Aspen Grove, San Juan National Forest, CO

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San Juan National Forest covers roughly 1.8 million acres of southwestern Colorado, stretching across the rugged San Juan Mountains from high alpine peaks down to mesas and canyon country near Durango, Pagosa Springs, and Cortez. Within its boundaries lie parts of the Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado's largest wilderness area, along with historic mining districts, alpine lakes, and scenic byways such as the San Juan Skyway. Quaking aspen is one of the forest's signature trees, filling mid-elevation slopes between the ponderosa pine below and the spruce-fir forests above. Aspen groves often grow as clonal colonies, with many trunks sprouting from a single shared root system, so an entire hillside may be one genetically identical organism. The smooth white bark, marked with dark scars and knots, and the leaves that tremble in the slightest breeze give these stands a bright, airy feel unlike the darker conifer forests around them. Walking through an aspen grove here in summer means dappled light, lush understory grasses and wildflowers, and the constant rustle of leaves overhead. In September and early October the groves turn brilliant gold and orange against the deep green of the evergreens and the blue Colorado sky, drawing visitors to roads and trails throughout the San Juans for one of the most celebrated fall color displays in the Rocky Mountains.