Little Signs Of Autumn

The summer season in Rocky Mountain National Park always comes and go much too fast for comfort. Small signs of fall can be found already in RMNP if you look for them. A heavy frost covered the grasses of the Kawuneeche Valley this morning and these small frost covered plants were already displaying their autumn colors. Technical Details: Nikon D810, Nikkor 105mm Micro ED AF VR
The summer season in Rocky Mountain National Park always comes and go much too fast for comfort. Small signs of fall can be found already in RMNP if you look for them. A heavy frost covered the grasses of the Kawuneeche Valley this morning and these small frost covered plants were already displaying their autumn colors. Technical Details: Nikon D810, Nikkor 105mm Micro ED AF VR
Changes are starting to take place in Rocky Mountain National Park as they always do towards the backend of summer. Summer never seems to stick around as long as one would like and as soon as summer is upon us here in Rocky Mountain National Park, it seems like it’s back on its way out. It’s a conflicted period for me as on one hand while I love photographing the summer season in Rocky, Fall narrowly pulls ahead of summer as my favorite time to photograph RMNP.

It’s still summer and it’s still a bit on the early side (though not that early) to be talking about fall color conditions in Rocky Mountain National Park. With that said and keen observer will already notice that impending signs of autumn have begun to settle into the park.

The tundra grasses above timberline have turned brown and red high on the mountainsides, Bull Elk have shed their velvet and the bulls are starting to collect harems and bellow that beautiful and haunting bugle. Some of the aspen trees which typically turn golden yellow early in the season are showing yellow leaves. Lastly heavy frost has coated the meadows of Rocky Mountain National Park and some of the smaller deciduous ground cover have started to display their intense autumn colors.

On the west side of RMNP this morning fog drifted through the Kawuneeche Valley and a heavy frost covered the grasses of the Kawuneeche. Taking a minute to study the frozen grasses in the meadow I found not only the remnants of summer in the form of some frozen wildflowers, but also some beautiful reds, orange and yellow brush on full display. While there is no need to panic and things are very much on schedule, when in Rocky, take a minute to inspect the hidden and oft overlooked and you will be amazed at the autumn beauty you can already find.

One last note: I still have a few opening for photography tours in Rocky Mountain National Park during the end of September into early October. Availability is quickly filling up and if you think you would like to book a tour date it would be a good idea to do so soon.