Crystal River Canyon by CO 133, Placita, CO, 9/24/2011
This clear early autumn day began with an exploration of the Crystal River Canyon around the town of Redstone, Colorado. The canyon - a glacial valley also called the Valley of the Coal Miners - is historically known as a center of coal mining in the southwestern part of the state. Just south of Placita - an old coal mining town site near Redstone - a group of quaking aspen trees (Populus tremuloides) caught my eye with their lemon colored leaves glowing in the morning sun! The trees (at an elevation of 7,560 feet above sea level) are at the base of McClure Pass (elevation 8,763 feet) to the west. The entire mountainside was covered with beautiful autumn colors in both the deciduous trees and the surrounding shrubs. This area is in the heart of the Elk Mountains, a high, rugged mountain range within the Rocky Mountains.
