This is a very frozen Vallecito Lake high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Secluded in a sheltered mountain valley 8,000ft / 2438.4m above sea level, this is one of the largest and most beautiful bodies of water in Colorado. Located in the southwestern part of the state just 18 miles east of Durango, Vallecito Lake is a very popular natural vacation destination. I shot this image while flying northeast after refueling in Cortez, on my way to Alamosa, Colorado.
Vallecito is Spanish for “Little Valley” and this hidden valley has a rich history going back to ancient times when this was the ancestral home to many of Colorado’s First Nations Ute Tribes. Traces of the Anasazi people are plentiful in Vallecito, Southwestern Colorado, and the whole Four Corners Region.
