Denver Photographic Opportunities

[MicWayWal]

I am going to Denver in the very near future for pure photographic pleasure (ppp). Where are the don't miss spots for some great photographs in and around the Mile High City? Where should I go? I will be in downtown Denver, Estes Park, and may go down to Colorado Springs. Help me get a plan together.

[alamoshutterbug]

Botanical gardens has a great greenhouse perfect for plant and architectural study. Can't go wrong with the museums in town. The aquarium is very corporate and perhaps more shop / restaurant than aquarium and hard to photograph, i.e. low light, narrow and crowded isles and scratched glass. The zoo is par for the course as zoos go with nothing spectacular but still a good place to see and shoot. Want strange characters on the street? Try Colfax Ave. downtown. Want good skylines? Head to the Morrison / Red Rocks area. Poking around downtown on a weekend night will net action no matter what. Perhaps just as important would be the scenery on the way, you are driving right? 287 runs past some very neat stuff, lots of boredom too, but some spots worth seeing nonetheless. Hope this helps.

[MicWayWal]

Originally Posted by alamoshutterbug

Perhaps just as important would be the scenery on the way, you are driving right? 287 runs past some very neat stuff, . . .

I thought we would drive up I-25 from NE New Mexico. But I can change my plans if Hwy 287 is worth it. Would you recommend one way or the other?

[alamoshutterbug]

Well, I personally prefer 287 over your proposed route but it just kinda depends on what you want to see. The way you want to go you could hit CO Springs too without making it a side trip, but, as interstates go, it's pretty much lots of fast food and concrete, so if you know of small side trips, or have a book that has some, then that might be worth your while. If you take I25 from Santa Fe, you can hit the Sangre de Cristo mountains which is a very neat drive thru the forest. 287 is one lane each way, sometimes 2, most of the way with lots of small towns that you HAVE to drive thru; it makes the trip longer but I think you are more inclined to stop and poke about. You will get several TX courthouses, the line of buried cars near Amarillo, planes with amber waves, ruins, BIG skies, a train track. You also get REALLY close to some wind power fields and that rocks. Both routes will show you a lot of stuff. I have made the Dallas to Denver drive numerous times and have taken a slightly different route each time. Last time it was 287 to 64 to 25. The neat part about taking this trip is that you have a spider's web of state and county roads to work with, so the more complicated your are willing to make it, the more likely you will find something special, but you will spend your whole day doing it. So now you have some idea of what is out there, a little more research should get you a decent list of things you want to structure your route around. The last time I returned from a Colorado trip was the the most spectacular road trip experience I have ever had, and I have had many: We left Vail in a snowstorm, drove 64 in a windstorm, got my buddies car nearly totaled in a hail storm outside Amarillo, had to leave a town already on lockdown for safety because, well, it was already locked down, witness the formation of a number of tornados on a wall cloud once we had gotten ahead of the storm. We ended up driving right thru a cell that spawned 60 tornados and made national news without knowing it. I am very excited for you because this is something I have done a lot and its one of the better ways to kill a day driving. Have fun and I'll post any other stuff I might recall about the drive.

Cheers

[MicWayWal]

Originally Posted by alamoshutterbug

The last time a returned from a Colorado trip was the the most spectacular road trip experience I have ever had, and I have had many . . .

Thanks Eric,
This is what I was hoping for. Someone with experience that can help me decide how to "do it right".

[alamoshutterbug]

I think as long as you are driving and doing your best to see what's out there you are doing it right. Bear in mind, that was a spectacular experience only because of the danger we put ourselves in (at one point my buddy called his father to have the "last talk"), but each time I have driven to Colorado I have seen something cool on the way. If you haven't already decided to do this, may I suggest returning by a different route than you took to get there. I shouldn't make such a fuss about the drive, but it's going to total two days of your trip so you might as well make the best of it. Watch the weather or have the appropriate radio station programed because it can change fast and with a fury.

[PhotoChicken]

Wow what a great post I have to go to Denver in August and i was wondering the same thing.

[alamoshutterbug]

Oh, and some more info for when you get there. Take an hour or two and go into the mountains. Or make a day out of exploring some of the mountain backroads and some of the state parks off of I 70. Boulder is a cool town with interesting shopping, but not many attractions. If it counts as late spring, summer when you are there, many of the ski towns will operate their gondolas for a couple of bucks and that is worth doing, but call in advance to make sure the lodges are doing it. On the west side of the mountains the mining towns are full of neat stuff to look at and photograph, lots of town and factory ruins and some touristy revamps of mines into museums.

Show us pics when you get back.

[LoungeLizard]

I was just in Ft. Collins recently - and will be back again every couple of weeks.

Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park to the north of Denver are wonderful. A good day - and the road across to Grand Lake should open up in the next couple of weeks.

I'm planning on my next visit to go down to Colorado Springs and hit Garden of the Gods and take a couple of days and travel a bit further south to Great Sand Dunes National Park.

This site has great info and you can get literature VERY QUICKLY from them.

You can see some of what I got in about a half day at Rocky Mountain National Park here.

Oh, be prepared for weather changes (easily 15-30 degree difference between "ground level" and up in the mountains) as well as the effect of the thin air and low humidity on you as you hike and such.

[MicWayWal]

Originally Posted by alamoshutterbug

Show us pics when you get back.

You bet I will. Thanks for your help. Keep the ideas and suggestions coming.

[bluman95]

I would reccomend Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. You can also take the Cog Railway to the top of Pikes Peak in Manitou Springs. Old Colorado City is also very nice, reminds me of Fredricksburgh but in Colorado.

[AllenAyres]

It's still snowing up there, you should be able to grab some great photos, have fun :thumbsup:

[pippin]

No snow sticking though.. Its just light dustings now.

Like the snow we got this morning in denver lol. None left and we're back to being sunny.

There's lots of cool places to go. How long will you have? I know some pretty backroads if you're interested.

[idnurse41]

Originally Posted by MicWayWal

I am going to Denver in the very near future for pure photographic pleasure (ppp). Where are the don't miss spots for some great photographs in and around the Mile High City? Where should I go? I will be in downtown Denver, Estes Park, and may go down to Colorado Springs. Help me get a plan together.

We've been to Colorado Springs quite a bit. Check out Manitou Springs which is next to CO Springs. There you will find the Garden of the Gods, The Cave of the Winds, Pike's Peak, the Indian Dwellings as well as unique shops and the town Square. There is a lovely Episcopal Church within the downtown area surrounded by the springs thenmselves.

Just a suggestion-enjoy your trip:0

[MicWayWal]

Originally Posted by pippin

There's lots of cool places to go. How long will you have? I know some pretty backroads if you're interested.

This is just a quick little get away for our family. Our four kids are home from college and we wanted to spend some time together before they start their internships for the summer. One day travel in the Suburban, three days in Denver, one day travel back. We have planned one major thing a day and will fill in the rest of the time with small things to make a day. I will have a lot of time to take pictures early in the day because my kids love to sleep. They also know how I am about photography. They put with my addiction to creating a great image.

We would like to take a picturesque scenic ride into the mountains for one day. But we do not know enough to know where to go. Any suggestions?