September 26-28, 2021

By Tim Briese

In late September Teresa and I went on one of our annual fall trips to see Colorado’s fall foliage. This year our daughter Nicole and son-in-law Rod accompanied us for the first couple of days and they wanted us to show them some of our favorite aspen viewing trails that would be easy enough for their three year old daughter Ellie. We were happy to oblige.

Sept. 26, Mill Creek Trail: 2.6 miles roundtrip, 200’ elevation gain, 2:15 roundtrip

We drove over Cottonwood Pass to Gunnison on a beautiful fall day and proceeded northwest to the Mill Creek Trailhead and embarked up the trail after lunch. Teresa and I were here twice last year and knew it would be a treat.

view from the trailhead

We hiked about a mile and a quarter up the gentle trail through beautiful stands of golden aspens, with occasional views of the spectacular cliffs and pinnacles lining the canyon wall to the northwest.

ellie and rod

We stopped at the edge of a big meadow fringed with huge aspens where there are great views up the valley. This was our turn around point for today’s hike, even though little Ellie enthusiastically wanted to push on further. After enjoying this magnificent spot for a while we headed back and spent the night in Gunnison.

view from the trailhead at the end of the hike

Sept. 27, Beaver Ponds Trail: 1.6 miles roundtrip, 200’ elevation gain, 1:15 roundtrip

We left Gunnison early and headed up the Ohio Creek Road to get to the trailhead for the Beaver Ponds Trail before most of the aspen-viewing crowd arrived, because we knew this short beautiful trail is popular. The trailhead is located right off the road a few miles south of Ohio Pass in the midst of a vast aspen forest. Strolling up the trail through the regal aspens is an enchanting experience.

on the beaver ponds trail

The biggest treat of the hike is a scenic beaver pond at the end of the trail, which provides magnificent reflections when its surface is glassy and calm as it was this morning.

After spending a little while at this beautiful place we hiked back.

We drove on up the road toward Ohio Pass. 

a view of the extensive aspen forests south of ohio pass

Upon reaching the Kebler Pass Road we followed it northwest a few miles through splendid fall scenery to a parking area west of Horse Ranch Park. We knew from past outings this is a beautiful spot in the aspens and we enjoyed a picnic lunch there today.

picnic lunch in the aspens

Afterwards Nicole, Rod, and Ellie headed back home and Teresa and I continued on our aspen trip.

We continued northwest on the scenic Kebler Pass road to its end and headed for Montrose for the night. Late that afternoon we took a side trip southwest of Montrose up onto the Uncompahgre Plateau on an excellent gravel road. I had never been there before so it was fun to explore a new place. The plateau is a vast forested area frequented by hunters and adventurers and sported very nice fall colors today.

nice colors on the way up to the plateau

miles of aspen and pine-fringed roads

The next morning we headed south to Ridgway and went west to the scenic Dallas Divide and on to Telluride.

a view near dallas divide

view from dallas divide

a nice walking trail in telluride

along highway 145 south of telluride

Clouds and rainy weather were moving in today but we enjoyed the fall colors thoroughly anyway. South of Telluride we stopped to admire beautiful colors around Trout Lake.

trout lake

view from a forest road east of trout lake

We continued a short distance south to Lizard Head Pass and hiked part way up the Lizard Head Trail.

Lizard Head Trail: 3.2 miles roundtrip, 400’ elevation gain, 2:20 roundtrip

A chilly rain shower was moving in but we donned our rain gear and took off up the trail from the pass in spite of the weather. After walking up across a meadow we soon entered a beautiful pine and aspen forest. The beauty of yellow aspens is unmatched in sunny weather under clear blue skies, but walking through a yellow forest in a soft rain with the fragrance of fall in the air and yellow leaves strewn across the trail is magically enchanting as well.

We hiked a mile and a half or so up the trail before turning back and returning to the trailhead.

From Lizard Head Pass we continued southwest on CO 145 down the Dolores River Valley, with massive stands of aspens on the slopes above in the process of turning color.

the dolores river

We proceeded on to Pagosa Springs that evening, and drove back home the next morning.