SLIDESHOW: Collegiate Peaks' fall glow

COLLEGIATE PEAKS - OK, we Pikes Peak-area residents have the state's most famous fourteener right in our backyard. But sometimes, wouldn't it be nice to see other mountains?

Set aside a day, grab the camera and extra clothes, hop in the car and head west to the Collegiate Peaks.

In autumn, the colors are breathtaking, with bright golden and orange leaves contrasting with navy-blue fourteeners topped with white. The air is crisp and scented with essence of forest. And it's all accessible via a paved road, less than two hours from Colorado Springs.

The climb from Buena Vista into the Collegiate Peaks via Cottonwood Pass is only about 23 miles, but the road rises more than 4,000 feet, from the green trees in the 7,955-foot-high town to the wind-stripped branches near timberline and on up to the summit at 12,126 feet. And that means the weather can vary from the sunny 70s in Buena Vista to the snowy 50s or lower at the summit, so dress accordingly.

But that comes later. Before you get to the mountains, enjoy the journey.

Only a fool would try to predict when leaves will begin turning, but it's better to go too early than too late. Arriving somewhere to find the trees are just edging into yellow is the perfect excuse for a return trip, but aim for late September to early October.

The drive alone, west on U.S. Highway 24, makes this worth the gas. The trees at the lower elevations around Woodland Park are worth a few stops, as are the groves in the Divide, Florissant and Lake George area.

The 9,507-foot summit of Wilkerson Pass, about 10 miles west of Lake George, has picnic tables and restrooms, so it's a good place for a leg-stretching, view-enjoying, leaf-photographing stop.

Afterward, push on across South Park to Hartsel. You may see the antelope herd that hangs out south of the highway, offering another photo opportunity.

Past Hartsel, the highway splits; continue southwest on Highway 24.

The road snakes through hills for about 25 miles until it breaks out into the valley bounded on the west by the Collegiate Peaks. This is your first glimpse of these gentle giants: Mounts Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Harvard and Oxford, fourteeners all.

U.S. 24 goes through Johnson Village, a haven for river rafting companies; just beyond that turn right (north) for the two-mile drive to Buena Vista.

As you approach the town's only stoplight, you'll see a sign on the right that tells you whether Cottonwood Pass is open. At the stoplight, turn left and you're on County Road 306/West Main Street. Watch for the deer that like to amble into town to snack on lawns.
The well-maintained road heads southwest through the outskirts of Buena Vista and steadily climbs through the valley Cottonwood Creek carved into the mountains of the San Isabel National Forest.

You'll see cliffs, beaver dams, lakes and meadows, but those are just backdrops for the drama of the turning leaves. The aspens are photogenic whether they're bending over the creek, standing in front of peaks or mixed in with evergreens. Their leaves are beautiful shimmering on the tree or resting on the ground. If it's early enough in the day, the fallen leaves may still have sparkles of dew on them.

Several parking lots, serving hikers on Denny Creek and Avalanche trails, and the occasional graveled shoulder are just right for parking to take photos. The lakes include Rainbow, which is private, Ptarmigan and Cottonwood, and many smaller, unnamed bodies of water. The area is popular with bicyclists and equestrians, so keep an eye out for them on the two-lane, winding road.

The bare, windswept summit, of course, is no place to look for leaves, but it's still worth a visit. After several hairpin turns, the road reaches a large parking lot perched on what feels like the roof of Colorado. In every direction, the view will sock you in the eye.

The county line follows the Continental Divide; Chaffee County, on the east side, paves the road, but Gunnison County, on the west side, does not. If it has snowed recently, the summit might be the right place to turn around and head back.

Now's your chance to see and photograph the vistas from the other direction, at a different time of day, as you drop down from the mountains.