Rocky Mt. N.P.

[Alan McConnell]

I'm thinking about doing a trip to Rocky Mountain N.P. in July. I have some ideas in mind, but I'd like to pick anybodys brain about spots to go with the LF. I'll be camping most of the time and as of now my time is flexable. I'll be driving (hope gas isn't too high) from Indiana along I80 to the park. Afterward I'll spend some time over around the Avon area and then head back on I70.

[civich]

Alan,
Jeez, from the lack of responses you'd think that none of the left and right coasters have seen the middle of the continent!
I spent some time at RMNP last year. Plenty of opportunity for photography especially if you can carry your gear for even short distances. Do drive Trail Ridge Road for the grand landscape. Glacier Basin probably has the most scenic camping area but prepare yourself for the devastation which the pine bark beetle has inflicted on the lodgepole pine forest - shaded campsites are disappearing - the spruce and fir forests at higher elevations seem little affected though. Do make a campsite reservation if possible - July is prime time! The shuttle bus system is superb and if your kit is packable the bus system will help you avoid the parking mash-up at the popular site trailheads - though arriving early for the light will help with that also.
One last thing - Alberta Falls. It's a nice subject and worth the short walk from the Glacier Gorge trailhead but my reason for mentioning it is that at the Moraine Park visitor center off of Bear Lake road there is a display of paintings and photographs from past years of their artist-in-residence program. Many nice works but there is a b&w photograph by Clyde Butcher titled 'Alberta Falls' which virtually sucks all of the light from the other, color, photos rendering them as just pretty pictures by comparison. And it's not even a picture of the falls!
Well, yeah - B&W - I am biased.
P.S. If you have time, visit Great Sand Dunes NP - a massive dune complex with the 14K' Sangre de Cristo range as a backdrop - a place I never tire of visiting.
Have fun!
-Chris -

[windpointphoto]

This is an outstanding park for picture making with the LF. Crowds will be a little higher in July and the peaks may not have as much snow. There are many turnoffs to park and photograph. Hikng is easy but you can make many photos right from the side of the road. The evening light is great. Lots of Aspen trees but most if not all have the ugly black spots from the elk. If you have lots of time a drive to Aspen, stay in Balast, will get you to the Maroon Bells in the predawn. Drive over Independence Pass to Buena Vista and vist St. Elmo the ghost town. Then on to great sand dunes as mentioned but this requires more walking. OTOH Rocky Mtn Park can keep you occupied for many days!

[lenser]

One of my favorite spots was Emerald Lake. Fairly short hike and several locations around the shore as well as on the trail up to the lake.

Just in case you are not familiar, from Denver to nearly Kansas City, I-70 is a ribbon through one vast prairie broken up by a very few gullies with some small trees and a smattering of huge grain silos that become very repetitive. That part of the trip I always make starting at about sunset.

[Michael Roberts]

Dream Lake, Nymph Lake, Bear Lake, Mills Lake, Sprague Lake, Lake Bierstadt, Rock Cut, Dear Mountain--and these are just the cliche (read, classic) locations. All of the above at or just after sunrise, except Sprague Lake which I prefer at midday, and Rock Cut in the afternoon. Be aware Trail Ridge Road locations are usually very windy and storm clouds may start up as early as 11AM. When the afternoon storm clouds start, direct sunlight can be gone for the rest of the day within minutes. Bring warm, waterproof clothing--more people die of hypothermia here in the summer than in the winter.

IMHO, RMNP is a damn difficult place to photograph. It's all very scenic, but the scenery doesn't necessarily result in stunning photographs unless you happen to get some unusual weather conditions. It's not Yosemite or the Grand Canyon or Grand Teton, which are impressive under almost any conditions. In RMNP, the mountain peaks don't usually stand out much from one another and don't really show off their height.

I second Leonard's suggestion of the Bells (I assume he is referring to Basalt); there are three campgrounds on Maroon Creek Road (Silver Bar, Silver Queen, etc.). Check the White River National Forest site: http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPyhQoY6BdkOyoCAGixyPg!/?ss=110215&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=stelprdb5183599&navid=100000000000000&pnavid=null&position=Not Yet Determined.Html&ttype=detail&pname=White River National Forest- Special Places

[David Lobato]

If you're willing to hike, the trail to Dream Lake above Bear Lake is spectacular. Or head up the Glacier Gorge Trail just less than a mile to Alberta Falls. Sprague Lake has easy access and is fairly scenic. Ouzel Falls, 2-3 miles up the Wild Basin Trail, is a very nice place to visit with a camera. The trail there is moderate and non-technical. Avoid the Longs Peak Trail, it's very crowded and strenuous, though Chasm Lake is extremely scenic a few hard earned miles up the trail.

