Fall Color on Guanella Pass in Colorado

The fall season comes early in Colorado's higher elevations.  My husband and I know that as September approaches its last days it is nice to enjoy a car drive in the mountains to witness all the beautiful autumn colors at their peak. One of our favorite drives is on Guanella Pass from Grant to Georgetown.  

Guanella Pass (highest elevation 11,669 ft or 3,557 m) is a high mountain pass and one of the many scenic byways in Colorado. It is an easy winding 24-mile drive with many aspen trees along the paved road and in the mountains surrounding it.

Our first stop along the way is at Geneva Creek, a tributary of the North Fork South Platte River, to the south.  You can see a short video of the flowing creek in the video above.

The sky was a deep cloudless blue and the fall foliage colors were illuminated by strong sunlight.

Our second stop is always by this waterfall located very near the road, where we take a walk around to see all the views.

"Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty"  ~ John Ruskin

" Wild is the music of autumnal winds

Amongst the faded woods"

~ Willian Wordsworth

I always enjoy seeing this home that is along the way --- imagine living there for all four seasons?

Informational placards at a roadside pull-out--click on them to enlarge the photos and any other photo in this post

We reached the 11,669 ft or 3,557 m summit. We stopped here to take photos. As you can see the summit is above the tree line.  

At the summit, hiking trails lead east to Mount Bierstadt (elevation 14,060 ft (4,290 m)) and west to Square Top Mountain, with many other trails connecting to the lower parts of the pass.

Leaving the summit we are soon surrounded by aspen trees again!

"The Heart of Autumn must have broken here, and poured its treasure upon the trees."

~ Charlotte Bates

Another favorite spot where we stop is on the Silverdale Trailhead above Georgetown.

In this short video, you can listen to how the aspen trees "quake" in a breeze!

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me

Fluttering from the Autumn tree."

 ~ Emily Bronte

It is easy to see why Fall is my favorite season!

PS: My heart goes out to all those impacted by the devastating Hurricane Helene. You are in my thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

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Fall Beauty in Colorado

I always know that sometime in September the aspen trees growing in the high elevations in Colorado will begin to change from green to bright yellow and some to orange. I note predictions and listen for reports on the news as to when "peak color" can be seen.  In the almost 9 years we have lived in Colorado we've always taken few drives up to the high country to enjoy this early preview of autumn and the beautiful patchwork of colors that will appear on the distant mountains.

One of our favorite drives is along Guanella Pass, a scenic byway that was once a burro path but is now a fully paved 22-mile road that connects Grant with Georgetown, Colorado. I've blogged about it many times in the past which you can read them all on this link.

The sky was bluebird blue and the aspens shined like gold!

Every twist and turn in the road revealed more beauty!

The mountains surrounding the scenic byway were thick with golden aspen groves...

 ...interspaced with pine trees.

So many gorgeous shades of lime green, yellow, gold, and orange.

We always stop to see this waterfall on the drive. All those large boulders were once carried by a glacier long ago.  You can watch a video of the waterfall on my Mille Fiori Favoriti facebook page on this link.

You can read more about the geology of Guanella Pass on the roadside placards above.  Double click on the photo to enlarge it to make it easier to read.

As we drove we began to climb higher in elevation until we were soon above the tree line. 

We reached the summit of Guanella Pass which is at 11,700 feet (3566 M)

An information placard at the summit. Please double click on to enlarge to read it 

At the Guanella Pass summit, there are views of 14,060-foot (4285.M) Mount Bierstadt and trails through the alpine tundra.

We parked and hiked a part of a trail. The interesting interpretive sign in the photo above was about the tundra along the trail. Those that were younger and in better shape were taking the trail all the way to the summit of Mt Bierstadt.

There are also views of the 14,264-foot (4347. M) Mount Evans in the distance.

There was more magnificent autumnal color when we drove from the summit back down towards Georgetown.  We passed the dam, reservoir, and electric power plant on the way.

It was a beautiful day for a drive! We felt so excited to see fall finally arrive after a very hot and dry summer.  This is my favorite time of the year--the last smile of nature before winter's cold and snow.

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