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Mammoth Creek Gets Golden

Mammoth Creek (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Mammoth Creek (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Mammoth Creek has filled with gold, as aspen turn yellow, orange and red.

Mammoth Creek (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Mammoth Creek (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Mammoth Creek (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Mammoth Creek (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Mammoth Creek (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Mammoth Creek (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Mammoth Creek (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Mammoth Creek (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Mammoth Creek (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Mammoth Creek (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Mammoth Lakes color spotter Josh Wray sent these shots taken yesterday of Peak color along Mammoth Creek.

There appears to be enough lime green still among the aspen that the color should continue to develop through the weekend and into the following week, conditions permitting.

Lundy Canyon (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Lundy Canyon (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Lundy Canyon (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Lundy Canyon (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Lundy Canyon (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Lundy Canyon (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Conway Summit (10/19/15) Josh Wray

Conway Summit (10/19/15) Josh Wray

Conway Summit (10/19/15) Josh Wray

Conway Summit (10/19/15) Josh Wray

Josh also sent photos from Lundy Canyon and Conway Summit. Lundy is at full peak high up, but still developing lower down.

There is so much lime in the lower forest along Lundy Canyon Road, that it should last another week to two.

His photos of Conway Summit show a perplexing mix of enduring Peak to Just Starting with lime, yellow, orange and red among its groves.

Peak GO NOW! (75-100%) – Mammoth Creek

Peak GO NOW! (75-100%) – Mammoth Lakes

Peak GO NOW! (75-100%) – Upper Lundy Canyon

Near Peak GO NOW! (50-75%) – Lower Lundy Canyon

Peak GO NOW! (75-100%) – Conway Summit

 

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Postcard: Gallimauphry

Sunrise Over Silver Lake (10/9/15) Nancy Wright

Sunrise Over Silver Lake (10/9/15) Nancy Wright

We’re now getting so many beautiful photographs of fall color each day, that sometimes there are just too many good ones to post separately.

So, Gallimauphry is our collection of assorted wonders. This collection includes some historic shots (more than a week old) and though we don’t usually post older images, as they could mislead travelers as to what’s showing, we’ll occasionally mix a few in these postcard selections, such as Nancy Wright’s shot of Sunrise Over Silver Lake (above) shot in early October in Mono County.

Lessons Learned:

  1. Get there at dawn, and
  2. There’s always next year.
Spanish Creek, Plumas County (10/19/15) Mike Nellor

Spanish Creek, Plumas County (10/19/15) Mike Nellor

Mike Nellor, a color spotter in the Quincy area, sends us this shot of Spanish Creek as it flows through Oakland Camp, east of Quincy. Plumas County color spotter Karen Moritz reports that Bucks Lake is now at 75% and the area around Quincy is peaking.  The Indian Valley, also in Plumas County, is Near Peak.

Lundy Canyon (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Lundy Canyon (10/20/15) Josh Wray

Josh Wray sends this peakaboo glimpse of how the color is developing in Lundy Canyon (Mono County).  Yes, it’s still Near Peak.

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Coffee Creek Brewing Nicely

Coffee Creek (10/19/15) Ruth Hartman

Coffee Creek (10/19/15) Ruth Hartman

Bigleaf maple, Coffee Creek (10/19/15) Ruth Hartman

Bigleaf maple, Coffee Creek (10/19/15) Ruth Hartman

Dogwood, Coffee Creek (10/19/15) Ruth Hartman

Dogwood, Coffee Creek (10/19/15) Ruth Hartman

Coffee Creek off Hwy 3 in Trinity County is percolating with rosy Pacific Dogwood peaking, bigleaf maple turning from lime to yellow and black oaks still to dress in their Halloween orange and black, reports Ruth Hartman of the Coffee Creek Ranch.

The brew of fall colors will mature over the next two weeks with a rolling Near Peak continuing until the black oak blush.

