Wildside Weekender
COLORADO: Antlers & Aspen Rocky Mountain NP
TOUR FOCUS
PHOTOGRAPHY
SCHEDULED TOURS
TRIP LEADERS
TOUR COST
From: $2,650 (See details)
Cost is per person, double occupancy from Denver, CO (DIA)
GROUP SIZE
6-8 Participants
AVAILABILITY
2025 Dates TBD
PRIVATE TOUR OPTION
This tour is available as a private trip for any size group. The tour cost will vary with the number of people and any custom requests.
TESTIMONIALS
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Highlights of COLORADO: Antlers & Aspen Rocky Mountain NP
Description of COLORADO: Antlers & Aspen Rocky Mountain NP
Travel to the breathtakingly beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park and find yourself swimming in a sea of golden aspen during the magical fall elk rut. This four-day excursion will introduce you to a vocal extravaganza as bull elk control their harems in some of the most beautiful landscapes that the West has to offer.
Roam with former NANPA president and resident photographer and guide Dawn Wilson and Beyond the Wild Podcast host Ron Hayes. The pair will provide you with opportunities to photograph behaviors unique to the elk rut, the incredible night skies of the park in the new moon and the aspen riddled landscapes located near Estes Park, Colorado.
While the elk and aspens are our primary focus moose, bighorn sheep, pika, yellow-bellied marmots, and Stellar’s jays are frequently observed. Opportunities for bobcats, black bears, fox and the elusive Abert’s squirrelare also possibilities.
Rising before dawn, we will travel to mountain locations in order to capture the famous Rocky Mountain sunrises as we are greeted with the ear-piercing bugle of the bull elk. We will spend the first hours of the day with the elk in hopes of securing images of the “bugle breath” as their rut warmed lungs exhale into the frosty morning air leaving the impression that these majestic ungulates do in fact breathe fire. As the light rises we will move up the mountain, weather permitting, to find the smaller and cuter inhabitants of the park, like the pika. We will spend the middle of the day back at the lodge backing up, downloading, and critiquing images prior to moving back to the park for another evening of rut activity. You will have your breath taken away by the views and grow weary from the never-ending opportunity to capture the grandeur of the Colorado mountain scapes.
Night brings options of its own as the new moon provides photographic challenges with the the Milky Way aglow high above the tall peaks that surround the park. The explosion of color in the fall creates a surprisingly gorgeous foreground for astrophotography prior to our settling in for the night. Opportunities will abound for this game and target rich environment.
This workshop will be moderately physically demanding and you should plan accordingly with footwear and gear. Participants will want to allow for opportunities for 14-600mm and two camera bodies are recommended.
Location Map
Colorado
Estes Park, CO 80517
8500 Peña Blvd, Denver, CO 80249