When Green Turns to Gold

Fall is in the air, and that means it’s time to jump in the car and head into the mountains to enjoy that annual feast for the eyes – the changing of the aspens from summer green to autumn gold.
Wayne Shepard, a research forester in Fort Collins with the U.S. Forest Service, has seen it come and go dozens of times. “We don’t have a ton of aspen here in this national forest, the Arapaho-Roosevelt,” he said. “Most of the aspen is over on the Western Slope. The soil conditions aren’t right for it here.” Shepard thinks the best drive in the state for aspen viewing is near Paonia along the Kebler and McClure passes.

But if that seems too far and you want to keep your drive local, you aren’t going to get shortchanged. There are some very good drives for fall aspen in the area – good enough that you won’t think you’re settling for second best.
n Upper Buckhorn Canyon

This is one of the drives everyone in the Forest Service mentions. It’s one of those ‘oh yeah,’ drives they all love. Most of the action happens around the Buckhorn Work Center, which used to be an old ranger station. To get there – if you’re not familiar with the area – Mary Bullinger, a visitors assistant with the U.S. Forest Service, says, “Drive to Masonville and then go north on Larimer County Road 27 for about nine miles, then turn west on Larimer County Road 44. You should be in the canyon by then. You want to go toward Pennock Pass.”
n Dead Man Road
Dead Man Road got its rather ominous name from a forest fire that swept through the area. It’s west of the village of Red Feather Lakes. Bullinger says the best way to get there is to take U.S. 287 north out of Fort Collins to Livermore, then take 74E west. The road changes to become County Road 162, known locally as Dead Man Road. The road links up with the Laramie River Valley. “That whole (drive) is beautiful,” Shepard said.
n Larimer County Road 103
This one is near Cameron Pass on Colorado Highway 14, Bullinger said. CR 103 is north of Chambers Lake but before you get to Cameron Pass and start down the other side. The road is called Larimer Country Road 80C. Bullinger recommends going toward Bull Mountain to get there.
n Jack’s Gulch
This one may a little hard to find. Bullinger said it comes from her own notes on aspen watching. She says the road you want – Larimer County Road 63E – is the one that goes toward Colorado State University’s Pingree Park mountain campus. Bullinger said the best aspen viewing is along that road about seven miles from Highway 14.
n Peak-to-Peak Highway
The Peak-to-Peak has prime aspen viewing all along its length, and Shepard calls it some of the best samplings of aspen in the forest. The peak-to-peak runs 55 miles between Estes Park and Central City on Colorado Highways 7, 72 and 119. It goes through Allenspark, Ward, Eldora, Nederland, Rollinsville and Black Hawk.
n Rocky Mountain National Park
Any discussion of aspen viewing has to include Rocky Mountain National Park. The park does have some prime aspen-viewing spots, but visitors should be aware that there is road reconstruction going on along one of the best areas, Bear Lake Road.
Another spot where road reconstruction will be a factor is the parking lot of the now-defunct Hidden Valley ski lodge. “We are returning that to its original state,´ said Kyle Patterson, public information officer. “There is some good aspen viewing in there.”
Patterson also recommends a drive along Colorado Highway 7 toward the Wild Basin area of the park. “There is some beautiful aspen up there around the Lily Lake area,” she said.
Finally, there is the old Fall River Road, which climbs from the Endovalley picnic area to the gift shop near Milner Pass at the top of Trail Ridge Road. This one is dicey because it’s gravel. The road is in good shape but people accustomed to paved roads might hesitate. It’s easily navigable by car or truck but not recommended for motor homes.
Unfortunately, Trail Ridge Road usually closes just as the aspen viewing is hitting its peak. For more information on aspen viewing, call the U.S. Forest Service hotline at 1-800-354-4595.

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