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Nestled in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, Guanella Pass is a stunning mountain pass that boasts a rich history and is a favorite destination for photographers who are seeking to capture the beauty of the high alpine environment. With its winding roads that are open year-round, the Guanella Pass provides some of the most amazing photography opportunities in Colorado, including huge mountain tops (known as “fourteeners” locally due to their 14,000+ foot peaks), crystal clear mountain streams, beautiful cascading waterfalls, and alpine meadows.
One of the most spectacular features of the Guanella Pass is its mountain stream that follows a wonderfully scenic route through beautiful pine forests from the top of the pass all the way to the front range. This stream provides an excellent opportunity to capture stunning photographs of streams, waterfalls, and cascades. The boulders that make up the stream’s bedrock provide great platforms from which to take photos from the middle of the river. During the spring melt, the stream turns into a raging river, so it’s essential to be careful while taking photos.
Break out your neutral density filter, as you will want to make use of those long exposures to get the coolest water effects. To get to the best locations for shooting, we will have to do a dash of “bushwhacking” and/or boulder hoping, but believe me, it’s worth it! If you are not comfortable with that, no worries, there are still beautiful photographs to be had alongside the trail.
At over 11,669 feet, once we reach the Guanella Pass Summit, we will have entered the alpine world. Life survives in a fragile balance between freezing temperatures and intense sunlight. This may look like a grassy prairie, but plants and animals survive here through months of below-zero temperatures, little water, intense sunlight, and snow measured by the foot! A tiny alpine plant the size of a quarter may well be over thirty years old.
Two short 1/4 mile hikes allow us to take grand panoramic photos of the surrounding mountain peaks. Peaks include Square Top Mountain (13,794 ft), Gray Wolf Mountain (13,602 ft), Mount Spalding (13,842 ft), The Sawtooth (13,580 ft), and Mount Bierstadt (14,060 ft).
For those looking for more of an adventure, we can visit two alpine lakes (Square Top Mountain Lakes) that are hidden from view above the Summit road. The hike itself is not long (approx 3 miles round trip), but the altitude and incline make it very difficult for most “lowlanders.” Once there, we will be above 12,000 feet and witness the splendor of two mirror-like lakes surrounded by wildflowers (dependent on season) with towering mountain peaks reflected in the waters.
As we journey through Guanella Pass, we will come across lovely mountain glades periodically, with open wetlands where beavers have made their mark, creating natural wetlands with a small curvy stream winding through them. You can often catch some cranes in the area (really don’t know why they are up so high, but you do find them), beavers of course and also deer and elk. Birds of prey are also a frequent visitor to the area and make for great shots as they cruise the mountain sides.
In the summertime (which is Spring for this elevation), we often find a wide variety of wildflowers in the area. You will want a macro lens for these flowers as they are generally very small, which
