Author: Tom Mangan
A Couple Of Days On The West Side Of Rocky
With Trail Ridge Road opened late last week, all that stood in the way of being able to easily return to the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park was the nightly 8:00 PM closure that was in place. On Wednesday June 1st, the NPS removed the nighttime closure of Trail Ridge Road and with that a whole lot of options opened up for photographers visiting Rocky.
With the removal of the nighttime closure of Trail Ridge I headed out first thing the next morning for sunrise on Trail Ridge Road and then I figured a few nights camping on the west side of Rocky to survey the conditions and photograph some areas I had not visited since last October prior to Trail Ridge closing for the season.
I spent most of my time this trip photographing mainly in the Kawuneeche Valley and along the East Inlet just outside of Grand Lake. There is still a fair amount of snow to be found along some of the trails especially as you move higher up in elevations but the both the Kawuneeche Valley and the East Inlet are clear of snow. As of this writing, snow could be found on the trails above Lone Pine Lake and I found trails covered in patches of snow starting near Big Meadows.
Moose were plentiful on the west side and while the grasses have just started to green, wildflowers such as Marsh Marigolds and Calypso Orchids were plentiful. The highlight of my trip over to the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park was watching a large cinnamon colored black bear amble across Harbison Meadows and into the trees. I made an attempt to photograph this healthy bear but he managed to cross the road behind my vehicle and quickly scamper up the hillside before I could photograph the bear.
Even though I did not manage to photograph the bear it was a productive trip nonetheless will a nice sunrise and two beautiful sunsets mixed in. I’m already planning my next trip over to west side and I only expect ease of access and conditions to improve with each passing day.
Party On!
Trail Ridge Road officially opened for the season a day late on Saturday, May 28th after being delayed a day due to snow falling on the road on Friday. As of this writing, Trail Ridge Road is typically cleared each night and closed at 8:00 PM due to the potential for ice on the road. Depending on the conditions in the morning, the rangers usually reopen Trail Ridge Road around 8:00 AM the following morning. Within a few weeks Trail Ridge Road will once again be open 24 hrs a day as the snow melts away from the shoulder of the road. Fall River Road won’t be open until July 4th as it typically is each year.
The high country trails and lakes are starting to thaw out and melt. Sloppy intermittent snow covered trails can be found now above 8000 ft. From about 10,000 ft on down most lakes are open or partially covered with ice. You can expect to be postholing on portions the trails and if you plan on going much higher in elevation than 10,000 ft expect near winter travel conditions in Rocky.
It’s an exciting time in RMNP now as summer finally begins to descend upon the park. Access gets easier and the potential for landscape photographers increases on a daily basis as temperatures warm and last winters snow melt. Have fun out there and make sure to take advantage of this all too short but sweet time of year.
Keeping It Fresh
While I still photograph many of the well known locations in RMNP, I’m constantly on the lookout for new viewpoints or scouring my topographic maps trying to figure new locations which may hold great potential. New locations, varying lighting conditions, changes in seasons all make it easy to find new locations and opportunities for photography in Rocky Mountain National Park.
This past Friday I was able to get to a location I’ve been eyeing quite a few times but had yet to shoot. High above Moraine Park on the side of Beaver Mountain are some nice vistas of Longs Peak, Chiefs Head Peak, Thatchtop, Otis and even Hallett. I’ve been waiting for the right cloud setup before photographing from this location. As the high country of Rocky Mountain National Park thaws out I’ll end up spending much of my time photographing from those locations so I have a somewhat short window to photograph from this area before I start dedicating much of my time to locations that become more accessible as the temperatures warm.
Conditions where just about perfect on Friday from the side of Beaver Mountain and I was able to capture the image I had been envisioning for sometime. I have quite a large list of locations like this one on Beaver Mountain that I have yet to photograph from, so I don’t think I’ll be running short on locations to photograph in Rocky anytime soon.
Walker Ranch Fog
Who doesn’t love fog? Well besides some of good friends who live in and around the bay area of San Francisco most photographers I know also love fog. Theres no question we all love dramatic sunrises and sunsets with colors exploding over the skies as mountain peaks turn a fire red. Nothing however, changes and alters a familiar landscape like a cloak of fog does. Fog can take a common unremarkable landscape and transform it into a mystical and magical location in mere seconds. Common landmarks become hidden from sight and the feel of the landscape changes by the minute as fog drifts in and out of valleys and canyons hiding or revealing only portions of mountains as it see’s fit. Photographing in fog is a bonanza for landscape photographers keen on searching for unique images of familiar locations.
The unsettled weather pattern we’ve been experiencing here in Colorado for what feels like the last two months has presented quite a few opportunities of late to photograph in the fog. Generally speaking, fog on the Front Range of Colorado and in the foothills in particular while not rare, is also not a common every week occurrence. Colorado’s quick moving weather systems often mean that storms move in and out of the Front Range with speed. The back end of these weather systems often leaves us with beautiful clear blue skies and little in the way of lingering clouds, fogs or moisture.
