What do you want to shot in the Winter?
NOTE: Unless otherwise stated these tour options can be part of a 4, 6, or 8 hour trip.
Sunrise options can be adjusted to start after sunrise as well, but when it happens sunrise is the best photographic time of day.
Don't see the option you want, we can customize a trip just for you.
Wildlife
Spring Wildlife - All Spring - In the Spring season we generally see Elk, Mule Deer, Big Horn Sheep and Coyotes nearly everyday. The Big Horn Sheep are often close to the road in April and into May. We also find Pine Squirrels, Abert's Squirrels, Magpies, and sometimes various hawks and eagles. Generally best morning and evenings.
Coyotes - All Spring - The Coyotes are very active in the mid morning through mid afternoon. They are generally alone, but sometimes in a small pack hunting small rodents. We can often get within 40 yards, and something they are just outside the car window. Its a great time to get them leaping through the grass.
Big Horn Sheep - April - May - With the arrival of spring the Big Horn Sheep come down the mountain to eat the fresh green grass. Spring is without a doubt the best time to reliably see Big Horns. Late April and early May are thee best time to photograph rams generally.
Cute Fuzzy Mammals - As the spring progresses we see more and more ground squirrels, chipmunks, and yellow-bellied marmots. All of them make great subjects, as on warm days they sit around on a warm rock a good bit getting ready for summer. May they become an everyday feature.
Elk - Just a note, the Bull Elk lose their antlers around March 15th, so by late April and through May the bulls will have small velveted nubs for antlers. Also they shed their winter coats in May so they can look rather unkept.
Sunrise
NOTE: Sunrises in the Spring are often really great. April has more cloudy windy mornings, May is generally more clear. About 60% of the mornings we get great color in the mountains, clear blue skies, very few clouds, a just a bit of wind.
Moraine Park Sunrise - Moraine Park offers a great view of the mountains with the Big Thompson River running through a grassy meadow. Mid to late Spring the river starts to run high making for a great dynamic scene. This is a drive up location which requires a start of 30 minutes before sunrise. From there we can hit a variety of landscape locations or search for wildlife.
Sprague Lake Sunrise - Sprague Lake offers a great mountain range reflecting in a subalpine lake, dependent on the lake thawing. Some mornings you can get great reflections, and the wide view offers a good number of compositions. This destination requires a start time 45 minutes before sunrise. Because it is only about 25 minutes from Estes Park this starting destination can be part of a 4, 6, or 8 hour tour, and from here we can focus on more landscapes, macros and flower shots, or wildlife.
Dream Lake Snowshoe Sunrise (4 or 6 hour tour) Easy to Medium Hike - Yes we still snowshoe in spring. Sunrise at Dream Lake is one of the best 1 mile hike photo spots in the park, and it produces some fantastic photos. This tour requires a start of 1 hour and 30 minutes before sunrise. It is an easy snowshoe hike for fit individuals, medium for folks from lower elevations and are not as active. In the 6 hour option we will continue up to Emerald Lake which offers more mountain views. On the way down hill we can stop at Nymph and Bear Lake for landscapes. NOT AVAILABLE Spring 2012 due to Bear Lake Road Construction.
Flower Macros
Spring Flowers - The first flowers of spring generally show up on April 5th or so. By late April there is a good selection of flowers to shot. An by mid May the options are great.
Flower Fields - By mid-May there will be patches of flowers in some of the meadows of Rocky Mountain National Park that can offer some great landscape shots.
Waterfalls
Late Spring offers high water and a great time to get the silky waterfall and white water. Waterfall shots are best during cloudy weather, just after sunrise still in the shade, or before sunset. Often waterfall shots are the consolation prize for a cloudy day. The park offers a number of great falls.
Glacier Creek and other Falls- Spring offers some great chances to photograph river cascades and waterfalls as they grow in strength as the snow melt. These can be drive up or hiking destinations.
Chasm Falls - May - This waterfall is a 30 minute walk up Fall River Road. Chasm Falls offers a few different shots and other white water cascades. Chasm is a great option in the late afternoon because the falls are shadowed by 5pm.
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