Ryan,
Don't know if this will help, but I am planning a move to even higher altitude in the coming year. I am planning relocation to Fraser, Co(near Winter Park downhill area) which is at altitude of 8,500 ft. I am only bringing my hardiest trees with me to Colorado. I have trees that I have collected from extreme northern Wisconsin which are hardy to at least Zone 3.
Things such as Eastern white pine, balsam fir, eastern larch, jack pine.
Try the maples, but think that is going to be tough. Other trees that are sold at the garden centers there should work fine, they are probably adapted to the area. There is a very actuve bonsai group in Denver. Think it is called Rocky Mt. Bonsai Club. I would check them out.
Stephen

Stephen-- 8500?? Good grief. I hope your house doesn't have many stairs as you'll get winded pretty fast. When I moved to the Springs I got winded easily, despite the fact that I run very often and work out a lot. I've never lived in an alt this high and it took some getting use to. Also, with regards to water, it behaves different this high. In Pennsylvania, when you boil a pot of water, steam rolls off the top and makes seeing difficult! Here, you rarely see steam. Not to mention your clothes dry in a minutes, the roads never stay wet and when you wash your dog, they're a frizzy puff ball in no time. It is often extremely low humidity, which also leads to chapped lips and nose bleeds. I don't know how any plant lives here! With that said, there are maples in the neighborhood-- as well as fruit trees and dog woods-- so they adapt and manage. I love maples so I'm excited to get mine. But I also went for other trees that don't mind the extremes. Gardening is difficult this high-- no humidity, lots of wind and the sun is extremely harsh.

When are you moving? With all the stuff I said-- CO is still an amazing state. Nothing quite like standing in the shadow of a fourteener. I'm a wannabe-professional photographer so I have plenty of eye candy here. Good luck with the move.

Actually I am not that worried about my adaptation, I have hiked, cross-country skied, backpacked in the Rockies for years. It will just take time.
However, my plants may be another story. Have you notice any effects with all that UV showering down?
Also, I think you mentioned some tropicals like black olive. How are they doing? I will bring a few tropicals(emphasis on few) and will plan to keep indoors most of the year.
Contact me directly with your experiences with your trees. I am not moving out there for at least 6 mon. to a year.
Stephen

J Maples will not fair well, the heavy amounts of UV in the spectrum will fry the leaves unless they get good medium shade, and with the shade they die from being over shaded, so you have to supliment with flourescent. I Go to school in Durango, CO, there are some maples of various kinds there, and were at a good elevation (not sure exactly what) I am origionally from Anchorage AK, which is right at sea level, I was winded for the first three weeks I was there, but after a few months I could climb stairs with no problem, I've just come back to Anchorage for the summer (hope to get some moss and start some trees) and its so easy to get around, I took a bike ride and shot straight up a hill that winded me twice a day for two years, and I haven't been on a bike in 9 months, it was great if a little off topic.

Well so far I have seen a whole spectrum of plants/trees being sold in the stores around here. Doesn't mean they'll stay alive, though. But I did get a laceleaf maple-- it has a rather bad graft but I don't mind it so much because the tree looks great anyway. With regard to the UV light and the shade etc-- I have seen other maples of all types in the neighborhood and they seem to be established and doing well-- but I'll keep a very close eye on it because you're right-- the light up here is harsh. All the elements here seem to be to the tenth degree-- but things also grow well here so I'm holding out. I ordered a japanese maple, a cedar, and two olives from evergreen gardenworks. I have had lots of success with the olives, though I lost mine due to a move in the winter. So I'm looking forward to adding them to the garden.

I've seen plenty of ornamental trees, because Durango is on the Animas river, a handfull of maples but never any Japanese Maples, and I have an Uncle who lived in castle rock and he had a Japanese Maple Under his deck to protect it from the light. Also I'll bet Olives would be great, they are very resistant to heat so it follows that they could handle some high sunlight.