Mountain Photography by Jack Brauer

Trip Reports

Photo trip reports from some of my outdoor photography adventures. To see more frequent photo reports of my outings, check out my blog at MountainPhotographer.com.

Ouray/Uncompahgre Loop, Colorado - August 2010 photo

Ouray/Uncompahgre Loop, Colorado - August 2010

This last weekend we repeated one of my favorite backpacking routes - a loop hike starting from the Bear Creek trailhead near Ouray, up through the rolling tundra of the Uncompahgre Wilderness, then back down into the town of Ouray via the Bridge of Heaven.
Sunset Atop Mt. Sneffels, Colorado - August 2010 photo

Sunset Atop Mt. Sneffels, Colorado - August 2010

After climbing the southwest ridge route of Mt. Sneffels on an afternoon when the clouds weren't too threatening, we stayed up on the summit to watch and photograph the sunset.  We then descended the normal route in the dark with headlamps and walked back to my truck where cold beers awaited...
Weminuche High Route, Colorado - August 2010 photo

Weminuche High Route, Colorado - August 2010

During the second of week of this August 2010, Claudia and I went backpacking for 7 days in the Weminuche Wilderness, duplicating the same high route through the Needle Mountains and Grenadiers that I did solo back in September 2007...
Blue Lakes, San Juans, Colorado - August 2010 photo

Blue Lakes, San Juans, Colorado - August 2010

Photos from three days of summer camping at Blue Lakes, in the Sneffels Range of the San Juan Mountains, Colorado.
Wetterhorn Peak, San Juans, Colorado - July 2010 photo

Wetterhorn Peak, San Juans, Colorado - July 2010

A few days ago I went backpacking to Wetterhorn Basin, in the Uncompahgre Wilderness of the San Juan Mountains in Colorado.  On one morning I left my tent at 2:00am and climbed Wetterhorn Peak under the light of the full moon, arriving at the summit just as the first dawn light was breaking on the horizon...
Ice Lakes Basin, San Juans, Colorado - July 2010 photo

Ice Lakes Basin, San Juans, Colorado - July 2010

Photos from an overnight backpacking trip to Ice Lakes Basin, in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.
Wandering in the Weminuche, Colorado - July 2010 photo

Wandering in the Weminuche, Colorado - July 2010

After another fun 4th of July in Ouray, I went on a 5-day backpacking loop in the Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.  I left from the Beartown trailhead, hiked south along the Continental Divide Trail for a couple days until reaching the area of Flint Lakes and Rock Lake...
Two Weeks in the Canyons of Utah - April 2010 photo

Two Weeks in the Canyons of Utah - April 2010

In April I spent two weeks hiking, camping, and photographing in and around the canyons of southern Utah.  I visited a lot of new places I haven't seen before, including Goblin Valley State Park, San Rafael Swell, Robbers Roost area, Capitol Reef National Park, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park...
Skiing/Snowboarding in Jackson Hole, Wyoming - Winter 09-10 photo

Skiing/Snowboarding in Jackson Hole, Wyoming - Winter 09-10

I moved up to Jackson Hole, Wyoming during the winter of 2009-2010 to snowboard as much as possible.  Now that my season is wrapping up here, I have compiled this gallery of my favorite skiing and snowboarding photos from the winter, including a few shots of me snowboarding, taken by my friends...
Winter Camping on Hurricane Pass, Tetons - March 2010 photo

Winter Camping on Hurricane Pass, Tetons - March 2010

This last weekend of March I went winter camping again, this time for two nights up on Hurricane Pass, on the west side of the Tetons. Hurricane Pass is pretty close to Table Mountain where I went camping in January, but it has a very different perspective of the Tetons...
Tetons Aerial Photos photo

Tetons Aerial Photos

On a chilly winter morning last week this March of 2010, I enjoyed magnificent aerial views of the Teton Range from a window seat on a commercial flight from Jackson, Wyoming to Salt Lake City, Utah.  The airplane took off north from the airport, banked a 180º turn and flew right beside the big peaks of Grand Teton National Park!  Here are a few photos I snapped from the window.
Winter Camping on Table Mountain, Wyoming - January 2010 photo

Winter Camping on Table Mountain, Wyoming - January 2010

With a full moon and a partly sunny weather forecast, I decided this last Thursday to do a winter camping trip up on Table Mountain, on the west side of the Teton Range.  The hike in was grueling, having to put in a skin track all by myself up 4,000 vertical feet through deep heavy powder, with a heavy backpack...
Jackson Lake Sunrise, Wyoming - December 2009 photo

Jackson Lake Sunrise, Wyoming - December 2009

Winter sunrise photos at Jackson Lake, Tetons, Wyoming
Icy Ice Lakes Basin, Colorado - November 2009 photo

