Colorado's Aspens Are At Their Peak Colors

The aspens are at their peak colors in the mountains of Colorado, although I have to say that up on Boreas Pass, which begins just south of Breckenridge, the peak was probably about a week ago. Many of the trees were already bare. I remember driving up Boreas Pass in October a few years ago, and there was not a single leaf left on any tree in sight. This year, as I drove higher up the pass, I was thinking the same thing was happening, but happily, there were still sections along the road with lots of aspens, if not in full color, colorful enough. The problem with photographs of aspens is that they tend to all look the same, but still, since they are so beautiful, I think it is very reasonable that artistic creativity takes a back seat in this instance.

The reason I like to drive up Boreas Pass each year to take aspen photographs is that it is a dirt road with not that many cars, and so in addition to having lots of places to pull over, you can also stop right in the middle of the road and get out of the car, too, if you see an exceptionally scenic view. That is what I did when I took the photograph on the right. If you try doing that on one of the more popular routes, such as Guanella Pass above Georgetown, someone might smash into your rear bumper, or at the very least, scream obscenities as they pass you by. Something like that can take the luster out of the day. Plus, afterwards, as you head back to town to have a beer to soothe your nerves, you find yourself in Georgetown, which is a beautiful little Victorian-era mining town, but frankly, pretty damn boring.

For all you Colorado history buffs out there, Boreas Pass began as Breckenridge Pass back in the 1860s to provide a route to the gold mines. It was widened to become a wagon trail that could handle stagecoaches in 1866, and in 1882 railroad track was laid to connect Breckenridge with Como, Colorado. Now, of course, it is a dirt road for car traffic in the summer and a cross-country ski trail in the winter. And if you follow the road all the way to Como? Como still has a number of weathered structures, including a roundhouse, hotel, and depot, and has been described as having the air of a ghost town that is still populated. I have never been there myself, but it sounds like a great place to take photographs. However, there are actual paved highways that will get you there much faster than traveling along an unpaved, former railroad bed. The scenery is very nice, but after hours of bumpy roads, even that can get pretty old.