Because it’s not quite as accessible as the dunes in the park’s main dune field, the tracks to its undulating apex are fewer and farther between. The Scene: Scaling the tallest sand dune in North America (roughly 750 feet high) is a calf-burning endeavor. Star Dune, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve On the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, riders can see parts of the area auto-travelers miss. Some of the oldest and tallest aspens in the state can be seen near La Manga Pass. The Scene: This valley is one of Colorado’s best-kept secrets for fall-color viewing. Nearby Towns: Ridgway, Telluride, Ouray 71. The Scene: This winding, one-lane dirt road leaves the pavement at the Dallas Divide and careens around the Mount Sneffles Wilderness before dropping into the San Miguel River valley, where lush ranchland, aspen groves alive with color, and spruce and pine forests make it a scene from a landscape painter’s dream. More than 90 varieties - including white bog orchids, scarlet paintbrush, monkshood and glacier lilies - have been spotted along the impossibly colorful trail. The Scene: The shady trek to Blue Lake is one of the Front Range’s most diverse wildflower hikes.

They resemble coral beds found on ocean floors, which this far from the sea, gives them an otherworldly mystique. The Scene: The area’s frozen-in-time sandstone spires inside the Rio Grande National Forest were formed by volcanic explosions millions of years ago. Nearby Towns: Steamboat Springs, Hayden, Craig, Walden, Kremmling 68. In the cool morning air, a light fog hovers over the still waters. Camping amid the trees along the water’s edge grants access to peaceful early-morning canoe rides, fly- and lure- cutthroat trout fishing and gentle hikes. The Scene: Pearl Lake State Park a serene setting for low-impact outdoor adventure. Wildlife officers captured and released them in the mountains.Read Part 1, The Postcard Places and Part 2, The Local Favorites. It's possible two bull elk from that herd recently made their way into Westminster following the Big Dry Creek. She suggests they contain a lot of information, from communicating that a bull is in the area with his harem to telling cows they are straying too far.Ĭolorado Parks and Wildlife points to the Clear Creek herd which roams in the Rocky Flats and Golden area as another place to see and hear the rut. Jennifer Clarke from the University of Northern Colorado about the bugles. The website for Rocky Mountain National Park shares research from Dr. The elk also adore it for the rut season. On the Grand County side of the park, the scenic Kawuneeche Valley is also a beautiful spot for wildlife viewing. Have you heard the sound of bull elk bugling in the wild? #WildlifeWednesdayPosted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Wednesday, September 15, 2021 Bull elk will even bugle to the cows when they're straying too far from the group. Sometimes, the noise is used to communicate to another bull to steer clear. Some bugles are meant to simply announce a bull's presence in the area with his harem. Research suggests that elk bugles can communicate a range of information. The rut is upon us and so is the sound of bull elk bugling.

Colorado scenery elk