Icy Ice Lakes Basin, Colorado - November 2009

The light snowfalls amounts in the San Juan Mountains this November provided a good opportunity for me to do a quick overnight backpacking trip to Ice Lakes Basin.  This spectacular basin is a popular location for summertime hiking, but not many people visit in the snow.
Grand Gulch Loop Hike, Utah - October 2009 photo

Grand Gulch Loop Hike, Utah - October 2009

Over three days and two nights this October I went on a ~25 mile loop hike from Cedar Mesa in southeastern Utah. I hiked down Todie Canyon, to Grand Gulch, then out Bullet Canyon. Most of the way the hike passes through dramatic canyon scenery with vertical cliffs and dramatic rock formations...
Autumn in the Wasatch, Utah - October 2009 photo

Autumn in the Wasatch, Utah - October 2009

I spent a long weekend in Utah this October, and had a good time photographing the eastern side of the Wasatch Range in the area between Midway and Sundance, in the foothills below Mount Timpanagos.  Though I wasn't there for the prime aspen colors, there were some really colorful oak and maples, and I also lucked out with some cold weather and fresh snowfalls.
Lightning Disco at Blue Lakes - September 2009 photo

Lightning Disco at Blue Lakes - September 2009

On Saturday I hiked up to Blue Lakes for a quick overnight backpacking trip in the Sneffels Range of southwest Colorado's San Juan Mountains.  The alpine tundra has turned a beautiful array of autumn colors, and even a few aspens are starting to change...
Columbine Lake, Colorado - July 2009 photo

Columbine Lake, Colorado - July 2009

With a day to spare and a blue-sky weather forecast, I decided yesterday that Columbine Lake would be the perfect place to go for a quick overnight backpacking trip.  Situated high on the rolling alpine tundra at 12,685 feet in the San Juan Mountains near Silverton, Colorado, Columbine Lake is always a great dayhike destination but usually not a wise camping option due to the exposure to lightning (it's almost 2 miles to the safety of the nearest forest)...
South Colony Lakes, Colorado - June 2009 photo

South Colony Lakes, Colorado - June 2009

This weekend I went camping in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Westcliffe, Colorado.  South Colony Lakes are situated at the foot of three 14ers, making them a perfect basecamp for several days worth of hiking...
Spring Snowboarding in the Tetons - May 2009 photo

Spring Snowboarding in the Tetons - May 2009

This May 2009, I headed up to Jackson, Wyoming to snowboard some big spring lines in the Tetons with a buddy of mine who lives up there.  My timing could not have been better, with solid snow conditions from top to bottom of the peaks, and perfect sunny spring weather...
Winter Camping above Ouray, Colorado - April 2009 photo

Winter Camping above Ouray, Colorado - April 2009

Over the last few days, a late season storm has come through the San Juans in Colorado, dumping almost 2 feet of snow.  On Sunday, while still snowing hard outside the weather forecast called for a sunny clear Monday, so I headed out for a spur-of-the-moment winter backpacking trip, hoping to get a photo of the fresh snow smothering Ouray and the Uncompahgre Gorge...
Skiing & Snowboarding Colorado 2009 photo

Skiing & Snowboarding Colorado 2009

My favorite shots from our backcountry skiing and snowboarding adventures during the 2009 winter and spring, in the San Juan Mountains, near Ouray, Colorado.
Great Sand Dunes Megaloop - March 2009 photo

Great Sand Dunes Megaloop - March 2009

For four days this past week, I did a big loop trek around the Great Sand Dunes in southern Colorado.  The weather was very cold at night, but the days were nice and sunny and not too hot - perfect weather for trekking through the dunes...
Hideout Cabin, San Juans - January 2009 photo

Hideout Cabin, San Juans - January 2009

This weekend I joined some friends for a three day weekend up at their backcountry cabin in the San Juan Mountains south of Telluride, Colorado. Situated at about treeline at the foot of numerous high peaks and cirques, the cabin provided a perfect base for snowboarding, skiing, and photography...
Red Mountain - September 2008 photo

Red Mountain - September 2008

Today I drove up Red Mountain Pass (above Ouray, Colorado) to check out the golden aspens, and then ended up hiking up Red Mountain #3 to watch the sunset from up top.
Sunset on Timpanogos - September 2008 photo

Sunset on Timpanogos - September 2008

This last weekend I was up in Utah and took advantage of a full moon to hike Mount Timpanogos and watch the sunset from the 11,749 foot summit. Timpanogos, or "Timp" for short, is one of Utah's most famous and beloved mountains, towering 7,000 feet over the city of Provo...
Needle Mountains Loop, Colorado - August 2008 photo

Needle Mountains Loop, Colorado - August 2008

For 7 days in August, I hiked a high loop route through the Needle Mountains in the San Juans south of Silverton, Colorado. I took the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to the Needleton stop, hiked along west side of the range, over a pass to the east side, then back over another high pass to the west side again, hiking out the popular Chicago Basin back to the Needleton stop to catch the train 7 days later...
Continental Divide Trail - South San Juans, Colorado photo

