Kebler Pass, Crested Butte, Colorado

Stunningly beautiful, that’s the phrase that comes to mind when first setting eyes on Kebler Pass in the fall. Of all the locations in Colorado we’ve explored for fall colors, this pass eclipses the rest. Not so much the actual pass, but what makes this special is the high valley on top of the pass that goes on for miles. Surrounded by ragged jutting peaks is the largest continuous forest of aspen trees we’ve seen in Colorado. A sea of orange, yellow and red undulates over the high valley, punctuated by towering granite mountains everywhere one looks.

We stayed at Crested Butte, Colorado for this visit. It’s a quaint and quirky little western ski town at the end of nowhere, but very picturesque in its surrounding valley. The road to Kebler Pass starts straight out of town.

While just a simple drive over the pass rewards the eye with a plethora of vistas to capture on camera, we chose a loop using the Dark Canyon and Dyke Creek trails to explore deep into the forest on foot. The surrounding Ragged Wilderness’s jagged peaks make this trail especially attractive to photograph. An added bonus is this is a habitat for beaver and with so many aspen to chew on, it must be heaven for them. Picking out the best shots was a challenge as there were so many to choose from, but below is a good sampling of what you will see if you visit this pass in the future. Enjoy the pictures.

With the first snowfall hitting Colorado this week and, believe it or not, our first ski areas openrd this weekend as well, this is the end of the aspen season. As promised I will be posting the best of fall colors soon which will include other stray shots of areas we have visited that didn’t make a blog post but should get an honorable mention. Happy autumn, now on to winter!

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