Photograph Fall Colors at Bear Lake

Rocky Mountain National Park is a great place to see the changing colors of the leaves in the Fall. Get there early for sunrise to avoid the crowds as Fall is the busiest time of the year in RMNP. Bear Lake is a popular spot but offers many photo opportunities. My favorite spot to get a photograph of red aspens, Bear Lake, and Longs peak all in the frame is on the backside of the Bear Lake Trail. Go around the trail until you see all of the aspens and once you see some large rocks you will have to hike up off trail and scramble on some rocks for a little while. Once you go up far enough you will find an opening in the aspens where you'll get a great view of Longs Peak. Both sunrise and sunset offer great photographic opportunities. The peak fall colors is around the 2nd to 3rd week in September.  The area around Bear Lake also offers a lot of other things to do. From the Bear Lake trailhead you can go do many other popular hikes such as Dream Lake, Emerald Lake, Mills Lake, Loch Vale, and more. Fall is also a great time to view the Elk Rut while you're waiting for sunset. There is never a shortage of great views in Rocky Mountain National Park