Near Peak GO NOW! (50-75%) – Coffee Creek, Trinity County

Bigleaf Maple, Coffee Creek (10/19/15) Ruth Hartman

Bigleaf Maple, Coffee Creek (10/19/15) Ruth Hartman

Coffee Creek (10/19/15) Ruth Hartman

Coffee Creek (10/19/15) Ruth Hartman

Dogwood, Coffee Creek (10/19/15) Ruth Hartman

Dogwood, Coffee Creek (10/19/15) Ruth Hartman

Bigleaf maple, Coffee Creek (10/19/15) Ruth Hartman

Bigleaf maple, Coffee Creek (10/19/15) Ruth Hartman

Bigleaf maple, Coffee Creek (10/19/15) Ruth Hartman

Bigleaf maple, Coffee Creek (10/19/15) Ruth Hartman

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Postcard: Mono County

Silver Lake, June Lake Loop (10/17/15) Alena Nicholas

Silver Lake, June Lake Loop (10/17/15) Alena Nicholas

Here’s something new for CaliforniaFallColor.com… a postcard selection of photographs taken on one weekend.

Alena Nicholas sent these sunrise and sunset images of Lundy Canyon, the June Lake Loop and Convict Lake in Mono County. Though it is Near Peak, much of the June Lake Loop has yet to turn.  That indicates June Lake will continue to peak for a week to two more weeks.  So, GO NOW!

June Lake Loop (10/17/15) Alena Nicholas

June Lake Loop (10/17/15) Alena Nicholas

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June Lake Loop (10/17/15) Alena Nicholas

AN-MonoCounty-4

Mono Lake (10/17/15) Alena Nicholas

June Lake Loop (10/17/15) Alena Nicholas

Convict Lake (10/17/15) Alena Nicholas

June Lake Loop (10/17/15) Alena Nicholas

June Lake Loop (10/17/15) Alena Nicholas

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Sunrise, Gull Lake (10/17/15) Alena Nicholas

AN-MonoCounty-11

June Lake Loop (10/17/15) Alena Nicholas

Beaver Pond, Lundy Canyon (10/18/15) Alena Nicholas

Beaver Pond, Lundy Canyon (10/18/15) Alena Nicholas

Lundy Canyon (10/18/15) Alena Nicholas

Lundy Canyon (10/18/15) Alena Nicholas

Lundy Canyon (10/18/15) Alena Nicholas

Lundy Canyon (10/18/15) Alena Nicholas

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June Lake Loop (10/17/15) Alena Nicholas

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June Lake Loop (10/18/15) Alena Nicholas

AN-MonoCounty-20

June Lake Loop (10/18/15) Alena Nicholas

AN-MonoCounty-21

Lundy Canyon (10/18/15) Alena Nicholas

 

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First Report: Black Oaks of the Thompson Valley

Black Oak, Thompson Valley (10/18/15) Mike Nellor

Black Oak, Thompson Valley (10/18/15) Mike Nellor

Black oak, Thompson Valley (10/18/15) Mike Nellor

Black oak, Thompson Valley (10/18/15) Mike Nellor

Black oak, Thompson Valley (10/18/15) Mike Nellor

Black oak, Thompson Valley (10/18/15) Mike Nellor

Plumas County color spotter Mike Nellor scores a First Report with these shots of barns in the Thompson Valley.

Located southeast of Quincy, the Thompson Valley is ranch country, with lots of cattle grazing and big black oaks edging the pastures. Many backroads lead to stands of black oak and bigleaf maple. Mike reports this area as 60% peaked, and it should be full peak by Halloween.

Near Peak GO NOW! (50-75%) – Thompson Valley, Plumas County

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Mono County – Wow!

Double waterfall at June Lake (10/17/15) Alena Nicholas

Double waterfall, Lundy Canyon (10/17/15) Alena Nicholas

Ansel Adams Wilderness (10/18/15) Alena Nicholas

Ansel Adams Wilderness (10/18/15) Alena Nicholas

 

Color spotter Alena Nicholas sent urgent text messages this past weekend, exclaiming about the incredible color to be seen in Mono County.

Alena knows the Eastern Sierra well, having photographed it many times in the past, though wrote “The Sierra are GLORIOUS!!! Never seen June Lake and area finer…”

Color spotter Patricia Costa followed our advice and headed to the east side to send us photos of the same storm swirling and dropping snow amidst the color while visiting Mammoth Lakes, Devil’s Postpile National Monument, June Lake and points along US 395.

June Lake Loop (10/17/15) Patricia Costa

June Lake Loop (10/17/15) Patricia Costa

Mammoth Lakes (10/17/15) Patricia Costa

Mammoth Lakes (10/17/15) Patricia Costa

Conway Summit (10/17/15) Patricia Costa

Conway Summit (10/17/15) Patricia Costa

Devil's Postpile (10/17/15) Patricia Costa

Devil’s Postpile (10/17/15) Patricia Costa

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Upper Sacramento River Heats Up

Upper Sacramento River (10/19/15) Philip Reedy

Upper Sacramento River (10/18/15) Philip Reedy

Color spotter Philip Reedy traveled north of Dunsmuir on I-5 to find color along the Upper Sacramento River.

