Kane Engelbert Photography Blog: Best Of Colorado Fall Colors 2022 | Fine Art Prints For Sale | Online Art Gallery

Colorado Fall Colors are always an amazing experience. This year I went out, as I do every year, and while Colorado certainly didn't disappoint, things felt a little different this year. Different timing, different weather, forced us to new places, new sites, and made us chase the colors to create some truly exceptional fine art photography.

Fog Flame — Morning fog allows this peak color aspen sapling to stand out among its older siblings.

You can view my full Fall Color Gallery here.

Fall Color in Colorado was a little different this season compared to years past. Peak color hit the Colorado aspen trees LATE! Colorado peak fall color timing is heavily dependent on moisture. This past year, all that nice monsoon moisture over the summer set us way behind for color in September and October.

Areas like Kebler Pass near Crested butte looked 2 weeks behind, most other areas like Ohio Pass, San Juan Mountains, Telluride, Ouray, Million Dollar Highway, Last Dollar Road, and other areas across places like Uncompahgre Wilderness, White River National Forest, San Juan National Forest, Gunnison National Forest ran about 7-10 days behind.

Apex Ridge Sunrise — I call this Apex Ridge, located in the heart of the great Cimarron mountains in Colorado. The ridge is composed of disintegrating volcanic tuff, which makes for pretty pictures however bad for climbing.

Check out Kane's full Fall Color Online Art Gallery to find the perfect Fine Art Print to transform your space with some beautiful wall decor!

A few areas were right on time and our experienced team of “color chasers” came up with the best location ideas at just the right time. I have to give it up to fall color experts Scott Bacon, Jimmy Gekas, Brent Doerzman, and Matt Payne. Whatever curveball nature throws our way we always adapted and ended up discovering the gold. We had the opportunity to share the gold with a few new friends this season. Cass Kolkjen and Mason Cummings met up with us and both provided additional fall color insight that we very much appreciated.

The late color forced us to visit new places. Locations like the Lake City and Slumgullion Pass area, the San Miguel Range, Lizard Head Wilderness, remote areas of the Cimarron Mountains, and Groundhog Reservoir were a few of the areas we visited. Regardless of the late color change, we experienced amazing weather virtually every day which is GREAT for Fall Color Fine Art Photography. We had one night of snow, one day with 2” inches of hail, and it rained often. We had fog, we had ice, lots of frosty mornings and literally too much mud. All these conditions made for some very dramatic and moody Fall Color Images.

Winter Wonderland — Snow or frost covered trees are one of my favorite Nature subjects to photograph. The snow accentuates every needle, twig, and branch showcasing the trees inner beauty.

Hope you enjoy my image set for 2022 Colorado Fall Color!

Panoramic scene of a mountain skyline with sun hitting the tops of the mountains and yellow-leaved aspen trees and spruce trees in the valleys. — San Juan Skyline

U shaped valleys, lofty ridges, craggy and precipitous summits make up the fantastic Uncompahgre Wilderness. From left to right, Sheep Mountain, the 14er Uncompahgre Mountain, Pinnacle Ridge, Coxcomb, and Precipice Peak. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Waterfall is framed with vibrant yellow aspen trees. — Cascade

There's not a lot of waterfalls in Colorado, especially waterfalls framed by vibrant fall color. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

A moody panoramic scene of a mountain skyline clouds making way for the sun to hit the tops of the mountains and yellow-leaved aspen trees and spruce trees in t — Rugged | Colorado Mountain Photography

A distant shaft of rain pans through the alpine mountain air. Evening light illuminates the rugged Cimarron Mountains of Colorado. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Aerial photo of yellow-leaved aspen trees that appear to flow down the hillside. — Swoosh

A waterfall of aspens highlight a steep slope of aging Spruce trees. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Tall, narrow, tightly-packed aspen trees are filled with tiny yellow aspen tree leaves that fill the entire frame with white aspen tree trunks in the background — Little Yellow Explosions

Tightly packed aspen trees are difficult to photograph. They're often loaded with complicated distractions unless you can find a scene that relays a colorful consistent theme throughout the scene. These type of scenes are often located with a zoom lens. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Bare jagged mountain tops interrupt the snow covered peaks in the background with lemon-lime colored aspen trees on the hillside in front and clouds hovering th — Window to the Castles

I've never witnessed fog in the Ohio Valley before. Watching the fog peel away from this scene was very memorable. The Castles, West Elk Wilderness, Co. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Abstract photo of tightly-packed aspen tree trunks are seen up close with no space between in a portrait orientation. — Silver Siblings | Aspen Tree Photography Gallery

One of my favorite activities in fall is hiking random aspen forests to discover these kinds of stacked aspen scenes. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Mountains in the background are hit by the sunrise while a wall of jagged mountains frames the front of the image. — Jagged Frame | Rocky Mountain Images

Sunrise over the West Elk Wilderness is framed by a stunning volcanic dyke. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

In the fall in Colorado, the meadow of purplish-red scrub brush sits in front of vibrant yellow aspen trees at sunset. — Meadow Glow

