Every few years, Virginia and I make an effort to visit the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. Sometimes we go in fall and enjoy the wildflowers. At other times we try to arrive towards the end of September to catch the aspen forests as they transition into their fall brilliance. Such was the case last month. When we left on our drive from Utah, it wasn’t our intent to drive the entire loop. We kept an open and flexible schedule because we were not sure what the status of change would be. We had a few highlights we looked forward to, but much of our time was left free. Our jumping off point on the Skyway was Ridgway. We spent our first two nights there. We arrived in the early afternoon and found a camping site at Ridgway State Park Campground, a favorite place to stay.

Ridgway and its surrounding terrain were used as the film background for the 1969 John Wayne classic, True Grit. That is one of my favorite films. I looked forward this trip to finding some of the iconic locations used in the film. I had heard of Owl Creek Pass before but had never taken the time to explore it. With several hours until sunset and the dirt road across the highway from the state park, we quickly dropped off the trailer and made our way up the pass. As the road winds through the forest, vast vistas of aspen and cliffs opened before us. We stopped at every pullout that was broad enough to fit the 4Runner. We had beautiful conditions of stormy skies and a sinking sun. The road eventually passes by Silver Jack Reservoir, but we never made it that far. There was far too much to shoot lower down and the sunset wouldn’t last that long. There are several stunning film locations on this drive. Perhaps the most famous being the meadow used in the final conflict where Rooster confronts Ned Pepper’s gang in one of the best John Wayne shootouts ever filmed. The meadow has come to be called The True Grit Meadow and is backed by the towering Chimney Rock. When we first arrived at the meadow, I recognized that it would be a killer shot if I could catch it in golden hour light, which wasn’t for another hour. We drove on up the pass and explored more sites, and then returned to the meadow for the last fleeting moments of sunset on Chimney Rock. It was worth the wait.

Another favorite place to watch for autumn color is on Red Mountain Pass between Ouray and Silverton. This is simply one of the most photogenic locations along the Million Dollar Highway on the San Juan Scenic Byway. We stopped at Crystal Lake early in the morning and photographed sunrise as the light crept over Red Mountain. The drive through Silverton and Durango was beautiful although the fall colors were not as intense as around Ouray. We stopped for the night at Mesa Verde National Park. Because we arrived late in the afternoon, we were not able to acquire tickets to the well-known cliff dwellings. We explored on our own and enjoyed small hikes along the mesa rim.

The next morning, we continued along the loop, driving up the Dolores River canyon. That drive was equally vibrant and beautiful. I only made a few images in this area because the gorge was narrow and heavily forested. I had a difficult time finding locations where I could capture this magnificent landscape. The road opened up more as we approached Lizard Head Pass. With the dramatic storm clouds once again blowing in, I photographed once again the great San Juan Mountains.

Because the reports I read on the internet indicated that the aspen around the Dallas Divide were not looking good, we decided to not continue back to Ridgway and complete the loop. Instead, we left the Skyway after passing by Telluride and took a scenic backroad into Utah and drove through Moab. It was a spectacular weekend drive along one of the most scenic highways in America.