2022/09/22

The aspen canopy along the Last Dollar Road near Telluride, Colorado

© Grant Ordelheide/Tandem Stills + Motion

There's a chance this dazzling, ground-up view of fall foliage is not where you think it is. While New England garners most of the leaf-peeping attention in the US this time of year, the high country of Colorado puts on a spectacular show out West. The aspens of the Centennial State turn shades of gold and orange in autumn, which officially starts today. Fall typically marks the end of vacations, the beginning of school, the arrival of chilly nights, and, if you're lucky, a display of leaves turned brilliant shades of gold and red. This thicket of aspen trees is on the Last Dollar Road, an 18-mile scenic drive in southwest Colorado that is as dramatic as its name suggests, with switchbacks and stunning views of peaks and meadows and of course the aspen trees that paint the land come September. Aspens thrive in the cold winters and cool summers of western North America, where they grow at altitudes between 5,000 to 11,000 feet. Their distinct, round leaves quake in the wind, making it appear as if the trees are glittering in the sunlight. Aspens generally grow on west-facing slopes, gorging on the afternoon sun. They're among the world's largest living organisms because aspen groves share a single root system. They're also the state's only native deciduous tree and cover about a fifth of its forested land. There are many places to see them, but none better than the Last Dollar Road. It's unique among scenic byways in the US. For one, it's not a highway at all, but a road, and a dirt road at that. It joins the towns of Ridgway in the north and Telluride in the south, but this bumpy path twists and turns in every direction as well as up and down. The road is never plowed, so when the first snow falls, the road closes and stays closed until spring arrives. That makes this the last time of year you can take this drive, and it happens to be the most beautiful. Just make sure your tires have plenty of tread and your shock absorbers are ready for a workout.