wildflower presentation dougbennett-mini
DESCRIPTION
This is a scaled-down version of the wonderful presentation given to the Lone Tree Photography Club by Doug BennettTRANSCRIPT
Wildflower Photography in the San Juan Mountains
Where, How To Get There, and When
Presenter: Doug Bennett
Last Dollar Road&
Silver Pick Basin
First Opportunity of the Season!!
13 June 2010F13, 27mm
12 June 2010f16, 45mm
12 June 2010f16, 60mm
26 June 2010F13, 27mm
Last Dollar Road& Silver Pick Basin
• Assessable by Car
• Middle to Latter Part of June Should Be Great
• Morning and Evening Both Good, Scout Locations During Day
• West Dallas Creek Rd Dangerous When Wet (Clay)
Yankee Boy Basin
Widely Famous and Deservedly So
Yankee Boy Basin• Can be assessable by a high clearance vehicle
– But dangerous if a big rain comes. . .saw a Nissan Pathfinder that had fell off the road
• Great combination of waterfalls and wildflowers
• Stay on the trails as this is private property (owned by a mining company who allow access)
• Mid to late July prime time for wildflowers. . .I’d say the 20th
• Morning and evening both good
Governor Basin
Beautiful but tough to get to
Governor Basin
• At a higher elevation so the flowers peak later. . .around first week in August
• You need high clearance rugged 4-wheel drive– Jeep, Toyota 4-Runner, Nissan X-Terra, etc– No Toyota Highlanders, Subarus or other crossover SUVs
(which now includes some Jeeps)– Road is quite narrow and rough. . .you need to be an
experienced off-roader
Imogene Pass
My Favorite 4-Wheel Drive Road
Imogene Pass Rd• The east side of the pass is best
• Most fun 4-wheel Jeep trail. . .in one part you are driving down a flowing stream bed
• Again, you need a rugged 4-wheel drive vehicle
• Ruins of the Tom Boy Mine are on the west side of Pass
• Great high mountain lakes!!!
Red Mountain Pass Area
Lots of Varied PhotographicOpportunities
Red Mountain Pass Area
• Rich in mining history and old photogenic mining structures
• Best sites are north of the pass along U.S. Hwy 550 (east side of highway)
• Watch out for deer in the evenings. . .highest concentration I’ve ever encountered as I drove back north to Ouray so drive SLOW
Stony Pass
Great Paintbrush and DeservingOf More Exploration
Stony Pass
• Get a local map at Visitors’ Center in Silverton so you don’t miss the turn
• Highest density of paintbrush I have seen anywhere
• Road really rocky in places so best to have offroad tires
American Basin
John Fielder’s Favorite for Wildflowers
5 Aug
American Basin
• Often raining in the afternoons so I recommend shooting in the morning
• Lots of opportunities with the streams and wildflowers
• Road really rocky in places so best to have offroad tires
Black Bear Pass Rd
My Favorite!!!!You’ll Find Treasures Here You
Won’t Find Anywhere Else!!
4 Aug
21 July 2010f36, 60mm
Black Bear Pass Rd
• Approach from the east side. . .do not go down the west side!!!!!!
• You can’t beat the combination of wildflowers and Red
Mountain. . .great evening shooting!!!
• Have an early dinner in Ouray and go to Black Bear in the evening and spend time there!
• Watch out for the deer on the way back to Ouray!
Wildflowers in the San Juan Mountains
• Do Black Bear Pass Rd for sure!!!!!
• And if you can get to Yankee Boy Basin, you’ll love it!!!
• And if you don’t have a rugged 4-wheel drive, you can get to American Basin pretty easy from the Lake City side (come in from the east)
• Once you go, you’ll go back a lot!!!!!
• And the Fall Color in the San Juans is Spectacular!!!!!
Crested Butte
Great Flowers & Hiking Reaps Even More Rewards. . .I Hear
11 Jul, Kebler Pass
11 Jul f5.6 @ 190mm
3 Jul, Just north of Mt Crested Butte
3 Jul, Washington Gulch Rd
Lead King Loop1 August 2010F9, 24mm
14 Aug, f4.8 24mm T/SMaroon Bells
Woodland Park
Burn Areas Offer Splendid Opportunities
Hayman Burn Area19 Jun North of Woodland Park