Travel Colorado
Lead King Basin ~ Crystal Mill ~ Ouray ~ Crested Butte~
Late Spring Wildflower & Lush Summer Days Workshops
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Hello all, it's Rachel. I am so happy that you have stopped by my website. I look forward to telling you about my photographic workshops.
First, they are as much tours of the area we are visiting as they are workshops. I have spent thousands of hours exploring Colorado to uncover the most stunning landscape and cultural sites possible for our excursions. All summer workshops, although visiting similar destinations, will have uniquely designed routes giving all those who desire to attend one (or more) spring, summer and fall excursions the opportunity to experience a variety of planned and unplanned stops during each workshops; each distinctively different from the other. In the June & July months the wildflowers in the high country are VAST and demand frequent unplanned stops to capture the beauty of Colorado's high elevation early summer displays as waterfalls spring to life statewide. In August & September summer months lush green valleys, dramatic cloud formations and high mountain lakes offer an abundance of beautiful landscapes to document. As summer transitions into autumn, Colorado comes alive with golden Aspen leaves. This year there will be a tour dedicated to historical mills, wayward barns, and old country fence lines.
(Custom packages are available for a half day, single day or two day excursions or as add-ons)
Below you will find sample itineraries and a list of my tours scheduled for the 2022 spring wildflower season. Aside from the group tour dates listed below, private single day, weekend, and week long tours are available for photographers ranging from beginning hobbyist to professional level enthusiasts. Each photographer who joins me for a "group" tour, will receive one-on-one and group instruction each day of the tour. All skill levels are encouraged to attend as I incorporate technique building skills for all levels into each stop. Due to vast weather patterns here in Colorado, there are times when I do not know until a few days prior to the workshops what exact route we will take, but try to ensure we hit the published destinations.
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Below the scheduled itineraries give you an idea of what you can expect on a typical day. On each excursion my groups travel from town to town, and through different ecological areas of Colorado. As we uncover the beauty of this incredible state, we'll talk about photographic composition and techniques; I'm share a little about Colorado's rich culture, history and geological facts.
Tour Spring/Summer Colorado Wildflowers 1 July 13th -17th & 20th - 24th
Tours are $950 (not including hotels, meals and jeep tours which will be booked separately. Will share discount info privately)
Arrival
Wednesday (DIA) Arrive NO LATER than 3pm if at all possible.
Drive to Snowmass - Random Stops along the way depending on full group arrival and ETA to hotel
Overnight in Snowmass, CO
Images shared above represent some of the potential stops along the way.
Day One
Thursday: Maroon Bells & Crystal River Mill
Highlights
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(World Renown) Maroon Bells at Sunrise
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Lead King Basin/ Crystal River Jeep Tours - 5 hours -jeep tour is bumpy in places. $200 p/p
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Kebler Pass (Largest Aspen Grove in the World) - gentle dirt road travel
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Overnight in Ouray, CO (2 nights)
Day Two
Friday: Ouray/Telluride/Silverton
Highlights
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Last Dollar Road/San Juan Mountain Range/Telluride or Silverton /Red Mountain Pass/ Molas Pass (weather pending which direction we go)
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Overnight in Ouray, CO (2 Nights)
Day Three
Saturday: Ouray/Scenic Jeep Tour/ Governor's Pass & Corkscrew Trails
Highlights
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World Renown Ouray, CO; named the Switzerland of America
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Box Canyon Falls $10 p/p
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Scenic Ouray Jeep Tour $150
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Red Mountain Pass....extraordinary 14,000 peaks, mountains with rich mineral deposits, and dynamic scenery. Many say most beautiful scenery in the US.
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Overnight in Crested Butte, CO (1 Night)
Day Four
Sunday: Crested Butte
Highlights
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Crested Butte (historic barns, cabins.......massive wildflower displays)
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My favorite lake in CO, Nicholson Lake
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Ohio Pass - gentle dirt road travel (historic barns, powerful high elevation mountain ranges, Pinnacles.......massive wildflower displays)
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Keblar Pass - gentle dirt road travel (largest aspen grove in the world, mixed with ferns and Queen Anne's Lace.......massive wildflower displays)
Will arrive at DIA by 6pm
SPECIAL NOTE: Should you decide on one or more tours this year, I will send you a proposed itinerary as soon as I receive your confirmation email and deposit. As mention, some of your specific tour's travel itinerary may change at the last minute to either chase a storm I feel will positively impact our time together or avoid weather that I feel may cause a negative impact and impede our ability to get out and stretch our legs during the photo technique exercises. If there is a particular attraction or destination you desire to visit, please mention this in your email to me.
After reading through the dates itinerary below and descriptions of some of the key routes, parks and destinations we will cover, please use one of the tabs on this page to access my direct email. Include any questions you may have concerning your skills advancement, skills that will be covered, or destinations you want to confirm will by on your route. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Roaring Forks Valley, Glenwood / Snowmass
Wildflowers , Aspen / Snowmass / Crested Butte
SUNSET END OF DAY SHOOT-- Two of the most exciting hours of the day for a photographer is sunrise and sunset. Our route puts us right in the McClure Pass and next to Mount Sopris during these critical magic hour captures. Taking the collective opinions of the group in consideration, our sunset shoot will be dependant on the weather. I love shooting the McClure Pass as the sun falls low on the horizon because it truly accentuates the definition on the peaks down this valley. If there is dense cloud cover or lack of dramatic clouds, we'll head toward a couple of my favorite outlooks and capture the stunning mountain of Sopris at sunset. Examples below.

