dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO

Roxborough State Park. Great views. $8 cash. South Valley Open Space Park---free. (Stay on trail.). Chief Mt ---have to park along roadway. Free. Great views.
Downtown Denver---Millennium Bridge. Union Station. RINO district=River North---artsy, lots of graffiti art. Several amusement parks around town. Sloan Lake. Washington Park. Denver Zoo. Capital building, art museum, Denver Botanic Gardens with current Calder exhibit. Downtown Golden. Evergreen---gorgeous drive, lake.
The list is endless! Enjoy!

dshirley

When you go to Rocky Mtn Natl Park be sure to drive up to Bear Lake. Go early in the morning so you can park up there and walk around the lakes. There are many photo opps there. Steamboat is also very nice. Ride the gondola up and walk around the trails. Crested Butte is nice also. Take a jeep trip into the mountains at Ouray and then drive on over to Silverton or take the north route to Telluride. Do the Central City/Blackhawk area when you are in Denver if you like to gamble. Eat at "the Plimoth" while in Denver. What a beautiful state!

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

You have good choices for areas to see but just need to narrow them down a bit. You will see tons of beauty simply driving on Highway 70 going East and West out of Denver. You could take 24 from Leadville down to 70 then go West to Glenwood Springs. Along the way you will be alongside the Colorado River which can be beautiful. When you see the signs for Hanging Lake try to stop there for photos. It is a bit of a hike to get there but very pretty. Glenwood Springs offers some nice shots as does 82 I think going up to Aspen. Going to Aspen you will be near a scenic mountain view that the name escapes me just now. I hate it when my brain dies in mid sentence. Hopefully someone else can provide the name. Anyway it is a view of mountains across a lake, very beautiful. From Aspen go across Independence Pass and stop at Independence for some photos there. I used to live 10 miles from Royal Gorge up Highway 9 and passed it every day going to work in Canon City. Royal Gorge is well worth the stop. Canon City offers the prison museum which is right behind the old (still in use) prison you will pass going into Canon City on Highway 50 from Royal Gorge. I forgot to mention if you are in Salida take an hour or two to go up to O'haver Lake. It might be crowded with fishermen and campers this time of year but the view of Mt. Ouray in the near distance is splendid. You can then drive up over Marshall Pass all the way to Highway 50 at Sargents, go right on 50 and get back into Salida and on to the Royal Gorge. El Caporal is a good place to eat Mexican food in Canon City. Skyline Drive is free and is a short drive around Canon City from the West side of Canon City. From Salida you could go South on 285 to the Sand Dunes. I have never taken the time to go there but I hear it is a great place for photos.

Sorry for skipping around but I remembered these things as I was typing.

Dennis

Bike guy Loc: Atlanta

Must see areas is one large topic. I lived in CO for over 12 years and never saw everything I wanted to see.
Given that here are my favorite places for "photography" ( I did a lot of fishing as well.)

Forget Denver; just my opinion not a very photographic and interesting place. And given the places you say you are visiting, it might be difficult to include Royal Gorge.
Head to Boulder and find one or all of these roads.
Flagstaff road (lots of turns and beautiful views.) Also Boulder Canyon Road up to Sugarloaf mountain. Nice views of Boulder. CU, very pretty university campus with views of the Flat Irons.
Interesting to just walk around campus; catch a meal at The Sink on the Hill next to campus. Forget Pearl Street; too commercial now.

There are lots of ways to get to RMNP. Up US 36 out of Boulder through Lyons to Estes Park. That area had been hit very badly in the big flood a couple of years ago, but the scenery is amazing. One could also drive up US34 from Loveland through that twisting canyon to Estes Park.
Finally, Peak to Peak Highwy from the Boulder area is amazing. Look it up.
In RMNP, don't just drive Trail Ridge, so many, many beautiful spots, lakes river etc. there to view. Remember, the Park will be crowded with people like you, tourists, not actually knowing where they are going. Watch for Longhorn Sheep, and of course in Estes, Elk should be everywhere.
If you do go up Trail Ridge all the way, be prepared for some scary turns, for a first timer. If you get to the top at 13+k feet, don't run out of the car too quickly.

If you go to Aspen (which is always beautiful and crowded and expensive) continue on to Glenwood Springs. Glenwood Canyon is beautiful. Grand Junction is a longer haul but I have never seen anything as beautiful as Colorado National Monument. Resembles the Grand Canyon.

If you do decide to go to Leadville, you can take US 24 down back to CO Springs and see Garden of the Gods and the Airforce Academy.
Good luck.

Barbara Jo

Take the tram up to Pikes Peak. Very good landscapes, wildlife and view to die for.

SBrodsky Loc: Northern Colorado

Larry, If as you say, you'll be in the Aspen area, try and get to Hayes Creek Falls, along the Crystal River. It's about 2 mi S of the town of Carbondale, CO, along Colorado Route 133. Took this there at the height of the spring runoff in June 2014 with my old camera, a Fuji FinePix 2700. (Have a Nikon 7200 now).

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

I want to second the recommendation to get up to Bear Lake in Rocky Mt. NP. And from there it's about a mile to Alberta Falls, a giant roar of a site well worth the time. And, if you've more time, a wonderful hike takes you from Bear Lake to Nymph, Dream, and Emerald lakes, with views of Hallett's Peak, a very photogenic piece of rock; counting photo time, that's about a 2-hour walk.

tjjm Loc: Saint Louis, Mo.

When driving trail ridge road near Grand Lake will occasionally find moose, elk, and deer. Keep your eyes open as a crowd on the roadside will often alert you of interesting opportunities. Was up there two weeks ago and early morning, sunrise, proved to be the best time, less traffic and crowds, best light. Yes to Bear lake, Emerald lake.

nhastings Loc: Telluride, CO

The best of the Rockies, Telluride

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Aren't early morning and evening usually the best time to photograph animals almost everywhere?

richwhip

The world’s largest carnivore sanctuary - with more than 450 rescued lions, tigers, bears, wolves and other large carnivores living and roaming freely on 720 acres. 30 miles North of Denver.

http://www.wildanimalsanctuary.org/

rgs1578

Try Roadtrippers.com. Their maps help plot your route and show scenic drives and views

Martha Krohn

Garden of the Gods is a must see. Be sure to bring your camera.

dfrodin Loc: Colorado Springs, CO

All very good suggestions... I would recommend southwest Colorado for the best mountains experience...

jwoody

Telluride area