Fort Collins, Colorado
Looking for the best photography in Fort Collins? We've got you covered with the top trails, trips, hiking, backpacking, camping and more around Fort Collins. The detailed guides, photos, and reviews are all submitted by the Outbound community.
Top Photography Spots in and near Fort Collins
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Estes Park, Colorado
Photograph Elk in Moraine Park
The perspective here is vastly different from other areas in Rocky Mountain National Park as Moraine Park is essentially a large, very flat valley surrounded by tall mountains. You'll want to come during the elks' rutting season, which is between mid-September and mid-October. Park at the lot on ...Read more -
Red Feather Lakes, Colorado
Camp near Lost Lake (in the Red Feather Lakes area)
I need to start by saying I stayed here on Memorial Day weekend, a very busy camping weekend in Colorado. Online searches for a suitable campsite were useless, everything was booked. It is hard to drive 2 plus hours to an area and hope you find a place for dispersed camping. Thankfully a friend t...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Hike Deer Mountain
6.03 mi / 1200 ft gainBeginning in Rocky Mountain National Park near the Deer Ridge Junction (where US 34 & US 36 meet), park your car in one of the 20 spots on either side of the road. Start at the trailhead booth and head north, keeping to the right-side trail at the first intersection about a tenth of a mile fr...Read more -
40.387035,-105.610770
Rocky Mountain NP's Trail Ridge Road
4.939.06 miStart by entering Rocky Mountain National Park through Estes Park, Colorado. After acquiring a map start your ascent on Trail Ridge Rd (the road is closed in winter). The Road will take you up in elevation into the mountains so a good car is strongly recommended. As you wind up the switch backs,...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Hike The Mummy Kill (a.k.a. Mummy Mania)
14.31 mi / 5600 ft gainWanna kill some mummies!? Of course you do! Who doesn't? Mount Chapin: 12,454 feet; Mount Chiquita: 13,069 feet; Ypsilon Mountain: 13,514 feet; Fairchild Mountain: 13,502 feet; Hagues Peak: 13,560 feet; Mummy Mountain: 13,425 feet The Mummy Kill is the perfect all-day hike for those seasoned h...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Drive Old Fall River Road
4.6This amazing drive starts after entering at the Fall River Entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park (although any entrance will work this is just the fastest route). Follow Fall River Road just past Sheep Lakes and take your first right onto Endo Valley Rd. From here travel to the Endovalley picn...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Drive through Rocky Mountain NP to Moraine Park
In this specific case, the adventure is focused on the sounds. At night in September and October you can expect to hear the eerie bugling from Elk reverberating around the mountains. Even after an hour or two I was still getting goose-bumps listening to them. Start your adventure at the Fall Ri...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Hike the Ypsilon Lake Trail
5.08.38 mi / 2000 ft gainTo get to the trailhead, enter Rocky Mountain National Park on the 36. Keep right at the fork with the 34 and then you'll take your next left and the parking for the trailhead is the first parking area on your right. There is an outhouse at the trailhead too, so if you need to take a pit stop b...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Winter Camp at Moraine Park
5.0For the extra-adventurous (my friends call me crazy for this), I recommend experiencing Rocky Mountain National Park in the off-season, when nobody else is there. Dead winter.Of course, you'll want to be uber prepared if you choose to take on this adventure, as the mountains are very unforgiving,...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Hike along Tombstone Ridge
4.3 mi / 3250 ft gainTombstone ridge can be accessed via the ute trail from two directions. The lower trail starts at upper beaver meadows and is ~4.3 miles with 3250 feet of elevation gain. It can also be accessed at the Ute trail crossing along trail ridge road, which leaves you a 1.1 mile hike with just under 300 ...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Hike to Cub Lake
5.04.6 mi / 645 ft gainRocky Mountain National Park showcases 355 miles of hiking trails, 6 campgrounds, and hundreds of backcountry camp sites. The cost to enter the park is $20.00 per vehicle, I recommend buying the annual National Parks Pass for $80.00. Cub Lake is an excellent trail for viewing wildlife. There ar...Read more -
Bellvue, Colorado
Hike to Comanche Lake in Pingree Park
3.58 mi / 700 ft gainYou start out hiking through the average Colorado forest for the first 4 miles of the 7-8 mile trip at about 6,500 feet. The trail is largely downhill for the first couple miles until it levels out and you are headed North. A little more than halfway, you come to Comanche Reservoir and hike up al...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Chasm Lake via Longs Peak Trailhead
4.78.01 mi / 2425 ft gainThe 4-mile trail climbs around 2500ft from the Longs Peak trailhead and starts by winding through dense forest. In the morning darkness, trudging through thick trees isn’t the most exciting, but when you finally climb out above treeline, the massive profile of Longs and the slowly growing light o...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Longs Peak
5.013.3 mi / 5100 ft gainFor the most part, this hike is very straightforward, so I'll essentially skip over the first 5.5 or so miles of the hike, but, in case you don't know: Start (very early so you get a parking spot) from the trailhead right next to the parking lot (the road to it is paved - seriously this mountain...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Peacock Pool
7.9 mi / 2438 ft gainThe peacock pool is a cool little tarn below the outlet to Chasm Lake. Please note that this adventure is best done in the winter/spring when snow is present to prevent erosion in the sensitive area. That is how the description will be written, assuming winter conditions. The approach is the sa...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Boulderfield Campground via Longs Peak Trail
11.39 mi / 3337 ft gainBoulder Field is a high alpine backcountry site on Longs Peak, and is a popular camp for backpackers attempting to summit Longs Peak via the Keyhole route. At an impressive elevation of 12,760 feet, Boulder Field is a vast wasteland of rocks that sits 500 feet below the famous Keyhole feature, an...Read more