Continental Divide Trail - South San Juans, Colorado

This last week, the first week of August 2008, I hiked the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) through the South San Juan Wilderness with two of my friends. It’s a 60+ mile trek from Cumbres Pass near Chama, New Mexico to Wolf Creek Pass near Pagosa Springs, Colorado...
Ouray-Uncompahgre Loop - July 2008 photo

Ouray-Uncompahgre Loop - July 2008

This weekend I went on a wonderful 25 mile backpacking loop from Ouray, Colorado. I started at Bear Creek, a few miles up the road from Ouray, hiked up to the rolling green tundra paradise of the Uncompahgre Wilderness, along the Horsethief Trail to the Bridge of Heaven Trail, then back down into Ouray...
Sunrise on Sneffels - June 2008 photo

Sunrise on Sneffels - June 2008

This June I made two early morning hikes high up in Yankee Boy Basin, a high mountain valley above Ouray, Colorado. The first hike was up to the ridgeline of Cirque Mountain, where I had a great perspective of sunrise alpenglow hitting Mt...
Skiing & Snowboarding 2008 photo

Skiing & Snowboarding 2008

The 2007-2008 snow season has been an epic one, with record breaking snowfalls in western Colorado. The town of Ouray (where I live) got over 21 feet of snow, more than twice the average, and the most in 60 years of records! The high mountains probably got twice that, if not more...
West Needles Winter Camping - March 2008 photo

West Needles Winter Camping - March 2008

Lured by a full moon and a forecast of clear skies, this last weekend I went backpacking for two nights in the West Needle Mountains in the San Juans near Silverton, Colorado. This area is incredibly photogenic; from my campsite on a 12,200 ft ridgeline, I enjoyed broad vistas of the Needle Mountains, the West Needles, and all the peaks of the Molas Pass area...
Colorado Fall Colors 2007 photo

Colorado Fall Colors 2007

Autumn is probably the most spectacular season in the Colorado Rockies, as the vast fields of aspens turn bright yellow and orange under snowcapped mountain peaks. For the last several weeks, I've been searching for grand aspen vistas to photograph, mainly in the West Elk Mountains near Crested Butte, and San Juan Mountains around Telluride and Ouray.
Needle Mountains High Route, Colorado - September 2007 photo

Needle Mountains High Route, Colorado - September 2007

Over a span of 7 days in late August/early September, I hiked alone through the heart of the Needle Mountains of the San Juans. This mountain range is perhaps the most rugged and remote in all of Colorado...
Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop, Colorado - July 2007 photo

Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop, Colorado - July 2007

This popular hike in the Elk Mountains near Aspen is referred to as the Four Pass Loop. It is about 25 miles long, and passes over four high mountain passes, circumnavigating the famous Maroon Bells fourteeners...
Spring Riding 2007 photo

Spring Riding 2007

Instead of making separate trip reports for each spring backcountry hike and ski/snowboard trip that my friends and I do, I thought I'd just make a page with some of my favorite pictures from various hikes this spring in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado...
Baja, Mexico photo

Baja, Mexico

Photos from the beaches of Baja, Mexico
Grand Gulch, Utah - November 2006 photo

Grand Gulch, Utah - November 2006

This November I went on a four-day backpacking trip into the Grand Gulch, a major canyon that cuts through Cedar Mesa in southeast Utah. Like many canyons in this region, Grand Gulch is full of hidden Anasazi ruins and petroglyphs...
Columbine Lake, San Juans, Colorado - September 2006 photo

Columbine Lake, San Juans, Colorado - September 2006

This weekend I met fellow photographers Momo Vuyisich and his buddy Csaba for an overnight backpacking trip to Columbine Lake, in the San Juans near Silverton. The recent snowfalls, high elevation, and unsettled weather made for a chilly but spectacular trip...
Spring Riding 2006 photo

Spring Riding 2006

Here are some photos from springtime backcountry snowboarding in the Front Range, Gore Range, and Sawatch Range of Colorado during the 2006 season.
Spring Riding in the San Juans - 2005 photo

Spring Riding in the San Juans - 2005

Some photos from a couple obscure backcountry snowboarding descents in the Sneffels Range of the San Juans, Colorado in June 2005 after a heavy snow year. Also, check out my Mt. Sneffels descent trip report from the same time in the San Juans.
Mt. Sneffels Descent, San Juans, Colorado - June, 2005 photo

Mt. Sneffels Descent, San Juans, Colorado - June, 2005

One of the best runs of the year! We started in Yankee Boy Basin, hiked Lavendar Col up to the 14,156-foot summit, rode/skied back down Lavendar Col, then down the giant east face to another truck on the north side of the range which we had shuttled the day before...
Las Leñas, Argentina 2002 photo

Las Leñas, Argentina 2002

In the South American winter of 2002 I was fortunate to have the opportunity to join five of my friends for a three month stay in the small Argentine ski resort town of Las Leñas, situated in the barren Andes south of Mendoza...