clouds appeared over Baker Mountain at sunrise. A little bit better of a location than the windy east side this morning and its a great place to head up to Big Meadows after sunrise for a hike as well. All the more reason to head over the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park when conditions are the east side of RMNP are less than ideal.