One of these days I'll write a blog about my favorite locations to photograph Colorado wildflowers amid sweeping landscapes. In the top 5 on that list would be a not-as-well known area (except to locals) close to Berthoud Pass called Butler Gulch (actually closer to Empire than Winter Park). In the summer of 2014 the colors were the best I'd seen - and I'd visited the iconic Colorado locations like American Basin near Lake City and Yankee Boy Basin near Ouray earlier in the summer. I imagine the landscapes near Crested Butte were excellent this summer, but I hit that location a bit early. This Colorado wildflower image comes from Butler Gulch early one morning as the sun peeked over the ridge. The paintbrush were plentiful and the it seemed the morning was nearly perfect. Butler Gulch is popular for snow-shoers in the winter and folks with dogs in the summer, and is located on Highway 40 past the town of Berthoud Falls. The turnoff is at the first switchback just before you start the climb up Berthoud Pass. Turn left before the first switchback. You'll follow the road past the Big Bend picnic area a few miles before eventually turning onto an easy dirt road (you'll have to turn right because you'll encounter a gate - if you go straight that is restricted access - I think it is a mine). After another mile or so the road will split with the right branch heading uphill. Go left and you will reach a parking area in ~100 yards. Park, walk past by the gate on an old jeep road, and start hiking as the road makes a sweeping left curve before starting a gradual ascent. The trail to the best meadows for wildflowers is just over two miles and about 1000 vertical feet . There are parts of this hike that become a grunt but nothing too bad. The most treacherous portions of this hike are a few water crossings that require short traverses over trees laid across the water. Even these parts are not too difficult, but crossing them in the dark can be a bit sketchy (I usually have to