I decided to take my first trip to the mountains of Colorado in October 2008, hoping to find some nice fall scenery. After a few days in the northern half of the state, I realized the “peak color” time had already come and gone, and if there was any color to be found, it would probably be in the south.
So I traveled south on US Hwy. 550 to Ridgway and Ouray in the San Juan Mountains, where the autumn colors were at their peak. On the 7th, I decided to explore the Uncompahgre-Gunnison National Forest lands on the south side of the Sneffels Range.
The sky was a beautiful clear blue that morning, and the air had the crispness of autumn. I traveled west on CO Hwy. 62 from Ridgway, then left the highway and explored County Roads 7 and 9, which provide access to the National Forest lands. It seemed that every bend in the winding dirt roads revealed another breathtaking panorama of vivid fall color.
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| Autumn colors near Mears Peak and Ruffner Mountain |
To view this image in a larger size, click here.
The San Juans may not sport as much red foliage compared to, say, New England—but they more than make up for it with the blow-you-away mountain scenery.
If you want to explore the area to find out for yourself, start by checking it out in Google Maps. Enter the coordinates "38.091066, -107.818623" (without quotes) in the search box.
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