Originally published in The Mountain Connection, September 2004.

One of the benefits of our geographical location in Colorado is our proximity to a plethora of national parks. Here is Colorado we have Rocky Mountain National Park, as well as Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Mesa Verde, Hovenweep, Great Sand Dunes, and the Colorado Monument. Because of our high altitude however, many of these parks can't be visited comfortably until well into the summer.

For parks in some of the surrounding states, we have the opposite problem. The Grand Canyon in Arizona, and Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches in Utah, are prohibitively hot during the summer. In most of these parks, the average temperature during the height of the summer hovers in the high 90's. In this desert country these can be brutal conditions.

The final obstacle is the crowd of people that visit these parks during the summer months. Between Memorial and Labor Days, with the children on summer vacation, families in cars, RVs, and SUVs head out west, clogging the highways and viewpoints.

But in the late spring and early fall, after the last snows of the previous, and before the first snows of the next winter, there is a wonderful window of opportunity for the traveler who isn't tied to a summer vacation schedule. The kids are back in school, most folks have returned to work, and the temperatures have dropped.

The weather can be tricky at these times of the year. A sudden snowstorm can appear suddenly catching you unawares. But on the other hand, the contrast of snow with the red rock country is outstandingly beautiful and makes for great photography.

Spring and fall have a charm all their own. In the spring, powerful thunderstorms provide dramatic photography opportunities and the rains bring out beautiful displays of desert wildflowers.

In the fall, the autumn colors of aspens and cottonwoods put on terrific displays, and the interaction of fall colors and sandstone cliffs is not to be missed.

So on your next trip, instead of the usual summer vacation, avoid the crowds and heat, and visit the national parks in the spring or fall.