One little spot where I've always seen LF photographers is on the Bear Lake Road, there's a small creek with numerous large rounded rocks and water trickling between and around them. Look for a small highway bridge on the Bear lake road shortly after the junction with Moraine Park Rd. There was a small pull out for parking right after the bridge.

[John Jarosz]

Great comments so far. Keep them coming. I leave for RMNP and Allenspark/Meeker areas on this Friday.

John

[Jim Jones]

. . . Just in case you are not familiar, from Denver to nearly Kansas City, I-70 is a ribbon through one vast prairie broken up by a very few gullies with some small trees and a smattering of huge grain silos that become very repetitive. That part of the trip I always make starting at about sunset.

Kansas does seem like that, but sometimes flaunts its photo ops. This was taken at about mile 229 on westbound I-70, a little more than 20 miles west of Salina. Alas, it is not a large format capture. Before I could set up the real camera, a friendly highway patrolman advised me that stopping along the interstate is illegal except for emergencies

[clay harmon]

I have a place near RMNP that we have been going to for the last twenty years for a few weeks each summer. I will echo the earlier comments that it is a very beautiful place where it is exceedingly hard to make a picture that goes beyond the scenic postcard cliche images.

First, there is quite often a very nice early morning alpenglow on the peaks as the sun comes up over the plains to the east. This will occur about 5-5:30 AM that time of year, so if that is what you want to capture, get up early and use a headlamp to start hiking in the dark to your destination that you have scoped out earlier.

The topography of the park is such that many of the steep and craggy parts of the mountains are on the eastern and northern sides of the mountains. Often the western slopes are just that - slopes with a lot of tundra type terrain, but not very interesting if you are looking for dramatic landforms. Which is the reason that many recommendations for catching great light involve very early starts to be in position when the early AM sun catches the east side of the peaks.

Bear Lake is a short walk from a very crowded parking lot and has some nice early morning views of Hallet's Peak. Because of the small size of the lake, you will probably get some very pretty shots that are just like a million other shots taken from the same place over the years. If you are inclined to do a little more hiking, go on up to Emerald Lake and you will be much closer to the base of Hallet's.

For the more aggressive hikers, a hike to Chasm Lake below Long's Peak very often provides some very pretty early morning shots of the sun hitting the vertical east face of The Diamond. This is about a 5-6 mile (one way) hike that gains about 3000 feet or so from the trailhead. If you are coming from the lowlands, you may want to acclimate for a few days before attempting that.

For the even more aggressive, a 2-3AM start for the 7 mile hike to Boulderfield on the Northwest shoulder of Long's Peak can provide some amazing early morning views of the Diamond when viewed from Chasm View. If you don't like heights, this is not recommended. The best vantage point is near the edge of a 500 foot vertical drop to the Broadway ledge on the east face of Long's. Again, this is not for the unacclimated hiker. Boulderfield sits right at about 13000 feet above sealevel, so you probably will not be running up the trail.

An often overlooked area of the park is the south end of the park accessed from the Wild Basin ranger station. There are some very nice trails in this area that pass by some some interesting steep creeks and waterfalls. Again, if you get up early enough you can take some beautiful shots of the east face of Mt Alice after a nice bracing 8 mile early morning walk in the dark.

[dagabel]

Just a heads-up; the Colorado Rockies this year have had record snowfall and snowpack levels, so be prepared. According to the Park website, Old Fall River Road is still closed, and Trail Ridge Road just opened last Monday 6/6. I'm sure by July it will be drier, but I believe many trails are still at least partially snow-covered, and I've read of some trail bridges that are out due to the rapid runoff.

[civich]

Kansas does seem like that, but sometimes flaunts its photo ops. This was taken at about mile 229 on westbound I-70, a little more than 20 miles west of Salina. Alas, it is not a large format capture. Before I could set up the real camera, a friendly highway patrolman advised me that stopping along the interstate is illegal except for emergencies

Jim,
Thank you for that prairie shout-out. Those of you from more tree covered climes might look at the endless horizons of Kansas for what they are - endless horizon. Think Art Sinsabaugh who would sometimes crop a 1"x 20" portion of his 12x20 negative to print. His skies were almost always white (he didn't burn and dodge much) but there was always detail on that flat Illinois horizon to which the eye gravitated.
Also Alan, Long's Peak does present a face toward state hwy 12 which under early morning light or clearing storm conditions would give a photo op. As mentioned by others the trail to chasm view or the boulder field is long and gains significant elevation so, depending on your fitness, give yourself a week to acclimate while pursuing less strenuous goals if you feel inclined to try it. And that 2 or 3 a.m. start for a day trip is good advice - especially if you want to go to the summit.
-Chris

