By far, some of the most photographed places in Rocky Mountain National Park are Bear Lake, Dream Lake, and Sprague Lake. These areas offer easy access, beautiful reflections, and for the effort and time put into photographing these locales produce stunning images. Photos of these lakes are hard to botch, and add real value and depth to a portfolio. However, if you are headed to Rocky Mountain National Park and you want try out some different locations other than these super common areas try checking out these 3 places to add some diversity to your portfolio and maybe take you to a place to avoid shooting should to shoulder with 10 other photographers, and still find and area that is not so remote.
No.1 Lake Bierstadt
This area sometimes gets a negative rap because of its access ; steep switchbacks start up the trail and many times mud can be prevalent after you reach the plateau. However this is a 1.6 mile hike and I have made this trip myself in under 40 minutes. This is, by all accounts, a summer or even late summer lake. Ice can stay on this lake till the end of May, and grass there will generally not turn green until July. A lot of photographers visit this lake in spring or fall and see that the lake looks a little rough, and some can conclude it is a weak locale for photos. In addition, its position makes it difficult to photograph it anywhere that is not the east side of the lake (basically meaning this is a morning lake only). I don’t want to say morning only but I have tried to do evenings here and I haven’t succeeded so far. But by timing this locale for 50 day window of July 1st to August 20th you can have a good chance to see one of the most beautiful reflections in the Bear Lake Corridor.
No.2 The Alluvial Fan
This is a waterfall found just inside the Rocky Mountain National Park’s boundary on Old Fall River Road. This area tends to slip through the cracks. People generally find this place on their own, and have even photographed it, but generally in the middle of the day. However, this set of falls really comes alive in the early morning. On frigid mornings fog rises off the falls adding drama to an already spectacular scene. As the visitation to Rocky Mountain National Park increases steadily, year after year, going out early in the morning will greatly reduce the number of people you have to shoot around while viewing the Alluvial Fan. One other thing to keep in mind, as I wrote in my entry about Photographing Waterfalls, low light is the best time to photograph moving water, so morning here, or late evening yields wonderful lighting and therefore the best results.
No.3 Mills Lake
Mills Lake is the last on this list. There were many places I thought of which to put in the number 3 spot but I chose this location specifically because it differs greatly from the other 2 locations in one primary way. Because I live on the eastern side of the mountains almost all the spots I photograph are early morning spots. But Mills Lake is a spot that can and should be photographed in the evening. The orange and red light from the evening sun will light the back of Longs Peak and the Keyboard Of The Winds, and give a nice glowing reflection in the lake itself. The added bonus of Mills Lake is that Alberta Falls can be seen on the way to the lake.
Remember, weather can often be an opportunity. Stay safe on the trails, and remember to find your own voice and have fun doing it.