Colorado and Oklahoma - Guess Which is Which

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You are so fortunate to live in Denver!

As a wildlife photographer, if I could afford to live anywhere in the U.S. that I wanted to, the greater Denver area would be my first choice. . I go there a lot - I actually blow most of my money on trips to Denver. . But a month or two each year simply isn't enough.

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patrick j wrote in post #18979275
I just took I-76 from Denver out to Nebraska today, boy is it boring. Some parts of the Great Plains have a subtle appeal to them, but north eastern Colorado is just a parched looking nothing. I think most of us who live in Denver don't really consider anything east of Denver to really count as Colorado.

My Colorado family is in Woodland Park so we usually make the trip from our home in Oklahoma City through the Texas panhandle (boring mostly), NE New Mexico (classic expansive "Old West" and a pleasure to see) and up I-25 (some very nice spots but we're usually tired and anxious to see family so this last leg is a bit too long). But I have made the trip through Kansas and west into Colorado on I-76 before. I agree, the Colorado stretch is pretty bad, but much of Kansas has subtle beauty that is difficult to photograph but very pleasant to see. And we avoid Denver - bumper to bumper city streets are just too frustrating! You guys need more freeways!!

Tom Reichner wrote in post #18979278
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You are so fortunate to live in Denver!

As a wildlife photographer, if I could afford to live anywhere in the U.S. that I wanted to, the greater Denver area would be my first choice. . I go there a lot - I actually blow most of my money on trips to Denver. . But a month or two each year simply isn't enough.

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In Colorado I like Woodland Park. Just over the Ute Pass from Colorado Springs - so close to a city - but on the other side of the Front Range so mountains and wildlife in almost every direction. In the Denver are I think I would go west - maybe Idaho Springs or Georgetown.

rgs wrote in post #18979554
In Colorado I like Woodland Park. Just over the Ute Pass from Colorado Springs - so close to a city - but on the other side of the Front Range so mountains and wildlife in almost every direction.

I am not at all familiar with this area, but am interested. .. You say "wildlife in almost every direction" ... that's what interests me. .. Like, REALLY interests me! .. Are there any specific spots that are particularly good for certain species? .. I thought I had heard about all of the best wildlife spots in Colorado, but am not familiar with any near the Colorado Springs area, so perhaps I still have something new to learn.

rgs wrote in post #18979554
In the Denver are I think I would go west - maybe Idaho Springs or Georgetown.

The wildlife opportunities that draw me to Denver are mostly a little east of the city, where it's just flat. . Some of the best deer photography in the entire world is right there. .. Some of the best Eastern Cottontail opportunities, as well.

But you're on to something with Idaho Springs. . That's the gateway to Mount Evans, which offers world-class opportunities for Mountain Goats, as well as very good opportunities for Yellow-bellied Marmots, American Pika, and White-tailed Ptarmigan.

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Tom Reichner wrote in post #18979586
I am not at all familiar with this area, but am interested. .. You say "wildlife in almost every direction" ... that's what interests me. .. Like, REALLY interests me! .. Are there any specific spots that are particularly good for certain species? .. I thought I had heard about all of the best wildlife spots in Colorado, but am not familiar with any near the Colorado Springs area, so perhaps I still have something new to learn.

The wildlife opportunities that draw me to Denver are mostly a little east of the city, where it's just flat. . Some of the best deer photography in the entire world is right there. .. Some of the best Eastern Cottontail opportunities, as well.

But you're on to something with Idaho Springs. . That's the gateway to Mount Evans, which offers world-class opportunities for Mountain Goats, as well as very good opportunities for Yellow-bellied Marmots, American Pika, and White-tailed Ptarmigan.

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Black Bear, Moose, Elk, and Mule Deer in the immediate area. The deer regularly visit Woodland Park neighborhoods and the town has regulations against feeding them to prevent them from becoming too dependent. My daughter has had Bear visit her house.

Oklahoma has lots of birds - especially during migratory seasons - but so does this part of Colorado and they are usually western variants that we don't see in Oklahoma. Mountain Chickadees, Stellar Jays, ect. Pike's Peak is the view from the front of my daughter's house. Pike's peak is as accessible, if not more so, than Mt. Evans and all of the Alpine species you mention are also on Pike's Peak. My son-in-law insists there are also (undocumented) Bristlecone Pine on Pike's Peak (it may be Limber Pine), but not a large forest of them as on Mt. Evans.

The high plains area is where I photographed the attached Eagle and it also teems with Pronghorn. This one was shot from my car along a back road.

Mueller State Park is about 15 miles from Woodland Park. It has a good deal of wildlife and there is a wildlife management area adjacent to the park (I can't remember the name but the park employees would know it) that is known as a big horn sheep mating area. The wildlife management area is down a dirt road that you could easily miss but, again, park personnel could help you.

It's not too far from Woodland Park to Grand Lake which is the other end of the Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain Park. I once saw a fox walking in downtown Grand Lake just as the sun was rising. I think this is the better end of the road and Grand Lake is not the tourist trap that Estes Park is.

Hope that gets you started.

Couple more of Oklahoma that could be mistaken for Colorado. Taken many years ago on a Canon AE-1, scanned negative with Epson 550.