Colorado with its larger-than-life landscapes, giant Mountain ranges, deep Western history and mining roots that truly inspires all who venture there. Not to mention the famed Wes slope mining towns like Aspen, Vail, Telluride, Silverton, Crested Butte, Breckenridge and many, many more. There is much more to Colorado than that of fancy resorts and high-end dining. What draws me back each year to the Centennial state is mostly for its beautiful wilderness areas!
With miles upon miles of unspoiled, untamed mountain ranges and pristine alpine tundra habitat, this geographical location is special amongst the Western states. In my opinion there is nothing like back packing through the many Wilderness areas in the Southwestern parts of the West slope. The West Elk Wilderness, the Weminuche Wilderness, Snow Mass and Maroon Bells come to mind first. All of these location feature dozens of mountains well over twelve thousand feet above sea level and offer the adventurous photographer countless opportunities to create untouched imagery like nowhere else on earth!
When backpacking things like water filtration, heavy weather and wildlife are all things to consider. Safety is a paramount number one for me, especially with loved ones back home that wouldn’t be so excited if I didn’t make it home. In general, I always travel down trail with a fully charged, trusty Garmin InReach device wherever I go. However, with all of this said, there are certainly many other areas that one can visit without the need of heavy off trail back packing where you can see the many incredible landscapes within Iconic Colorado!
ARTWORK BY Marlon Holden “ASPEN DAYBREAK” LIMITED EDITION OF 50
TELLURIDE
Always a great stop on your journey, Telluride is a small mountain community truly designed with a modern traveler in mind. With many great restaurants, shops and resorts, you certainly will not be for a lack of amenities here, however that goes for all of the popular mountain towns like Aspen and Vail etc. Telluride is a showstopper when it comes to fall color displays in almost every direction! With the Lizard Head Wilderness only a few miles away and the towering Mt Wilson, to the rolling hills around Last Dollar road, you will find yourself lost in moments around here during the fall in early October! If you are a thrill seeker, a trip up the switchbacks via OHV is an adrenaline run! It is not something for the faint of heart I will say that, as there are few turnouts, and the steep drop will have you feeling vertigo! All I will say is that you must be safe and that I warned you it can be scary here. Each year, someone loses their life, so be careful and do not be a statistic! Aside from safety concerns, the road to the top is otherwise magical with incredible views and reveals the pristine tundra landscape high above topping out close to 13,000 feet in areas.
ARTWORK BY MARLON HOLDEN “TELLURIDE LIGHT” LIMITED EDITION OF 50
OURAY
A small mining town nestled within a few minutes of Ridgeway Colorado rests Ouray, known as the little Switzerland of the Americas. Ouray is in all of its charm, still very old town and cozy feeling. Though it has grown up a little featuring a few nice restaurants and a couple of places to stay if you book well in advance. Ouray is nice because it is kind of the gateway to the San Juan’s, a bit like Lake City is to the East. If you do visit Ouray, make a pit stop by True Grit restaurant in Ridgeway for a Western themed meal and if you’re fortunate they might just have a bit of Blueberry pie! One of my favorites from there!
ARTWORK BY MARLON HOLDEN “RED MOUNTAIN MAJESTY” LIMITED EDITION OF 100
THE MILLION DOLLAR HIGHWAY
Just outside of Montrose Colorado about 45 minutes away lays the small towns of Ridgeway and Ouray, Colorado. Just a few minutes travel down the road and you will be on the famed stretch of road called the million-dollar highway! The Million Dollar Highway was originally constructed as a toll road by Otto Mears, who oversaw the building of many narrow-gauge railroads, in the 1880s. Then, in the 1920s, the road underwent construction again, paving the path to the road as it is today. The road stretches from Ouray Colorado, crossing through the historic mining town of Silverton and then on towards Durango Colorado. This drive takes approximately two hours and holds a ton of places to stop and visit. I personally could spend several years backpacking and hiking the ridges around this chunk of country in search of the perfect mountain compositions!
