In all my visits to Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park over the years, I’d never seen aspens turning gold or elk bugling. Now I have, thanks to a late September trip. Twice we drove from Denver into the mountains to hike trails under shivering golden leaves and bright blue skies. I soaked up the glorious autumn scenery a good two months before we can expect to see any (meager) fall color here in Austin. Today I’m sharing my favorite leaf-peeping and wildlife sightings in and near Rocky Mountain National Park.

Lily Lake

At Lily Lake, aspens in tawny meadows fluttered their leaves like pennants against stern gray cliffs.

Butter-yellow leaves against a bluebird sky

An old lodge sags under the weight of years, surrounded by glowing aspens.

“Eyes” watch you from ghostly aspen trunks.

These aspens weren’t at peak color yet, but close.

A woman sitting on a rock, propped on one arm, evokes an Andrew Wyeth painting.

There’s gold in them thar hills.

Walking around Lily Lake, we enjoyed aspens nearing peak color.

The trail offers views of Longs Peak, Mount Meeker, and Twin Sisters.

Humbler views are good too, like these cottony seedheads in a meadow.

Lily Lake

Peak to Peak Scenic Byway

One day we drove the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway, a 55-mile route from Estes Park to Central City, stopping at pull-outs to admire views like this.

Glorious!

We spotted 5 moose this day — bulls, cows, and yearlings — including this cow I photographed from a safe distance.

Look what a breeze does to these graceful trees. There’s a reason they’re called quaking aspens.

Fall River area

One morning in Rocky Mountain National Park, we explored the Fall River area. Heads up, visitors: you must obtain a timed-entry permit to enter certain areas of the park, like this one, for much of the year. Plan ahead.

Aspens were lighting up the forest edge.

Meadows were lovely too in shades of brown.

A grand old tree

Bear Lake

Bear Lake is a popular place to hike in the park, so we started early. The lake is lovely in fall with yellow aspens zigzagging down the mountain and reflecting in the water.

Yellow and orange aspens

The trail around the lake offered more golden views.

I love this Lincoln Log-style bench.

Alberta Falls Trail

The trail up to Alberta Falls is another pretty hike.

Aspens aren’t the only fall color in the Rockies. Ferns were turning rusty orange…

…and pale yellow.

This is my favorite spot along the trail, which I remembered from a previous visit years ago. I’d thought then, this must be incredible in the fall, when the aspens turn. And now here I was, walking through a cathedral of gold.

Check out my video of this aspen grove.

Towering aspens along the trail

And at last, the waterfall!

Sprague Lake

Sprague Lake was new to us, and we took a pleasant walk around it one afternoon.

We noticed a cow elk wading across the shallow lake…

…and then moseying toward us. We were standing on an overlook with a sturdy rail, but I did wonder if she planned to come right to us.

She kept on going, eventually exiting at the end of the lake and ambling across a bridge to rejoin a herd we’d seen earlier.

Golden grasses outlined the lake.

Along a trail to a camping area, we spotted more golden aspens.

Gold on gold

Autumn hues

Elk at Estes Park

While we saw elk in the park, we didn’t hear any bugling there. So before heading home, we joined a quiet crowd of elk watchers at the Estes Park golf course, where elk gather on the lawn each evening. A big bull was constantly patrolling to keep his harem of cows away from restless bulls on the perimeter.

Here he is rounding up a cow that was grazing farther than he liked. Notice as he saunters onto the bridge, a few people scatter. He is big.

As darkness fell, I finally heard what I’d come for: an eerie, teapot scream — a bull elk bugling. My fall visit to the Rockies was complete.

Up next: Exploring the native plant garden at Chatfield Farms. For a look back at Part 2 of my tour of the remarkable SummerHome Garden in Denver, click here.

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Digging Deeper

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