I’m a Colorado native and yet I’ve never witnessed the beautiful leaves changing in the Fall. At least, not in my adult life. Pretty sure my parents took me on a road trip when I was younger, but I was too busy asking “are we there yet??” to ever notice the surroundings.

This past weekend, (October 1st - 3rd for those tracking peak times) Richie and I ventured to Telluride & Mountain Village. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. Truly one of the most beautiful sights, between the leaves changing, warm weather and snowy peaks. The clashing of seasons was on and we took full advantage. (Credit all photos: 998 Millibar)

1. Road 64F to Alta Lakes

Highly recommend a vehicle that handles dirt roads for this one! It is a one lane dirt road with some serious turbulence along it but it’s well worth it! With windy paths through the changing leaves and patches of views through the valley, you can’t go wrong spending a day going up this road.

There are so many areas to pull over and jump out of the car. I imagine as the leaves begin to fall, you will get more and more views of the valley as well. We even saw a few deer as we traveled up. Just beware that the road is pretty narrow so be careful when pulling over. There are some seriously steep drop offs next to the road.

2. Alta Lakes / Ghost Town

If you’ve made it up Road 64F, you’ll find yourself in a tiny little ghost town with a few wooden structures that have since collapsed, burned down or are barely standing. The overlook from this tiny town is outstanding, equipped with a tiny little waterfall coming down the mountain. There is a small area to pull off up there while still allowing other cars to drive by.

From there you continue to drive up towards the Alta Lakes trailhead (about 10 more minutes up the road). Once you arrive at Alta Lakes, there is a small parking lot. There are multiple lakes in the area but the main one is right next to the parking lot. There is a path that walks you around the lake and another lake right above it that you can walk to as well.

3. Top Floor of the Mountain Village Parking Garage

This is a random spot that you wouldn’t necessarily think of to grab a great IG photo but let me tell you, it’s BEAUTIFUL!! There is a parking garage for the gondola that goes into Mountain Village. If you go to the top corner of the parking garage, prepare to be wow’d by the view. It’s not a huge secret so I recommend arriving early if you’re trying to catch sunrise.

4. Base of Bear Creek Pass

I’ve dreamed of going to Banff National Park purely for that gatorade blue water!! This was the biggest surprise to pull up to the base of Bear Creek Pass/Bridal Veil Falls and find these gatorade blue lakes. To get to this location, you drive through the town of Telluride and you will literally dead end into the parking lot. Beware that the parking lot is pretty small and there is very limited parking on the road. I would recommend trying to go during an off time or super early if possible.

From the trail head you can hike up Bridal Veil Falls and even beyond to Blue Lake (both bucket list items I’d like to check off in the future. Overhearing a local guide, the hike up to Bridal Veil Falls from the base is about 45 minutes to an hour, whereas the Blue Lake Hike will take you another few hours beyond.

5. Last Dollar Road - Country Road 58P

We decided to take this road as an alternative to driving directly into Mountain Village/Telluride area. Much like Road 64F described above, there are parts that are very narrow and all dirt. Though I’m sure it’s not required, I would recommend a vehicle that handles this type of road. The Barbie Jeep did just fine, though it was the first time she’s been off the beaten path.

Driving along this road during the timeframe when we went, you’ll experience all different seasons and landscapes. There is a mix of steep cliffs with glorious views and rolling hills for miles.

We even flew the drone above the Jeep as we traveled along the road. Hence these incredible photos courtesy of @998Millibar.