A half hour after sunset, the atmosphere sends its bounce light into the trees to accentuate their native colors. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

An aspen leaf is seen up close hanging on a branch with frost around the edges and a blurred background with the sun shining and lighting up the frost and leaf — Warmth Surrounded in Ice

Low lying open spaces through out the forest areas often provide fun icy morning scenes like the above. I photographed this image with a macro lens, shooting directly into the sun to allow the leaf to glow, showing its itricate signs of fall color. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

A mountain ridge is seen up close at sunrise with a pink and orange sky and other ridges, fall color aspen trees, and spruce trees in the valley. — Apex Ridge Sunrise

I call this Apex Ridge, located in the heart of the great Cimarron mountains in Colorado. The ridge is composed of disintegrating volcanic tuff, which makes for pretty pictures however bad for climbing. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Viewed from on the ridge above, fog sits in the forest of spruce and bright yellow aspen trees that have been lightly covered with snow. — Riders on the Storm

Densely packed, diverse forests ride the storm out. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Moon shines just over the top of an aspen grove shortly after sunset which makes the yellow aspen trees glow. — Harvest Moon

Driving back to camp after a fun evening of photography the moon found its way into this lovely grove of aspens. I had one last photograph in me that day. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Mountain El Diente is see in the background as the fall aspen trees in yellow and green fill the hillside and the sun hits the mountain top at sunset. — El Diente's Last Glow

El Diente is a big 14er in the San Miguel Mountains Range in Colorado. The 14,165-ft peak is located in the Lizard Head wilderness of the San Juan National Forest, nearby the tiny town of Dunton. "El Diente" is Spanish for "The Tooth", a reference to the shape of the peak. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

An orange leaf lit gently by the morning sunlight shown up close with a tree branch behind it on an otherwise black background. — Burst

A nice morning glow permeates the forest canopy all the way down to the forgotten details of Autumn. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Red ferns cover the floor in the aspen forest with white aspen tree trunks seen up close and yellow-leaved branches in the background. — Where the Red Ferns Grow

Chasing the red ferns before they fall flat on the forest floor is always a challenge. It seems like I'm late every year but this year I lucked out and found a nice scene at Ohio Pass. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Two yellow and rust-colored aspen leaves are seen up close covered with and connected by frost with a blurred yellow background. — Icy Relationship

These two Aspen leaves woke up that morning with a frosty connection. Later, the sun showed up and they broke up and never spoke again. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Close up view of yellow aspen leaves with droplets of water on them after the night-time frost is melted by the sun shining on the leaves. — Iced up Details

A macro photo of beautiful rain drops that froze over night after an evening rain. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Mountain skyline is pictured with yellow hillsides of aspen trees and a late evening sunset sky. — 14er Skyline

Twenty minutes after sunset, this beautiful Colorado meadow begins to show its overnight colors. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Spruce forest and yellow aspen trees down below with fog throughout the scene creates an ominous scene. — Smolder | Pine Tree Landscape Photos for Sale

Morning fog peels away from a mountainside of shapely trees. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

A mountain ridge is hit by sunlight as the sun sets and clouds obscure the distant surrounding mountains dusted in snow with a golden aspen tree hillside on the — Cimarron Light Show

This evening was easily the most memorable lighting event Ive ever watched unfold. However, what put it over the top was all that light happening in such a special place. This is Apex Ridge, encompassed by the Big Blue Wilderness. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Two track dirt road with grass growing up the middle of it curves into the aspen grove with many white-trunked aspens topped with vibrant yellow leaves and leav — The Way Out | Colorado Aspen Tree Photography Gallery

I photographed this meandering road while hiking back to my truck after a long hike through the trees. I love these two track logging roads. Often, these old roads provide a lovely "leading line" into a forest. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Two knots on a tree trunk with red bark stare back at you like eyes. — Old Wise One

Deep inside the forest, its details are surrendered to those whom see eye to eye with other like minded souls. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

A mountain ridge commands the center of the image while the sun sets on the distant skyline with colors of orange, pink and blues and yellow aspen trees on the — Castle

The end of a long, rugged ridge of Volcanic Tuff. Before sunrise, the clear skies atmosphere casts a cool hue onto the face of this Castle-like formation. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

Spruce trees are covered in snow highlighting every detail of the branches and needles with a gentle fog over the scene. — Winter Wonderland | Winter Forest Photos

Snow or frost covered trees are one of my favorite Nature subjects to photograph. The snow accentuates every needle, twig, and branch showcasing the trees inner beauty. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

A mountain ridge is seen with snow on the top as the sun hits the top of the ridge at sunset and the spruce trees on the slopes are left in the shade in this dr — Burning Embers | Mountain Photography

Rich, warm light illuminates Pinnacle Ridge. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

A goose sits on a pond that is reflecting fall color aspen trees and the goose itself in Colorado. — Cruising the Abstract

Various fall colors reflect and surround its visitors. Photo © copyright by Kane Engelbert.

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