When we lived back east, Rhonda and I made yearly pilgrimages to New England to photograph the fall foliage - Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and beyond. After moving to Colorado, we briefly missed those fiery reds of the eastern hardwoods, but it didn’t take long for the golden aspens of the Rockies to win us over. The rugged beauty of the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado sealed the deal. Since they’re only a few hours from Moab, the San Juans have become one of our favorite autumn destinations.
The photos below are from several trips to the San Juans, all taken early in the foliage season. That’s my favorite time to shoot—before the leaves start to fall and bare patches creep across the hillsides. The colors are fresher, the air crisper, and the landscapes still feel alive.
Confession time: as a die-hard desert aficionado, I’ve never fully embraced autumn in the surrounding mountains. To me, it’s always felt like the season of retreat - the leaves wither and fall, temperatures drop, and before you know it, we’re locked into four or five months of cold, barren landscapes. Even the Utah desert loses some of its charm: the lush green contrasts of summer fade to a dull yellowish hue, the rich desert aromas disappear, and that ever-present chill settles in for the long haul.
That’s why spring has always been my season - the return of warmth, life, and color. But even I have to admit: when the aspens turn gold against the deep blue Colorado sky, it’s hard not to feel a little love for fall.
So, tangent aside, here are a few of my favorite photos from those early autumn trips to the San Juans.
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| Highway 550 Meander |
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| Outside of Ouray, Colorado. |
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| Outside of Ouray, Colorado. |
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| Dallas Divide, Colorado. |
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| Dallas Divide, Colorado. |
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