Wildflower Photography in the San Juan Mountains

Where, How To Get There, and When

Presenter: Doug Bennett

Last Dollar Road&

Silver Pick Basin

First Opportunity of the Season!!

13 June 2010F13, 27mm

12 June 2010f16, 45mm

12 June 2010f16, 60mm

26 June 2010F13, 27mm

Last Dollar Road& Silver Pick Basin

• Assessable by Car

• Middle to Latter Part of June Should Be Great

• Morning and Evening Both Good, Scout Locations During Day

• West Dallas Creek Rd Dangerous When Wet (Clay)

Yankee Boy Basin

Widely Famous and Deservedly So

Yankee Boy Basin• Can be assessable by a high clearance vehicle

– But dangerous if a big rain comes. . .saw a Nissan Pathfinder that had fell off the road

• Great combination of waterfalls and wildflowers

• Stay on the trails as this is private property (owned by a mining company who allow access)

• Mid to late July prime time for wildflowers. . .I’d say the 20th

• Morning and evening both good

Governor Basin

Beautiful but tough to get to

Governor Basin

• At a higher elevation so the flowers peak later. . .around first week in August

• You need high clearance rugged 4-wheel drive– Jeep, Toyota 4-Runner, Nissan X-Terra, etc– No Toyota Highlanders, Subarus or other crossover SUVs

(which now includes some Jeeps)– Road is quite narrow and rough. . .you need to be an

experienced off-roader

Imogene Pass

My Favorite 4-Wheel Drive Road

Imogene Pass Rd• The east side of the pass is best

• Most fun 4-wheel Jeep trail. . .in one part you are driving down a flowing stream bed

• Again, you need a rugged 4-wheel drive vehicle

• Ruins of the Tom Boy Mine are on the west side of Pass

• Great high mountain lakes!!!

Red Mountain Pass Area

Lots of Varied PhotographicOpportunities

Red Mountain Pass Area

• Rich in mining history and old photogenic mining structures

• Best sites are north of the pass along U.S. Hwy 550 (east side of highway)

• Watch out for deer in the evenings. . .highest concentration I’ve ever encountered as I drove back north to Ouray so drive SLOW

Stony Pass

Great Paintbrush and DeservingOf More Exploration

Stony Pass

• Get a local map at Visitors’ Center in Silverton so you don’t miss the turn

• Highest density of paintbrush I have seen anywhere

• Road really rocky in places so best to have offroad tires

American Basin

John Fielder’s Favorite for Wildflowers

5 Aug

American Basin

• Often raining in the afternoons so I recommend shooting in the morning

• Lots of opportunities with the streams and wildflowers

• Road really rocky in places so best to have offroad tires

Black Bear Pass Rd

My Favorite!!!!You’ll Find Treasures Here You

Won’t Find Anywhere Else!!

4 Aug

21 July 2010f36, 60mm

Black Bear Pass Rd

• Approach from the east side. . .do not go down the west side!!!!!!

• You can’t beat the combination of wildflowers and Red

Mountain. . .great evening shooting!!!

• Have an early dinner in Ouray and go to Black Bear in the evening and spend time there!

• Watch out for the deer on the way back to Ouray!

Wildflowers in the San Juan Mountains

• Do Black Bear Pass Rd for sure!!!!!

• And if you can get to Yankee Boy Basin, you’ll love it!!!

• And if you don’t have a rugged 4-wheel drive, you can get to American Basin pretty easy from the Lake City side (come in from the east)

• Once you go, you’ll go back a lot!!!!!

• And the Fall Color in the San Juans is Spectacular!!!!!

Crested Butte

Great Flowers & Hiking Reaps Even More Rewards. . .I Hear

11 Jul, Kebler Pass

11 Jul f5.6 @ 190mm

3 Jul, Just north of Mt Crested Butte

3 Jul, Washington Gulch Rd

Lead King Loop1 August 2010F9, 24mm

14 Aug, f4.8 24mm T/SMaroon Bells

Woodland Park

Burn Areas Offer Splendid Opportunities

Hayman Burn Area19 Jun North of Woodland Park