Colorado's colors of autumn

 

One thing I've learned in the nine years I've been photographing the fall colors here in Colorado is that the best photographs are ones in which the photo would be a good photo in any season.  The addition of color just makes it better.  The mistake some people make is to see some trees with nice colors and photograph those.  But if they were just green, you wouldn't take the shot.  Therefore, you ought to reconsider shooting it in the fall.  The two shots here are from a couple of my favorite places around Marble, Colorado, in the Crystal River valley.

Yule Creek Valley after the season's first winter storm

The Yule Creek trail starts a couple miles south of Marble, Colorado, at 9,000 feet.  This overlook, above Thompson Flats, is almost exactly 10,000 feet above sea level, and offers an incredible view of the hanging valley and bordering peaks of the Raggeds Wilderness area.

Colorado's Yule Creek

Yule Creek, in the Raggeds Wilderness south of Marble, Colorado, is one of my favorite hikes. 

A relatively steep trail for the first mile, it moderates just before reaching an overlook above Thompson Flats.  The view there is one of the best you'll find.

The trail then descends a few hundred feet to cross the creek, and is quite easy to hike as it works its way up toward Yule Pass.  Many rapids and waterfalls along the way make it a very scenic hike with lots of photo opportunities

I had heard there was a trail from the quarry up to Thompson Flats, and so on our descent, we stayed on the east side of the creek and followed an easy trail down.  We didn't notice the crossing at first, and found ourselves bushwhacking around the willows and stinging nettle until we returned and crossed over to the west side for the rest of the descent.  When we reached the quarry, I recognized the area from taking visitors there.  Since I was last in the area, however, a private homeowner erected a barricade which we had to scale to get back on the quarry road and down to the car.