Coming from Jackson Hole, I became accustomed to seeing clusters and stands of aspens in the fall, but along this scenic drive in Colorado, I found myself overwhelmed by entire mountainsides blanketed with gold and yellow!

Mountains of Gold!

Jackpot!!!!!!!! Like many, Darla and I buy a raffle ticket once in a while and then dream of what we could do if we hit the jackpot.  We know the odds are low that we would ever actually hit it, but for $6, we get to dream a little. When I drove a short distance into the Million Dollar Highway in late September, I felt as though I had hit the photographic jackpot. I had great weather to go with the walls of brightly colored aspens. 

After spending the night in Vernal, UT, I made it to Ouray, CO at mid-morning on the 27th of September. All I could mutter to myself was, “WOW!”.

A few of the aspens were just beginning to turn, but very few had already lost their leaves. The bulk of the aspen leaves were bright yellow or orange.  At times, I almost needed to pull out a pair of shades!

On my second day, I got up early for a night shot over Ouray, then headed to this spot for the sunrise. There were quite a few photographers lined up to shoot across this calm lake.

This photo was taken at the same spot as the previous photo, but this time aiming south towards Red Mounrtain. 

Often, I could stand in a single spot, then aim in almost any direction and come home with”keeper” photos. 

Throughout the day, light would change as clouds passed by. Additionally, I could backlight trees in one direction and then front light trees behind me. 

I took this photo from the top of one of the three passes..

While most of the aspens were bright yellow, I also found a few stands of vivid orange. 

Vast. That’s the single word that I can come up with to describe many of the locations. 

I’d love to spend a lot more time on the Million Dollar Highway to capture the changing clouds and weather. With all of the passes and zones, I just had to go farther north or south to find different clouds and weather patterns. 

The Highway

The distance by vehicle between Ouray and Durango is roughly 70 miles. The drive spans three high mountain passes and crosses several National Forests. Don’t expect to see many guardrails! While people call it the Million Dollar Highway, it doesn’t resemble what I’d think most people would call a “highway”.  It’s a slow drive, defined by narrow roads, numerous hairpin curves, narrow, or non-existent shoulders, and deteriorating asphalt in places.  

The Million Dollar Highway is a marvel of engineering and construction. I made the many turns and tried to imagine how they were able to build a road like this? Plaques commemorate the numerous construction workers thatlost their lives carving the roadbeds out of the granite mountainsides. I heard someone say the road cost a million dollars a mile. 

The Million Dollar Highway feels like it should be a National Park, but you won’t see park rangers or orange vested “Wildlife Management” volunteers. I don’t recall ever seeing a Highway Patrol vehicle, nor a Sheriff. I was surprised to get a cell phone call while in a remote area of the drive. A few cell towers service some of the zones.

There is breathtaking beauty around almost every bend…and of course there are plenty of bends! I was on the Million Dollar Highway during what the store owners called their “busiest week”, but the roads didn’t really feel busy or congested.

Most pull-outs hold two or three vehicles., They are strategically located at most places you would want to pull over for a photo.

Cascades & Waterfalls

While this trip was dedicated mostly to capture the fall “color”, I stopped a couple of times for cascades and waterfalls.  I could imagine this cascade being much more wild during the spring runoff. I used a tripod for this long exposure of 1/3 second.

Durango & Silverton Train

All Aboard! Each day during the summer and fall, tourists board the steam powered train in Durango, then sit back to enjoy the ride up the canyons to Silverton. 

The train rolls into Silverton a little before lunch time. The whistle sounds its approach, followed by the smell of the burning coal. The climb usually requires two locomotives. 

For a photographer, patience is the name of the game! Once the train stops and the final whistle blows, large numbers of passengers stream off the cars. They all stop to pose for family photos in front of the train, but if you are patient, they clear out.  The tourists have only an hour or so to tour the streets and shops in Silverton and have lunch before boarding again for the trip back down the canyon.   

The trains leave Durango, then move away from the main roads. The casual tourist, like myself on this trip, doesn’t see the train again until it pulls into Silverton. If I lived in the area, I am sure I could find places to catch the trains in scenic locations in the canyons. Maybe someday, I can take the train ride to feel the power of the steam locomotives as they chug their way up the mountain.

Silver Mines along the Million Dollar Highway

I am a sucker for old barns and structures!  The Million Dollar Highway has numerous mining structures standing from the days of silver. 

I vividly remember these old structures from my trips in the area years ago. I was worried the long winters would have toppled the old mining structures into piles of rubble, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that most of them are still standing.

The previous couple of photos could be deceiving! You might think the mines are a short distance away, but if you look in the lower right portion of this cature, you can see that many of the structures are across the canyon. I used a 200-600mm lens to do the “close shots” and a 35-150mm lens for the wide shots like this one. 

With a town named Silverton just down the road, you could expect the miners to be digging up silver!

I saw a beautiful photo of this mine, taken at night with the Milky Way overhead. A heavy duty four-wheel drive vehicle could get you to the mine, but it occured to me the drive would be extra tricky during a black, moonless night sky. 

This mining structure was just off the road.  It was only about 40 yards away. 

No Trespassing signs keep travelers out of harms way and off the private property. There’s no need to trespass since I could easliy take photos from the highway right of way. The yellow aspen trees in all of these photos add a lot to the shots.

Historic preservation is underway on several buildings in this area. Currently, the areas around the buildings are closed to the public.

Unfortunateluy, years of heavy snow have taken its toll on some of the structures. If I had plenty of time and money, I’d consider taking one of the mine tours operated by tour companies located in Silverton. Maybe someday!

Ouray and Silverton

Ouray is a busy little mountain town at the far north end of the Million Dollar Highway.  I had to get up extremely early for the early morning “blue light” pefiod, seen here. The drive from Montroy to Ouray added about 45-50 minutes.  At that time of the morning, the traffic was almost non-existent, but I managed to capture a few streaking lights from the passing vehicles.

The small historic town of Silverton rests in one of the valleys along the Million Dollar Highway. The steam powered train, seen in an earlier section, makes a lunch stop in Silverton. It is also a popular location for passing motorists looking for souvenirs and  something to eat. Many mom and pop restaurants and shops line the streets. 

Silverton is “way, way up” in the mountains. We can get there now in the comfort of our vehicles and trucks, but back in the late 1800s, it would take considerable effort to travel over the mountain passes. I am amazed to see such a large and elaborate structure like this in a remote place like Silverton. The tower is definitely aging, but has stood the test of time in an extreme, harsh environment. The bell tower is like a magnet to me!

Besides being treated to golden mountainsides, I had broken cloud cover to help with a variety of lighting opportunities.  All I had to do was wait for the clouds to darken the background aspens for a few minutes. 

Silverton is a treasure trove of interesting subjects! I spent a lot of years doing custom signs, so old handlettered signs always catch my eye. I took many more detail shots, but could have found hundreds more!

Fall in the Rockies This page is a “sister page” to Fall in the Rockies. That page contains colorful photos taken this year in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. Click Here!

Photo Information:
All of the photos on this page were taken with a Sony A1 camera and either a Sony 200-600mm lens or a Tamron 35-150mm lens. I have other lenses, but those two are sharp and cover most of the ranges I shoot most. Actually, I own two Sony A1 bodies and have one the two lenses on each body, ready to shot at any time without having to switch lenses. 

The photos on this page were taken on September 27th and 28th. I wish I could have stayed for the 29th, 30th and longer this year! It was wonderful, but I know there many other equally beautiful places I still need to visit in Colorado…our new home state.  

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