Front Range, Colorado

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The Colorado Rockies are a powerful magnet, drawing not only the casual tourist, but new residents from all over. The reasons are easy to see: beautiful and awe-inspiring scenery, warm, dry summers, and winters that are not as severe (despite the high altitude) than many other places in the country. Heavy snows in the high country above 8,000 feet can make winter travel hazardous at times, but highways are well maintained (largely thanks to the ski industry).

Although Colorado comprises a wide variety of topography from high plains and badlands to river courses and lakes, without a doubt it is the high country that most yearn to see. The backbone of the Rocky Mountains, the continental divide divides the state roughly in half. Though the western half of the state is mostly mountainous, it is the Front Range, due to its ready accessibility from the Denver area, that draws the most attention. As a long-time resident in the shadow of the Front Range, most of my experience has been, and the emphasis in this article, will be on the Front Range, a large parcel of real estate running in a roughly forty mile wide band south from the Wyoming border 120 miles south to just past the Denver area, a 4,800 square mile playground.

The area includes Rocky Mountain National Park, dominated by 14,256 foot Long’s Peak, along with Pikes Peak, the easternmost of the “fourteeners,” the 56 peaks rising about 14,000 feet.. The photographer will find many, but not all, of the high peaks readily accessible from the roadside. However, many of the most dramatic shots will require hiking in. Chasm Lake, at the foot of the impressive east face of Long’s Peak is five miles each way and can be done in a day. There are other good views of Long’s Peak from the summit of Twin Sisters, across the valley to the east and from various points in Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park.

There are many other spectacular views of the rugged Continental Divide. One of my favorite areas is the Brainard Lake region near Ward. There are many trail heads here and one can choose hikes of a few hours to multi-day backpack trips. The trail to the summit of Pawnee Pass presents many good views of the divide and, as one gains some elevation, a lovely view down to Brainard Lake in the distance, and the closer (and in my opinion, more beautiful) Lake Isabelle, which is not visible from below. Hikers are well rewarded, gawkers often have to settle for second best.

The road up to Brainard Lake closes in the winter, but one can snowshoe or cross-country ski into the area and sometimes the wind has blown enough snow from the road that you can hike in. Winter photography in this area make the difficulty of getting there well worth while.

While it is easy to concentrate on the peaks, don’t forget the many lakes and the abundance of mountain wildflowers. In the fall, various areas turn brilliant yellow as the aspens turn.

There are no bad seasons, though winter weather can make traveling treacherous. Summer is the most popular time in the Rockies and there are often hordes of people, especially in Rocky Mountain National Park. But, most of the crowding occurs within easy walking distance of roads and parking lots; by venturing beyond the obvious areas, you can quickly escape to relative solitude. The aspen turn in October, one of the most glorious months in the high country. In the spring the snows still lie deep and many of the high trails remain impassable until well into June. Spring flowers poking through the snow cover can make for good subjects.

Depending on your interests, almost any camera equipment you have will be useful. If you are hiking in over often steep and rugged trails, any extra weight will soon become a burden. Some standard filters will be useful: polarizers are almost required, and winter work benefits from use of warming filters to remove the excessive blue cast in snow. On the subject of polarizers, be careful of applying too much polarization. Study how the colors shift as you rotate the filter. A fully polarized high-altitude sky will turn black. Fine if this is the effect you want, but most find the effect surreal. Tripods are useful, but much day light work is easily accomplished with hand-holding. There are often convenient rocks are tree limbs to use for steadying your camera if the light is dim. If you much packing in, a carbon fiber tripod may be a good investment. They are at once much lighter and much stiffer than an aluminum tripod of similar size. A good camera backpack will be needed for day hikes. Make sure you have one with enough space for non-photographic essentials. For multi-day backpack trips I pare my equipment down to the minimum and that goes into my backpack along with my camping gear, food, and clothing. For winter work I have some kind of ground cloth when working macro subjects.

Besides camera gear you should consider good hiking boots a requirement if you are venturing very far from your car. You should always carry a rain parka; storms can move in with incredible rapidity and cold driving rain will make you very miserable in a hurry if you are not prepared (not to mention the risk of hypothermia which – take my word – you do not want to experience.) I can recommend backcountry winter travel only to those with extensive backcountry training and experience. Lacking this, there is still plenty of winter work that can be done close to the road.

Before you head into the mountains, know the weather forecast and prepare accordingly. Electrical storms are a common afternoon occurrence and you do not want to be in exposed positions should one overtake you. Many people are killed by lightning each year and some of my own experiences at high elevation in electrical storms have been literally hair-raising. There are plenty of resources available in print and on the Internet to help you prepare for travel and photographing in the Colorado Rockies.

Despite the risks (which are, after all, minimal if you follow common sense), photography in the Rocky Mountains is a deeply rewarding experience.

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