This past week has been an exception to that rule. One slow moving system after another has blanketed the Front Range with fog, rain and snow depending on elevation. At first blush it’s easy to want to make a back handed comment about another cloudy, rainy day but it’s also apparent that it’s a good idea to take advantage of the unsettled conditions in the field while one can. 
I spent the past few days in the foothills just west of Boulder taking advantage of the foggy conditions. Walker Ranch Open Space on the backside of the Flatirons was just about perfect on Sunday morning. Thick fog enveloped the slopes on the backside of the Flatirons as well as the South Boulder Creek drainage making for countless opportunities to photograph the moody landscape. I could spend hours photographing in conditions like those at Walker Ranch Open Space on Sunday morning. There were literally new opportunities and compositions by the minute as I stood high on a ridgeline observing and photographing the conditions.
So while part of me was yearning for a little sunshine, the photographer in me was happy to be out in less than ideal conditions taking advantage of the conditions mother nature had in store.
Wildflowers On The Way
It’s beginning to look a lot like spring down here in Boulder now. Snow, rain and sunshine have turned the hillsides green. Along with the hillsides turning green another sure sign of spring has appeared in Chautauqua Meadows. The parade of wildflowers that blanket Chautauqua Park have begun their procession that typically lasts right up until early July.
The first wildflowers have started to bloom in earnest in Chautauqua with beautiful yellow golden banner appearing amongst the green grasses. The golden banner still has a little while to go before it will reach peak in the meadow but it’s always great to welcome these yellow blooms back. Golden Banner is typically one of the first wildflowers to appear in Chautauqua Meadow in early May but other wildflowers such as silver lupine will be making appearances as we move towards June. Here’s an image of the conditions at Chautauqua Park just below the Flatirons taken this past Sunday. Exciting times lay ahead for photographers as the change of season settles in.
Rocky Mountain National Park Trifecta
The last few weeks in Rocky Mountain National Park have been a teeter totter of conditions when it comes to the weather and transition between winter and spring like conditions. Sunny warm days have been followed by blizzards, snow and ice. All in all typical spring weather for Rocky Mountain National Park. But throughout all the crazy weather that constitutes spring in Rocky Mountain National Park there are definite signs that conditions are quickly moving towards late spring and early summer.
While I love winter in Colorado, this is a welcome change for me. The transition is now palatable in the air. The snow has melted from all the meadows and parks at the lower elevations of RMNP, and the mid level locations are quickly following suit and the melting off rapidly. The rivers are starting to flow at a healthy clip and lakes like Sprague Lake, Bierstadt Lake and Dream Lake are ice free or nearly ice free. The continental divide is still covered with a healthy snowpack but photographing Rocky’s high peaks reflecting in lakes below is now possible again in many locations.
I took the opportunity this morning to get out and hike up to Bierstadt Lake this morning to take advantage of it’s recently thawed lake surface. It didn’t hurt that much of the Bierstadt Lake trailhead is now snow free with only the upper half of the trail around the lake still covered in snow. Bierstadt Lake in my opinion has one of the best viewpoints of the continental divide in all of Rocky Mountain National Park. While Taylor, Otis, Hallett, Flattop and Notchtop are still covered with a healthy snow pack early in the season it makes for a tremendous location to photograph at sunrise.
I was fortunate enough to hit what I call the Rocky trifecta this morning when I hiked up to Bierstadt Lake. The Rocky trifecta being of course beautiful clouds over the peaks, a windless and still morning allowing for a reflection, and a cloud free horizon to the east allowing for stunning and vibrant first light on the peaks of the divide. In Rocky Mountain National Park it can be a challenge to get two out of three of the ideal conditions to work in ones favor. Anytime you nail all three you likely are going to be walking away with an image to add to your portfolio.
From hear on out, conditions should only improve. I fully expect it to snow in Rocky Mountain National Park a few more times this season, but momentum has now shifted and any snow will be mostly short lived. When Trail Ridge Road reopens for the season in a few weeks it will be officially summer season in Rocky and I for one cant wait.
Just as a reminder to those reading this. I will again be offering photo tours in Rocky Mountain National Park for the 2016 season. Feel free to visit the link at the top of the web page or email me for more information regarding photography tours and open dates in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Thawing Out With Alberta
Late April in Rocky Mountain National Park can mean quite a few things. It can mean the days are getting longer, sunrise is getting obscenely early again, the first wildflowers of the season are appearing and theres a good chance your going to have quite a few snowy days in the park. In a nutshell, spring in Rocky Mountain National Park typically consists of what feels like two steps forward towards summer, and 1 step back towards winter each week.
This tango that the weather plays this time of year can be frustrating, especially if one is champing at the bit to start hiking far into the backcountry, photographing reflections and just enjoying the short but spectacular summer season in Rocky Mountain National Park. So slowly but more steadily everyday the tides are turning and the weather is becoming more summer like.
On a clear morning this week I slapped on the microspikes and headed out for a hike to see just how much snow was still lingering around the higher elevations of Rocky. On my way up Glacier Gorge in the blue light of the predawn hours I stopped at Alberta Falls to survey the scene and see how the thaw and water flow were progressing.
