Dallas Divide
Near Ridgway, CO
DALLAS DIVIDE
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF DALLAS DIVIDE
For a landscape photographer, the Dallas Divide is one of the great American vistas. The combination of rolling hills, colorful underbrush and golden Aspens serve as a perfect foreground to the grandeur that is the San Juan Mountain range. And during the peak fall season, this location will simply take your breath away.
The first time I heard about the Dallas Divide was on the last day of a week long photo trip with some friends. They described the place as beautiful but it will be packed with photographs at sunrise. I was tired from the long week and almost didn’t go, but I got up early and drove to the Dallas Divide. Experiencing this place at sunrise on a cool fall morning will simply take your breath away… and is an absolute MUST if you are in southwest Colorado in the fall.
Images and location summary by Tim Wier
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DATA POINTS INCLUDED WITH DALLAS DIVIDE SUMMARY
I would rate the difficulty of this trail as a 1 on a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being most difficult). The location of this shot is an easy 50 yd walk from the parking lot directly off of CO-HW62. Please note, there is a fence that divides the parking lot from the land and clearly states, “no trespassing”. The owner, Ralph Lauren (Double RL Ranch) takes this sign seriously.
I wish I could tell you that this is just a show up and get a great shot place - but it is not. To get the perfect shot, everything needs to line up perfectly - the color of the Aspen trees, a recent snow (to dust the mountain), clouds - but not too many to block the sunrise, no recent wind storms (that might blow the leaves off the Aspen trees on the ridge).
I have been to the Dallas Divide several times and only had perfect conditions a few times. If everything is not perfect, you can still get a good shot, but you will be left dreaming of the perfect shot.
This is mainly a straight forward shot, but there are different views based on where you stand along the fence. I would suggest arriving very early (or the day before) to scout out your composition. There are a small group of colorful Aspens between the parking lot and the San Juan Mountains that can make or break the shot. For me, this small grove of Aspens always seems to turn colors before the surrounding area. Also, the group of small Aspens near the road makes the shot – so you might want to time your visit when these trees are at their peak.
For most people, this shot is best as a grand vista, which would require very wide-angle lens (16-24mm). The shot above was done as a 3 horizontal pano stitch with a 50mm lens to capture as much detail as possible.
8,701 Ft. Elevation
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KMZ Trail File
Directions
Best Time of Day to Shoot
Best Time of Year to Shoot
Equipment Needed
Permits Required
Direction of Shot
Google Maps Birds-Eye-View
Number of Photographers to Expect
Cell Service
Overnight Lodging/Camping
Nearby Restaurants
Area Guides and Workshops
Other Resources
LOCATION SUMMARIES WRITTEN BY PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS
