kenosha pass

Amazing aspen, bugling elk, and prancing pronghorn. Those will always be my clearest & most enjoyable memories from my drive up to Kenosha Pass, Colorado this past Saturday (Sept. 19th). I made note of Kenosha Pass last year, after seeing some photos on Flickr, and have been patiently waiting for fall to roll around again so that I could visit this scenic spot myself.

The weather the last few days here in the Denver area has been chilly, wet, & blustery, but this past Saturday was absolutely beautiful and a wonderful day for a trip up into the High Country. Kenosha Pass lies at an elevation of 10,001 feet above sea level, and is about 65 miles southwest of Denver. I had decided not to stop at the pass on my way out, but rather to drive farther west out to Fairplay and then explore some dirt roads north of US 285 as I backtracked toward Kenosha Pass. So that’s what I did.

After reaching the outskirts of Fairplay, I picked a road at random, turned right, and headed north. Hmm, a few stands of colorful aspen, but not much going on. I did get the photo to the right, so this little excursion wasn’t a total bust.

I managed to make my way out to US 285 again and headed back east. I got to the little burg of Como and decided to explore northward again. Back a dirt road out of Como you’ll find the southern terminus of the Boreas Pass Road (which apparently goes all the way north to Breckenridge), which is where I turned around since I had the Mini… but just judging from the scenery out to the point where I turned around, I bet the entire Boreas Pass traverse would be a cool drive if you have a vehicle more suitable than a Mini Cooper for tackling mountain roads. I got the shot below, and also the one at the top of the post, north of Como.

(Oh, and it was neat because, everywhere I stopped along these lonely dirt roads north of US 285, I could hear elk bugling off in the distance. If you’ve never heard elk bugling, you absolutely need to head up into the mountains mid- to late-September, because it’s really something pretty cool.)

Back out on US 285 and heading eastward, I next came to the town of Jefferson. Another left turn and I was headed north again. After a mile or two, the paved road turned to dirt and branched off in a couple of directions. Time for more exploring, but not before pulling over at this point to watch some pronghorn and get a few photos of these skittish critters. They were only a short distance away out in a field, and watched me very closely the whole time I observed them.

After driving a ways and coming to another fork in the road, I randomly chose to turn right and I’m glad I did since I ended up back a narrow dirt road, near a llama farm, where I happily discovered the picturesque grove of aspen you see below. I wish I could’ve actually got out into the grove, but a barbed wire fence prevented any traipsing through woods. I was still able to get some nice shots from the roadside. In fact, this is my favorite photo from that day. (It also made Explore on Flickr. Yeah!)

Back out on US 285 (again) and heading eastward (again), I was now climbing back up to Kenosha Pass. There were maybe five cars parked at the pass when I came through shortly after sunrise, but now (about 11am) it was CRAZY! Cars parked all over, people walking, people biking, dogs frolicking, babies crying. But, hey, I was there, too, adding to the crowd, so I can’t really complain, can I? In all seriousness, I can see why this is such a popular spot— it’s some drop-dead, gorgeous scenery (see below) and it’s very easily accessible from the Denver-area for anyone with a car & the desire to drive up there.

I had planned on making the Kenosha Pass the first of three consecutive weekend explorations (the other two destinations being the Maroon Bells & the Mt Sneffels area) into the mountains, but with the crazy wintery weather we’ve experienced this week, I’m wondering if the cold & snow have ruined the aspen for any more autumn photography. Guess we’ll have to see.

Thanks for reading about stuff I’ve photographed! ~ Rich