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Colorado Photography Guide

Mountain West · 691 locations

691 photo locations in Colorado — 149 mountain peaks, 84 mountain passes, 82 waterfalls, 61 ghost towns and more — plus 17 National Park Service sites and golden hour times for 39 cities. Milky Way core season runs March–September (best in June). Aurora needs about Kp 8.0+ in central Colorado. Wildflowers peak around July.

Photo locations
691
NPS sites
17
Milky Way season
Mar–Sep
Peak bloom
July
Aurora
Kp 8.0+

Top photo locations in Colorado

NuclaDark Sky Place
NuclaMontrose County
Silver CliffDark Sky Place
Silver CliffCuster County
NorwoodDark Sky Place
NorwoodSan Miguel County
NaturitaDark Sky Place
NaturitaMontrose County
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National ParkDark Sky Place
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National ParkMontrose County
WestcliffeDark Sky Place
WestcliffeCuster County
Great Sand Dunes National Park and PreserveDark Sky Place
Great Sand Dunes National Park and PreserveSaguache County
Mount ElbertMountain Peak
Mount ElbertLake County · 4,396 m
Pikes PeakMountain Peak
Pikes PeakEl Paso County · 4,303 m
Longs PeakMountain Peak
Longs PeakBoulder County · 4,340 m
La Garita CalderaVolcano
La Garita CalderaMineral County
Dinosaur National MonumentDark Sky Place
Dinosaur National MonumentMoffat County

Browse by type

Mountain Peaks149Mountain Passes84Waterfalls82Ghost Towns61Scenic Viewpoints59Natural Arches46State Parks40Hot Springs35Wilderness Areas35Canyons25Lakes21Dark Sky Places10Botanical Gardens8National Wildlife Refuges8Rock Formations8Fire Lookouts8National Forests5Caves4Volcanoes2Glaciers1

National Park Service sites in Colorado

Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National ParkCO
Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National ParkNational Park
Great Sand Dunes National Park & PreserveCO
Great Sand Dunes National Park & PreserveNational Park & Preserve
Mesa Verde National ParkCO
Mesa Verde National ParkNational Park
Rocky Mountain National ParkCO
Rocky Mountain National ParkNational Park
Colorado National MonumentCO
Colorado National MonumentNational Monument
Dinosaur National MonumentCO/UT
Dinosaur National MonumentNational Monument
Florissant Fossil Beds National MonumentCO
Florissant Fossil Beds National MonumentNational Monument
Hovenweep National MonumentCO/UT
Hovenweep National MonumentNational Monument
Yucca House National MonumentCO
Yucca House National MonumentNational Monument
Curecanti National Recreation AreaCO
Curecanti National Recreation AreaNational Recreation Area
Amache National Historic SiteCO
Amache National Historic SiteNational Historic Site
Bent's Old Fort National Historic SiteCO
Bent's Old Fort National Historic SiteNational Historic Site

Golden hour in Colorado cities

Denver, COPop. 729,019
Colorado Springs, COPop. 456,568
Aurora, COPop. 359,407
Fort Collins, COPop. 170,924
Lakewood, COPop. 152,597
Thornton, COPop. 133,451
Westminster, COPop. 116,317
Arvada, COPop. 115,368
Centennial, COPop. 109,741
Pueblo, COPop. 109,412
GR
Greeley, COPop. 108,795
BO
Boulder, COPop. 106,803

Night sky

Darkest skies in Colorado

NuclaDark Sky Place
NuclaMontrose County
NorwoodDark Sky Place
NorwoodSan Miguel County
NaturitaDark Sky Place
NaturitaMontrose County
Dinosaur National MonumentDark Sky Place
Dinosaur National MonumentMoffat County
Silver CliffDark Sky Place
Silver CliffCuster County
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National ParkDark Sky Place
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National ParkMontrose County

Nature calendars

Scenic byways in Colorado

Read our in-depth Colorado photography guide.

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