Fall Foliage Road Trip 2026

Danelle, Lucy, and I took a one-night foliage road trip earlier this week.  State Forest State Park was our main destination, in one final attempt to see some moose in Colorado this year.  Brainard Lake had been a surprising shutout over the summer, so I had to go to Wyoming to see some moose in Grand Teton National Park.  Walden and the surrounding North Park region bills itself as "The Moose Capital of Colorado," so I had high hopes.

Cute, right? 

Fall was in full effect north of Silverthorne, with these fly fishermen in Pebble Creek also enjoying the beautiful day.

After talking to a ranger in State Forest State Park, we decided to hike Ranger Lakes.  The Canada Jay on duty greeted us hospitably, but was disappointed when we failed to provide them with any handouts.

Beautiful blue skies with puffy white clouds and not a trace of a breeze result in lovely reflections.

Double the lakes means double the pretty views!

STOP THE CAR!  I THINK I SAW A MOO... Oh, nope.  It's a little group of grazing Mule Deer.  In fact, we saw no moose.  It was suggested that they might be a little shy right now because it's hunting season.  Whatever the case, 2026 may go down as the most fruitless moose search of my life.  At least, I hope it does!

On our drive back home we were pleasantly surprised to see our first snow of the season!

We drove back along the Cache la Poudre River, and the fall foliage grew more and more vibrant as we descended to the east.

I had never heard of the Gateway Natural Area, but made a point of stopping to check it out.  There's a great view down to the river from the entrance... 

...but I wanted to get right down to the riverbank for a picture.  So I did. :)

Not an abundance of foliage, and zero moose.  But it was still fall in Colorado, so it was still time well spent!

Related Fall Foliage Links:

• Fall Foliage Road Trip 2025
• Guanella Pass, 2024
• Gunnison County Fall Foliage, 2023
• Ohio Pass
• Crested Butte to Cottonwood Pass
• Carbondale to Crested Butte
• Ptarmigan Peak Trail
• Bear Creek Lake Park: October 2013

Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, October 2026

I was reminded of two truisms about wildlife photography on Saturday.  First, golden hour light is the best light.  Otherwise uninteresting scenes become something magical right after sunrise and right before sunset.  Second, animals are also more active during those times.  I can gripe about why it's inconvenient to shoot at those times, but that won't make more animals appear or the light better outside those times.

The Mile High Wildlife Photo Club knows these things.  That's why when we planned an outing to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge yesterday, we met at 6:40 a.m.

And I'm glad we did. :)

Nine of us gathered and split into different vehicles.  I hopped into the back of one, which afforded me the opportunity to move from the left to the right side of the car depending on where the shots were.  Like this little White-tailed Deer lady having some breakfast...

...and this other doe doing the same.

The American Bison were out in force, although a good distance away and not in great light.

The deer, while far fewer in number, were closer and bathed in golden sunshine.

Prairie dogs are always plentiful.  On my visits now I'm mainly looking for group shots or cute behavior.  This trio gave me both.

I'm not exactly sure what the birds are on the back of this lone bison.  I suspect Brown-headed Cowbirds.

The light on this Red-winged Blackbird revealed some stunning colors and textures.

I love how there's just enough texture in the clouds to add a little extra visual interest to this otherwise stark scene.

We got an unexpected sight when a group of bison passed running full tilt.  The dust they were kicking up works well with the backlight.

This Ferruginous Hawk had attracted quite a bit of attention, as we had only seen one other raptor on two circuits around the Wildlife Drive.  Three cars had stopped to take its picture, which not surprisingly it eventually tired of and flew off.

By 9 a.m. the sun was high, the light harsh, and we'd seen about everything we felt likely to see.  Two hours at the right time of day sure presented more quality sights than we would have probably seen in significantly more time later in the day.  So a great visit!

Related Links:

• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, June 2026
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, April 2025
• City Park & Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, July 2019
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: Mule Deer and Sunsets
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR Hawks: December 2015
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: November 2014
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: May 2014
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: October 2012

Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, June 2026

I made my eighth trip to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge earlier this week to take some animal photos.  Full disclosure: None of these trips have been great.  I haven't gotten that amazing Bison photo, or even seen Burrowing Owls, much less a Black-footed Ferret.  That said, I've also never had a bad trip.  Taryn joined me a couple of times when she was young.  I've seen (and shot) pretty sunsets, feeding hawks, baby owls, and plenty of deer and prairie dogs.  This visit was another good one.

A leisurely circuit around the Wildlife Drive was all I had planned.  This White-Tailed Deer doe showed only mild interest in me before returning to her grazing.

This doe seemed even less intrigued, which I honestly find kind of impressive.

Western Meadowlarks are pretty much another slam dunk on a RMANWR visit, though I usually see them closer.

The Black-tailed Prairie Dogs never disappoint.  These scuffling youngsters were especially adorable.

This Grasshopper Sparrow had a song in his heart that he was only too happy to share with the world.

Desert Cottontails are also just about a lock to spot.  Munching greens was just as important to this rabbit as it had been to the deer.

I hope one of these two can be the first to say that they're sorry.

Prairie dogs eating > Rabbits and deer eating, because prairie dogs grab their food in their cute little paws.