Indian Rhubarb has sprinkled a confetti of its red, orange, yellow and green fan-shaped leaves along the river’s edge, while alder, cottonwood and aspen brighten the forest with gold and yellow.

Sims Flat (10/17/15) Jill Dinsmore

Sims Flat (10/17/15) Jill Dinsmore

Sims Flat is coming into its own, though short of peaking.

Pacific Dogwood, Trinity County (10/17/15) Jeri Rangel

Pacific Dogwood, Trinity County (10/17/15) Jeri Rangel

Elsewhere in the Shasta Cascade region, Pacific dogwood have turned hot pink in Trinity County. Now, that’s hot.

Near Peak GO NOW! (50-75%) – Upper Sacramento River – Get down to the river above Dunsmuir for peaking Indian Rhubarb at river’s edge and trees going golden.

Patchy (10-50%) – Sims Flat – Upper Sacramento River – Lots of color now, more to come.

Patchy (10-50%) – Trinity County – Pacific Dogwood have turned Paris-Hilton hot.

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Central Valley – Just Starting

Fabulous 40s, Sacramento (10/16/15) John Poimiroo

Fabulous 40s, Sacramento (10/16/15) John Poimiroo

We’re beginning to see cottonwood topped with crests of gold within Central Valley wetland areas.  Soon, these wetlands and surrounding farmed rice fields will become banquet tables for wild geese, ducks and swans.

Walnut orchards west of Davis along I-80, near corn mazes, farm stands and pumpkin patches, are starting to show color.  Drive north on Hwys 70 and 99 to Oroville and Chico to pass more orchards full of walnut trees in two weeks to see them peak.

Fabulous 40s, Sacramento (10/16/15) John Poimiroo

Fabulous 40s, Sacramento (10/16/15) John Poimiroo

The urban forests of the Central Valley (Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto and Fresno) are just starting to show their color.  Towering London Plane trees arch over Sacramento’s Fabulous Forties (avenues numbered 40 – 49) in mid-town, the sun lighting their leaves to chartreuse brilliance.

In the next two to three weeks, browned leaves will fall and the sound of rakes and leaf blowers will reveal where they are being gathered into piles.  Today is the first day that Sacramento residents may leave the piles in the street to be picked up by the City.

There are so many trees in Sacramento and such a big drop of leaves, that the service continues into January. What a wonder it must be to be a kid in Sacramento with so many piles of leaves through which to ride your bike.

CSU Sacramento (10/16/15) John Poimiroo

CSU Sacramento (10/16/15) John Poimiroo

Sycamore, American River, Rancho Cordova (10/16/15) John Poimiroo

Sycamore, American River, Rancho Cordova (10/16/15) John Poimiroo

Other good places to watch leaves drop in Sacramento are: the Cal State Sacramento campus, Land Park and Discovery Park at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers.

Just Starting (0-10%) – Central Valley 

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Rainbow Over Mono Lake

Rainbow Over Mono Lake (10/17/15) Darrell Sano

Rainbow Over Mono Lake (10/17/15) Darrell Sano

Color spotter Darrell Sano reminds us why we go out in the rain to look for fall color.

Because by doing so, we see things, wonderful things, that would otherwise remain undiscovered.

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First Report: Majestic Mineral King

Mineral King (10/16/15) Frank McDonough

Mineral King (10/16/15) Frank McDonough

Mineral King (10/16/15) Frank McDonough

Mineral King (10/16/15) Frank McDonough

Mineral King (10/16/15) Frank McDonough

Mineral King (10/16/15) Frank McDonough

Mineral King (10/16/15) Frank McDonough

Mineral King (10/16/15) Frank McDonough

Frank McDonough usually does his fall color reporting from the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Gardens, but found himself in Mineral King this week, as storms rolled past.

He had the presence of mind to sent back these powerful images and score a First Report for majestic Mineral King, a subalpine glacier valley at the southern end of Sequoia National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada.

Past Peak YOU MISSED IT! – Mineral King – Quaking aspen appear to be past peak, though willows, grasses and shrubbery color Mineral King with bright gold, yellow, orange and lime.

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