With morning light penetrating the trees, golden hour takes on new meaning. The iconic aspen leaves quake and flutter in the wind like confetti.

September 30, 2024

The hour is early. It’s 4 a.m. and we must leave our home in Monument, Colorado, to drive up the front range to Rocky Mountain National Park before sunrise if we want to catch the morning elk rut. Every fall, male elk can be heard bugling in search of a mate. The eerie sound pierces the highlands, but only those who dare to wake up early enough can catch sight of this unique display of courtship as this is the hour when the males are visible in the open meadows. So we crawl out of bed and race up the mountains to be among the few to witness this seasonal tradition.

We pull into Upper Beaver Meadows Trailhead and keep our eyes peeled for elk in the surrounding fields. Nothing. Wondering if we should look elsewhere, we park the car and sit waiting for a sign. Not long after, another car pulls in behind us and parks. Immediately the driver exits the car and runs back down the road. Curious, we follow. Sure enough, in the morning twilight we drove right past a gorgeous bull elk a mere 50 yards from the road. His rack is impressive, massive and picturesque. We watch as he crosses the road and ventures into Upper Beaver Meadows toward the treeline, bugling along the way. Not a bad start to the day.

As we exit Beaver Meadows, we run into two mule deer casually grazing on the side of the dirt road. The more mature buck looks in our direction just as the sun breaks the horizon, illuminating the fall foliage behind him—a photo opportunity I expect difficult to top. And yet a few miles downroad near Sheep Lakes we spot another bull elk majestically walking among the grass, bugling his lungs out. I snap pictures wildly, giddy with contentment for what the day has already given us.

Fall colors are on full display here in Rocky Mountain, so to take advantage of them we head up Old Fall River Road next and find a dense aspen grove. With morning light penetrating the trees, golden hour takes on new meaning. The iconic aspen leaves quake and flutter in the wind like confetti. While stopped, we scope out the nearby Alluvial Fan for more autumn color. We are not disappointed. The cascading waterfall is flanked by deep orange and bright yellow aspens.

The morning is drawing to a close and we must return home after lunch so we press on up Fall River Road. This rather tame dirt road climbs 9 miles up to Fall River Pass and the Alpine Visitor Center at nearly 12,000 feet of elevation. Along the way we spot moose and coyote taking advantage of shoulder season, when cooler temperatures and lighter crowds allow the wildlife to be more active and visible.

Atop Fall River Pass, we descend back down into the park via the paved Trail Ridge Road. Stopping at pullouts along the way we take in the panoramic views of the upper Rocky Mountains. Peaks tower together in large bulking masses of rock and cliff. We feel small as we crawl down the shoulders of these granite giants towards Deer Ridge Junction and exit the park through Estes Park, Colorado, content with the bounty of our visit. We came for only half a day, but even several hours in Rocky Mountain does not disappoint.