Like I said, another good visit!  I did see the bison herd, but they were a good distance away and backlit.  No owls or ferrets.  I imagine I'll take another shot soon!

Related Links:

• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, April 2025
• City Park & Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, July 2019
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: Mule Deer and Sunsets
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR Hawks: December 2015
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: November 2014
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: May 2014
• Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR: October 2012

Cheesman Canyon

My hike to Elk Falls made me optimistic that there was more water still to be seen.  I decided to give Cheesman Canyon a shot and see how the South Platte River was doing.

Good news.  The river was doing quite well. :)

There weren't too many wildflowers blooming just yet.  Lambert's Locoweed was the first I saw.

As the morning warmed up, the Prairie Lizards came out to soak up some sun.  Most were really tiny.  This guy was the biggest I saw, and roughly a whopping six inches or so from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail.

I spotted a mother Common Merganser with a small crew of babies on the river.  Unfortunately, she spotted me as well and hastily took her brood downstream to safety.  The only shots I got were from quite a distance away and not well exposed, so I decided to get creative with my favorite of the bunch.  I'm not disappointed with the result!

Most of the canyon trail is up above the river, providing some great overlooks down to the water.

The ruggedness of this stretch of the river is special, with sizable boulders sprinkled liberally in the water.

I was delighted to see a pair of American Dippers working on a nest in one of those boulders.  The light unfortunately frustrated me in getting great shots of the birds themselves.  But it was really cool to see them taking turns gathering moss and adding it to their home.

I had never heard of Blue-Water Speedwell before uploading this image to iNaturalist, but I loved seeing this flower blooming right in the river.

The clouds started to gather as I made my way back to the trailhead, but just enough to enhance the views of the river.

I didn't notice all the Blue Columbine along the trail on the outward portion of my trek, but was delighted to see them on my way back.

I did notice this sad-looking Fragrant Evening Primrose, and made sure to capture it in all its wiltedness.

Exactly six miles (AllTrails, as usual, underestimates the trail at only 5.6 miles) in a leisurely 2:31, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of it.  I look forward to coming back, possibly in winter to see its beauty in another season!

Kountze Lake, May 2026

After a wonderful morning at St. Vrain State Park, I had the time and inclination to see more!  Another photographer mentioned there being American Avocets at Kountze Lake, which was arguably on my way home.  So Kountze Lake it was. :)

Pond Sliders were taking full advantage of the warm, sunny day.

So was this monstrosity.  I'm fascinated at how this Common Snapping Turtle has so much algae growing on it.

I only found a pair of Avocets, who stayed frustratingly far from shore.  I do love how elegant they look with those long, curved beaks.

While there may have been disappointingly few Avocets, there were an abundance of babies!  Mallards...

... and Canada Geese.  Almost teenagers, really, though still patiently escorted by Mom and Dad.

The Mallard babies -- like most kids -- were having big fun playing in the mud.

I could followed these little ones around for hours, but eventually bid them farewell.  Delighted, though, to have made two photos stops before lunch!

Related Links:

• Kountze Lake and South Platte Park, December 2019
• Kountze Lake, June 2015: Part I
• Kountze Lake, June 2015: Part II
• Kountze and Harriman Lakes

St. Vrain State Park, May 2026

Since moving back to Colorado from Texas, one of the things I've been delighted to recommence is my membership in the Mile High Wildlife Photography Club.  The monthly meetings provide a wonderful opportunity to meet other photographers, view gorgeous images and learn the stories behind them, and improve my craft.  And yesterday, it also provided the chance to get out in the field with other shutterbugs as the club arranged an outing to St. Vrain State Park.

I'd never been to St. Vrain, and was slightly surprised by the park's proximity to I-25.  You could not only hear the traffic, but also see vehicles whizzing by from the park's eastern boundary.  But the park is chock full of ponds, which attract birds like this Great Blue Heron in abundance.

This particular heron was the star attraction on Sandpiper Pond for a while, hunting along the shoreline.

Most of the folks in attendance were hoping to get a shot of one of the resident Osprey diving for fish.  I don't think that ever happened, but it was great to see one fly by with a meal.

I left my second camera body with a wide-angle lens and tripod that I use for landscape shots in the car, thinking the hand of man was too visible.  Then I went for a walk on one of the trails and took in this view up Boulder Creek.  Well, telephoto landscape shots aren't all bad.

A leg of the trail dead-ended at a nesting platform with another watchful Osprey that didn't much seem to want me hanging around.  So I took a couple of quick shots and gave it back its privacy.

This Barn Swallow stayed on its millet perch long enough for me to get a solid capture.

I saw American White Pelicans on Blue Heron Reservoir.  Not on Pelican Lake, presumably because birds can't read.

Canada Geese may not be rare, but they are almost always willing subjects.

After one pelican flew by...

...it found some of its friends for some synchronized formation work.

Returning to Sandpiper Pond brought me into contact with another hunting heron.  Or possibly the same one as before, for all I know.  Whatever the case, he kindly passed closely by (but not without some side eye).

A really great morning chatting and shooting with other MHWPC members and making my inaugural visit to another of our wonderful state parks!