Aspen Trees, West Maroon Creek, Elk Mountains, Colorado

The healthy grove of aspen trees in this black & white photograph is located along the West Maroon Creek Road just above the town of Aspen, Colorado. The bright white bark and golden leaves of aspen trees makes them easy to identify during the brief period in late September when they turn entire mountainsides into a brilliant patchwork of color. The ideal elevation for aspen trees here in the Elk Mountains is between 9,000 and 10,000 feet where the combination of temperature, well-drained soil and precipitation provides ideal growing conditions for these robust specimens. This black & white vertical photograph was captured with a 6×7 format camera.