On your way through, you will pass several notable land features such as the fault line along the dramatic cliffs right outside of Ouray and immediately after seeing a turn out for a beautiful canyon view with a huge waterfall that is worth a quick stop. Onward and upward toward Ironton, you will reach Crystal Lake and the famed Red Mountains along with Red Mountain Pass which tops out a touch over ten thousand feet above sea level. Stopping for lunch shortly afterwards in Silverton is a treat, if you’re lucky enough to catch Handlebars Restaurant and Saloon open, I’m not sure there’s a place with more historic charm than there and great food to boot.
ARTWORK BY MARLON HOLDEN “HEADWATERS” LIMITED EDITION OF 100
CRESTED BUTTE
Long famed for its fall colors and springtime wildflower displays, this Gunnison Valley Icon deserves a bit of time to explore it’s surrounding mountains and hiking trail systems before moving onward toward Aspen. Crested Butte literally sits at the head of the Gunnison Valley. With lots of wandering streams and agricultural farmland surrounding this town, Crested Butte is still a place that has held its charm and, in many ways, has been lost in time. However, over the last few years it seems everything is growing much quicker these days, so I’m truly not sure how long it will be before it takes on a larger feel to it. Staying in the valley here for a few days and spiking out towards the Maroon Bells, or the West Elks can always lead to a great time!
ARTWORK BY MARLON HOLDEN “OLD RANCH ROAD” LIMITED EDITION OF 50
CRYSTAL MILL
A visit to the Crystal Mill is always a good idea. Be aware in advance that the Mill is located on Private Property and if you are wanting a certain composition or photo of the mill, you will have to be willing to pay a pretty penny for access. However, there are plenty of spots to see the mill from a distance and the entire valley bottom is quite beautiful, especially during the fall when the aspens are posting gold foliage everywhere you look! The Crystal Mill itself is an old wooden powerhouse constructed in 1892 and located on an outcrop above the Crystal River in Crystal, Colorado. Getting there you will leave Marble Colorado and head past Beaver lake, where you will take a long rough 4X4 dirt shelf road for several miles. This road was originally built in the 1800’s by early settlers and is very narrow, so take extreme caution getting in and out. The drive and visit is absolutely worth the time it takes to get there as there are many sights to see along the way!
ARTWORK BY MARLON HOLDEN “CRYSTAL MILL” LIMITED EDITION OF 50
MAROON BELLS AND MAROON LAKE
While this Aspen Colorado gem is truly remarkable, it should be said up front that it is very difficult to access these days. Not for lack of a paved road or anything, however the permitting system and shuttle services are quite a bit to navigate and acquire in order to make it fit on your itinerary. In this way, I suggest that you plan a year in advance and plan your trip around your permitted time here, so that way you are flexible to find a date that will work and is available. Seeing fall colors over this lake with the Maroon Bells reflected in its calm waters as the sun rises truly is remarkable and I think worth the extra effort in order to make it happen.
ARTWORK BY MARLON HOLDEN “BELLS DAWN” LIMITED EDITION OF 50
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the nation’s most incredible national parks with 415 square miles of dramatic beauty, tall rugged mountains, clear lakes, 350 miles of hiking trails, and abundant wildlife. Up here you can enjoy quiet walks, incredible hikes, to die for sunrises and sunsets, wildlife watching, scenic drives, horseback rides, rock climbing, photography, backpacking, and so much more. I personally love this park for its diverse landscapes and many endless compositions for the aspiring landscape photographer! With lakes such as Dream lake, Bear Lake and Chasm lake as well as many more, there are features here in this park to keep you busy for a lifetime! One of my favorites is Dream lake which is a short 2.2 mile out and back trail and has a reaching skyline that makes for gorgeous compositions in every season. At only 482 feet of elevation gain it isn’t so bad considering the more challenging hikes like that of Chasm Lake and others within the park.
Whether you choose to backpack or stay in resorts, I do not think you can go wrong either way. The state has so much to offer that there are endless opportunities to explore and I find that so long as you bring sunscreen, extra water, some food and a 4X4 high clearance vehicle, you should be in for a really great adventure!
ARTWORK BY MARLON HOLDEN “GLACIAL WATERS” LIMITED EDITION OF 50
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