[windpointphoto]

Yeah I meant Basalt because Aspen is so darn expensive. The last time I went to the ghost town Ashcroft they'd put stupid signs all over the place. I lugged the camera up to Dream lake and just didn't think it was worth the effort. Granted I weighed 265 pounds, smoked and was use to 795 foot altitude and not 6000 ft, but I'm sure that had nothing to do with it. The comment about no real dramatic points of interest is kind of true but there is lots of grand landscape. Now I think Yellowstone is BORING but the just goes to show different views. Most of my work the last ten years is in New Mexico. Here's an old one at Bear Lake taken in mid June.

[Alan McConnell]

Great ideas from all of you. This is just what I was looking for. Keep the ideas coming if you can. I'll see if I can make camp reservations. A few years ago while I was at Glenwood Springs, I stopped and bought some good topo maps of the White River N.F. areas. I need to pull those out and do some good research.

[Alan McConnell]

Now hear's a question for you people that have Colorado experience. Two years ago, during springbreak, I traveled up as far as I could on Fryingpan Road past Basalt and Meredith. I went as far as the road was plowed. According to the map I'm looking at, there is an unpaved road leading up toward Sylvan Lake and then on down to Eagle. Is this worth exploring? Or would I be better off heading up to the Maroon Bells? Also, just a change of pace, I know there is a Brewery at Edwards and Glenwood Springs. Any other fine establishments one might suggest?

[Erik Larsen]

Now hear's a question for you people that have Colorado experience. Two years ago, during springbreak, I traveled up as far as I could on Fryingpan Road past Basalt and Meredith. I went as far as the road was plowed. According to the map I'm looking at, there is an unpaved road leading up toward Sylvan Lake and then on down to Eagle. Is this worth exploring? Or would I be better off heading up to the Maroon Bells? Also, just a change of pace, I know there is a Brewery at Edwards and Glenwood Springs. Any other fine establishments one might suggest?

There's some nice scenery with rivers in the foreground/peaks in the background that can be interesting if you like that sort of thing. If you want the iconic shot, go to the 'bells but if you want a bit more solitude and more unique type of shot follow the "road less traveled":) Glenwood springs,basalt, apsen are full of places to eat, from Yuppy to granola crunching places. You can visit Hunter Thompson's old hangout in Basalt, can't remember the name - it's nothing special, good food and mostly locals.
Where are you planning to make base camp at?
regards
Erik

[deatojef]

Everyone is right, RMNP means an early start, period. Mostly to get to the sunrise lighting, however, people can clog up the place on the weekends during "tourist" hours.

Some of the obvious/popular spots:

Dream lake is an awesome venue, but the best shots are with clouds and some nice color from the alpen glow. Sometimes that can be a challenge, but what is more frequently a challenge is wind. Be prepared to have some way to slow down the water or just be ready to "skip" the morning session because of the massive gusts that can come across that lake. Focal length wise, you'll need somewhere in the 150-240 range for 8x10...not sure if you're shooting 4x5 or not. The most popular spot is of course at the end of the lake looking west. Yeah it's cliche, but I've still yet to get a shot of that place that I really like. The trail up to dream lake has a great vantage point for the Westerly side of Longs Peak. You'll want a longer focal length lens for that, but it can be really spectacular at sunset. It's a challenging shot as the valley below gets pretty dark in the evening shadows, just fyi. ...and no, I've not been able to capture that successfully yet. ;)

Emerald lake is also nice, but if you want to capture the peaks and the lake in one shot, you'll need a really wide angle lens.

Lake Hiyaha is also nice with some really large (bus sized) boulders strewn everywhere. It can be hard to find a composition with the lake, but if you prowl around there are some nice scenes to be had. Or look to get more intimate with some of the boulders.

Lake Bierstadt is a short hike (about the same effort as the dream lake hike) and can be really nice at sunrise. I've also yet to get a shot of this lake that I like. There are some really nice grasses that grow up out of the lake on the east end, and if your there early there can be some fog over the lake to go with the alpen glow of the peaks beyond. Very nice.

There are also some great shots to be had of Mills Lake. Mills is in a valley that runs sortof north-south so lighting can be a challenge in the morning/evening, but there are some nice vantages to be had lookup up the valley/gorge towards the southerly direction.

