A Room With A View
A ROOM WITH A VIEW
Near Telluride, CO
During the peak mining years in Colorado, 20,000+ mines and countless towns and communities sprang up to support speculators chasing their dreams. Just as quickly, most of these townships dried up, leaving only traces of their past. This old mining community near Telluride, CO, leaves us with a bit more.
When constructing this old town, I'm sure the miners quickly realized this stunning view and placed the building (thought to be a mess hall or community center) in this spot to take advantage of this incredible view each morning. Even though this dilapidated building barely stands, it still provides a glimpse of the historical past and gives new meaning to a "Room With A View."
This extraordinary place is delicate and fragile and receives several visitors daily. I would ask that when you visit, please do your best to preserve all aspects of this location for future visitors and always try to leave it in better shape than when you found it.
Images and location summary by Tim Wier
Trail Difficulty - MODERATE
I would rate the difficulty of this trail as a 3 on a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being the most difficult). The location of this shot is an easy 50 yds walk from the parking area. However, the road to get to the location is pretty damn rough! There are several places along the road which are very rocky with plenty of potholes. You might get there in a car, but I recommend a high clearance vehicle.
GPS Coordinates & Elevation
11,060 ft. Elevation
Downloads
View In Google earth
Directions
CLICK HERE to get driving directions to the Alta Ghost Township
From Telluride - drive west on CO-145 N for about 3 miles until you come to the traffic circle. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto CO-145 S and travel 5.3 miles until you see an uphill dirt road to o Alta Lakes. From the turnout, travel 3.7 miles up this challenging (pretty damn rough) dirt road until you come to the township of Alta.
From Ridgway - drive west on CO-62 W for 23 miles until you come to CO-145 (heading toward Telluride). Take a left at CO 145 and drive 12.7 miles until you reach the traffic circle. At the traffic, circle, take the 1st exit, and go 5.3 miles until you see an uphill dirt road to o Alta Lakes. From the turnout, travel 3.7 miles up this challenging (pretty damn rough) dirt road until you come to the township of Alta.
You can park in a small parking area in front of the broken-down two-story building. The location of this shot is on the backside of the two-story building. At the back of the building there is a door and two windows. The shot is taken through the window on the right side of the door.
This building is way past being safe to enter and seems like it could fall at any time - so don't even consider entering.
Photography Tips
This scene exists just as you see it above. You would think taking a picture of a window would be as straightforward. However, from a photography standpoint, it can be challenging to capture it just right.
Take your time and consider these four steps:
Getting the perspective right - the first step is getting the correct orientation of the scene. When looking through the back window - moving right or left, up or down can dramatically change the perspective of the front window, the floor, the side wall, and the view of Mt. Wilson. Take your time and LOOK at the perspective of the front window as it is neither straight nor square. Tiling your camera to straighten one of the sides of the window will alter the floor, walls, and view of the mountain.
Pick the correct focal length - when you first look through the window, you will want to compose just the wall and window. However, after downloading your images and need to correct the perspective, you might wish you had more of the room and wall. I would consider pulling back your focal length a bit to make sure you have as much of the floor and wall as needed to crop the final image. See what lens to use below.
Where to focus - you can focus on the wall or the mountain - but not both. Even using the highest possible aperture will not get both areas in focus - so focus bracketing is a must. REMEMBER, when you change focus points your lens actually zooms in or out - which will alter the size/shape of the window. In post-processing will have to mask the window carefully to get this right.
Getting the correct exposure - in the early morning, the dynamic range between the interior wall and the mountain is beyond the capabilities of current digital cameras. Make sure to correctly expose for both the wall and the mountain! Bracketing is a must.
EXIF Data
Focal Length – 60 mm
Exposure – 60th sec @ f 8.0
ISO – 100
Date – Oct 4th
Time – 9:05 am
Best Time of Day to Shoot
The best time to shoot this is in the early morning BEFORE THE SUN CREST THE MOUNTAIN BEHIND YOU. Once the sun hits the building (back wall), the shot is blown out - unless there is cloud cover.
When taking this shot, you will be facing due west and in the fall, the sun will rise directly behind you. There is a higher mountain behind the Alta township which will block the sun from hitting the building until around 8:30. With this in mind, the best time to take this shot is between sunrise and 8:30. If you miss this time, you can still shoot this location if the day is overcast or if there is a cloud that blocks the sun for a few minutes.
Best Time of Year
This shot is available any time of the year - as long as the road to Alta is open. In my opinion, the Fall to early Winter are best as you stand a better chance to have snow on Mt. Wilson.
The above shot was taken on Oct 4th.
Lens(es) Needed
Depending on your composition, you will need a lens ranging from 50mm to 100mm.
The above shot was taken at a 60mm equivalent focal length.
Birds-Eye View
Permits
At this time, there are no permits required.
Direction of the Shot
The direction of the shot is west @ 270°.
Equipment Needed
You will need a sturdy tripod as you will want to take multiple exposures for bracketing.
Number of Other Photographers to Expect
The Alta townsite can have several visitors during the day. However, most will be there to tour the different buildings and look around. You will not often see other photographers taking the picture through the window.
That being said, the spot to take the shot is small and can only accommodate a single person at a time.
Weather
The Colorado weather is usually mild in the summer and cold (lows in the 20s) in the spring and fall. This location is over 10,000 ft. in elevation so the weather will be colder than in Telluride's surrounding area.
Cell Service
I have Verizon, and there is no cell service from this location. Cell service is available as you drive back toward Telluride.
Lodging & Camping
There is a campsite (Sunshine Campground) not far from Ophir on the road back to Telluride, and lodging is abundant in Telluride.
Camping - click on the campground below for directions
Sunshine Campground – located off of CO145 on the way back to Telluride
Lodging - click on the place below for a TripAdvisor review
231 West Colorado Avenue, Telluride, CO
301 West San Juan Ave, Telluride, CO
Nearby Restaurants
The closest town is Telluride – a wealthy rancher and ski/tourist town with a good variety of restaurants (for both locals and tourists). I enjoy sitting at Smugglers Brewpub after a long day of hiking and shooting.
Nearby Restaurants - click on the restaurant below for yelp review
627 W Pacific Ave, Telluride, CO
225 S Pine St, Telluride, CO
Area Guides and Workshops
None