Reaching 14,017 feet into the sky of southwestern Colorado in this panoramic photograph, Wilson Peak rises above aspen-covered mesas southwest of the town of Telluride in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. As the aspen reach their peak of color in late September and the first snows of winter begin to dust the peaks, this spectacle can take the breath away from even the most jaded world traveler. With thirteen summits over 14,000 feet, the San Juan Mountains are mecca for climbers or anyone else simply wishing to soak in this spectacular scenery. This 4,000 square-mile mountain range began to rise at the beginning of the Laramide Orogeny about 60 million years ago. The scenery we see today is mostly a result of the recent ice-age glacial advances which carved deep valleys and created many of the precipitous peaks which fill this range including the steep north face of Wilson Peak. This panoramic photograph was captured with a 6x17 panorama format camera. All photos in these fine art photo galleries may be ordered as fine art framed prints or for stock photography usage.