Headwaters of the Cache la Poudre River, Colorado

October 14, 2019

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October 2019 Viewer's ChoicePhotographer: Pete Claussen 
Summary Author: Pete Clausen 

This photo shows the headwaters of the Cache la Poudre River at Milner Pass on the continental divide in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Fed by nearby Poudre Lake, the river is merely a trickle at this point but of course, rapidly widens as it makes its journey to join with the South Platte River. Over the next couple of miles, from where this photo was taken, the Cache La Poudre travels through the valley between Specimen Mountain and Forest Canyon Pass. After exiting Rocky Mountain National Park's northern boundary, the river then flows through Poudre Canyon and the city of Fort Collins, before reaching its confluence with the South Platte River in Greely, Colorado, roughly 140 miles (225 km) downstream from its origin.

Water flowing from these headwaters will eventually enter the Mississippi River and will finally find its way to the Gulf of Mexico. Photo taken on September 9, 2019.