Aspen in Autumn, Nevada

Issue #154 - Autumn in Nevada

Most photographers don’t know that Nevada has some great autumn color. On the high desert, close to the Utah border, is Mount Wheeler in Great Basin National Park–Nevada’s only National Park (with great autumn color). The tiny town of Baker, Nevada, where you will find one motel, sits at 5,318 feet elevation. To the west is Wheeler Peak at 13,000 feet. From Baker, a well-marked road climbs 8,000 feet. It’s 10 miles to the top with several wide turn outs above spectacular view-points. The best aspen groves are near the end of the road. In the woods I found many very tall groves needing a vertical format. Along the park road are long rows of aspen that fill a horizontal frame. Aspens have relatively short lives of about 100 years. Fires and diseases can damage the trunks. Carving your initials into an aspen opens it to future problems.