In John Fielder's RMNP photo book he has a shot in there that Enos Mills took of the Loch Vale which shows a couple of Bristlecone Pine trees on the shore. Now that photo is probably a 100yrs old now, but those trees are still there. I've been to that very spot and have 35mm photos of those trees, but want to get back there with the 8x10 to see what I can shoot. So that can be a great destination.

If you're into water, the aluvial fan falls has more opportunities than alberta falls in my opinion. Alberta is kindof in a hole and lighting can be a challenge...and in getting a shot without people in it, same probably goes for Aluvial. Aluvial fan falls, however, can end up with too much light so you'll need a big blocker ND filter for that shot or a micro aperture. There are ample creeks around to try and scout out more intimate silky water shots.

The Rock cut along trail ridge road can offer awesome shots at sunrise/sunset and doesn't require a lot of hiking, but you are above timber line and need to watch the weather for storms/lighting.

There are almost unlimited possibilities around the park...it's big. Unfortunately most of those spots have already been photographed out the ying yang, but that doesn't stop me, I just want to create a picture I'm proud of. ...which is hard. Most of the lakes end up being pretty tricky with the lighting (especially Dream) so you'll need a GND filter(s) and a wide latitude film. Velvia will be difficult in those spots...obviously.

Hope that helps,
-Jeff

[Alan McConnell]

Thanks for the valuable info Jeff. So far, I have reserved 3 days at the Glacier Basin campground. I should be able to get up early and head out for the day on several trails off of Bear Lake trailhead. I'll have my 4x5 with a 90, 150, & 210 lens. Once I leave there, I'm thinking about a nice slow drive (many probable stops) on the Old Fall River Road. Do any of you recommend that road over Trail Ridge Road (which I was on 2 years ago)? From experiance, should I make reservations on the west side of the park?
Oh Jeff, liked your web site.

[Darren H]

With all respect to my Colorado friends..... Rocky Mountain NP is over rated. Glacier and Tetons are the much more scenic "Rocky Mountain" parks.

You can goto Dream Lake and Bear Lake, etc, but it will be crowded. Probably have to take a bus to Bear Lake.... Fall River road is good-if its open.

Personally the scenery around Ouray in the San Juans is much better and much less crowded. As is the scenery around Craig, Co or up into Wyoming around Saratoga.

If keen on RMNP a few things to check out:

Old Catholic Church just a few miles south of Estes Park made of stone and on a a small lake-looks right out of Scotland.

Cameron Pass-the pass north of RMNP out of Fort Collins. Great river drive up the Cache La Pudre River valley. Great chance to see moose.

Big Thompson Canyon between Loveland and Estes is pretty neat too.

Have fun!

[deatojef]

Thanks for the valuable info Jeff. So far, I have reserved 3 days at the Glacier Basin campground. I should be able to get up early and head out for the day on several trails off of Bear Lake trailhead. I'll have my 4x5 with a 90, 150, & 210 lens. Once I leave there, I'm thinking about a nice slow drive (many probable stops) on the Old Fall River Road. Do any of you recommend that road over Trail Ridge Road (which I was on 2 years ago)? From experiance, should I make reservations on the west side of the park?

There is a small waterfall that is somewhat unique along Fall River Road that has a small pull off for parking. However, I've only been there once and it's probably a challenging shot to get without people in it, but it's shape and the rocks are unique.

Other Fall River Road things to shoot are obviously the sweeping vistas and some small tarns with maybe some snow and tundra in the shot. I haven't spent a lot of time on fall river road. There's no reason you can't do both sides...just drive up Fall river road, then drive back down Trail ridge.

I've never been on the west side of the park, unfortunately.



Oh Jeff, liked your web site.

Thanks for the kudos on the website....it seems to be in a perpetual state of flux.



You can goto Dream Lake and Bear Lake, etc, but it will be crowded. Probably have to take a bus to Bear Lake.... Fall River road is good-if its open.

In my experience, I've never had an issue with crowds...usually been hiking in the dark to try and get a sunrise shot. With the exception of Sprague and maybe Dream, if your at <insert place> at sunrise, you'll probably have it to yourself. Especially on weekdays. Of course, the closer it is to a parking lot the more likely you'll have fellow photographers with you. To put "crowds" into perspective, it's absolutely NOTHING like the madhouse that Maroon lake is during the the fall when trying to photograph the Maroon Bells near Aspen - that's just insane. You might share the Dream lake sunrise with one or two people compared with sharing the Maroon Lake shoreline with 50!!


-Jeff