Alberta Falls a few days after a large spring snowstorm may not look like the most photogenic location in RMNP when you first decide to take a look around. Most of Alberta Falls was covered in crusty snow and the water flow was still pretty modest. Even with that being the case there were plenty of opportunities to take advantage of what Alberta Falls had to offer a photographer. Lots of smaller scale landscapes with water and ice and the blue light from the early morning hour helped to convey the mood of a cool spring morning at Alberta Falls.
More and more opportunities for photographers are now presenting themselves each day in Rocky Mountain National Park. In between snowstorms and the big thaw out the opportunities may no be as dramatic or iconic as one would like but taking the time to look for the smaller details will result in some interesting seasonal imagery.
So This Is Spring?
Leaves are starting to bud on the tree’s, early season wildflowers have begun to make an appearance, the grass is turning green and the days get longer and longer. Spring is in the air here in Colorado and what better way to enjoy a mid April spring weekend with anything other than a nice big drop of fresh snow. It would not be a true Colorado spring if it was not for the warm weather head fake that the Front Range of Colorado is so well versed at performing.
As I write this, heavy wet spring snow is falling hard outside my office window and the mountains are covered with snow reminiscent of a scene straight from a Christmas movie. While meteorologists were calling for some of the areas of the foothills to receive between two and four feet of new snow, warmer temperatures seem to have kept the snow totals down in many areas. Even so, there is a significant amount of snow that has fallen over the higher elevations of Rocky Mountain National Park as well as the foothills just west of Boulder. So while my excitement grows each day as we move towards my favorite season (summer) in the Rockies, we photographers get another chance to get out in the field and enjoy this white winter landscape that now sits before us.
So when the weather gives you lemons, it’s best to make lemonade as they say. Break out the winter parka’s, snow boots and gloves and get out and make some new images. These spring storms often offer the best opportunity to photograph your favorite landscapes covered in snow. 
I spent the early part of the storm enjoying a beautiful hike up Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder. I love to get on Flagstaff Mountain when its snowing. Not only is it a great hike, but Flagstaff Mountain has in my opinion some of the most beautiful sets of Ponderosa Pines in all of Colorado. Ponderosa’s and there red colored bark make for beautiful subjects when their pine bows are crusted in snow. Before you know it we will quickly resume are melt off and the snow will once again be gone. With mild weather and temperatures predicted to near 80 degrees by the end of the week, this opportunity to photograph the snow wont last long. So while many of us are looking forward towards summer, unfrozen lakes and wildflowers have fun with the weather curveball we are so often thrown here during spring. Who knows, maybe we will get a few more chances at snow before its all said and done for the season.
Winter Winds
Wintertime in Rocky Mountain National Park is always a bit of a crap shoot for photographers. Every winter season varies greatly from the previous seasons weather. This can be both a good thing for photographers or not such a great thing. Two variables play a large part in determining how productive the winter season in Rocky Mountain National Park will be. Snowfall is one, and wind is the other. Both of these often occur at the same time and can be a boon or bust for photographers looking to capture winter scenes in Rocky.
With a strong El Nino weather pattern affecting western half of the United States, the weather in Rocky this winter has been interesting and varied from the last winter season. We’ve had some good snows on the eastern side of the park but the much of the effect of the El Nino pattern seems to be having its greatest impact on the wind patterns. From my non-scientific observations, the one constant this season has been the wind and constant is the operative word.
I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been out in the field this season in Rocky and have not be accompanied by a stiff breeze. Of course for those of you who visit Rocky Mountain National Park often, me telling you its a windy place is nothing you don’t already know. It’s just that this season seems to be particularly more windy then the previous few winters.
While we have had lots of wind, it seems we have had less opportunities for clouds in the skies resulting in good sunrise and sunsets this season. Often high winds mean lenticular clouds will form in the sky over the tops of the mountains. For whatever reason, lenticular clouds seem to be accompanying the high winds less often than previous seasons. These lenticular cloud formations often make for great photography subjects in Rocky, even if the winds are howling.
When clouds have been present this season they have formed along the tops of the mountains along the continental divide. This is a common occurrence during the winter months in Rocky. When large storms from the Pacific make it to Colorado, the western side of the park gets the snow and the eastern half of Rocky gets the winds and clouds obscuring the tops of the peaks.
So far this winter season has been a challenge to photograph. Even so there are still many opportunities out there for photographers, especially if one can tolerate being blown around while trying to keep their camera steady. With springtime rapidly approaching, we should see some good size late winter, early spring snowstorms in Rocky. We may also see the what seems like daily high winds abate slightly and the pattern change to one thats a little more favorable for photographers.
This is mostly speculation on my part but based on previous El Nino seasons, I’m hopeful for some really great conditions as we move into the later half of winter. Even if the pattern remains the same gluttons for punishment can still take advantage of the windy conditions to create some interesting imagery even amongst the winds, blowing snows and cold.