I reserved a parking space at the Maroon Bells to park at Maroon Lake. Unfortunately, two circumstances made photography challenging. One, the fall is a week late this year due to excess moisture during the summer. Only about 25% of the aspen had turned. Two, Maroon Lake is way low. I don’t know if it is beavers of releasing the water due to water compacts but the classic reflection shot of Maroon Lake is now impossible. Only about half the lake remains and the forest service has roped off the path and required to stay on it so access is about 50 feet from the water. The area is still beautiful but the iconic shot I fear is a thing of the past here. Luckily, the parking reservation system has limited crowds. I look forward to mid week when I can get back up in the high country to photograph the aspen.
