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Burney Falls Bubbles with Fall Color

Burney Falls (10/15/17) Clayton Peoples

President Teddy Roosevelt described Burney Falls as the “eighth wonder of the world,” and with good reason.

Pit River above Burney Falls (10/15/17) Clayton Peoples

Burney Falls is constantly fed by an underground stream that flows at a rate of 379 million liters a day (imagine that in terms of soda bottles).

The water permeates through and flows over a 129-foot tall wall of rock that is covered with lush green ferns.

The pool below the falls (a waterfall is one drop, falls are many) has every imaginable blue in it (indigo, cerulean, cobalt, turquoise) and the wall in autumn is topped with vivid orange, yellow and lime colors.

Color spotter Clayton Peoples was there this past weekend to report the scene “sported great colors.”

He wrote, “At McArthur-Burney Falls State Park, the black oak trees are turning yellow, orange, and rusty red. There are some that have already reached peak color–for instance, those along Burney Creek just above where it plunges down the Falls. Elsewhere, though, the leaves are only beginning to change.

Manzanita Lake (10/15/17) Clayton Peoples

“At Lassen Volcanic National Park, willows along Manzanita Lake range from Peak to Past Peak, and the grasses and other ground shrub have turned a nice golden hue. It’s unclear how long the color will last there, so I would recommend that folks GO NOW! before color disappears and winter weather settles in.”

The Shasta Cascade region is now a go-to destination to find great fall color, with Plumas County, Lassen Volcanic and Burney Falls at Peak.

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!

Manzanita Lake, Lassen Volcanic National Park – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!

 

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Contributors Get Published

Bishop Creek (10/2/16) Daniel Stas

CaliforniaFallColor.com has become a go-to site for publications and designers looking for fall color photography.

Photographs contributed to this site this autumn by color spotters Dylan Ren and Daniel Stas were selected by a calendar publisher.

And, San Bernardino County color spotter Alena Nicholas had several of her images chosen to decorate the interiors of San Bernardino County government buildings, because the designer found them on CaliforniaFallColor.com.

 

Lake Arrowhead (11/7/15) Alena Nicholas

That’s not saying we promise contributors that they’ll be published, though that does happen fairly often, because of the visibility of the site.

There seems to be no set pattern why a photograph is chosen, other than that it is colorful, nicely composed and has a subject that the medium, designer or publisher wants.

The calendar designer was looking for fresh water and an autumn scene. San Bernardino County was looking for images of their county that could be enlarged and hung inside county office buildings.

What is common is that the photos were seen here, and they were strong candidates.

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Feather River Scenic Byway

Maple, Quincy (10/16/17) Jeff Luke Titcomb

As peak color declines in the Southern and Eastern Sierra, color spotters look for other areas to satisfy their appetite for fall color.

The Feather River Scenic Byway in the Northern Sierra is one such destination. This route follows the North Fork of the Feather River 130 miles east/west across Butte and Plumas Counties on State Highway 70.

The byway has extraordinarily diverse terrain and is a showcase of engineering marvels including seven power houses that make up California’s “Stairway of Power” hydroelectric power generating system, impressive railroad trestles (one crossed by a highway bridge – providing for an amazing photograph) and grades and tunnels.

It’s all accessible by CA-70, an impressive accomplishment in its own right. Trailheads to many paths, including the Pacific Crest Trail, lead from it and to superb fall color viewing.

In mid to late October, fall color in Plumas and Butte Counties is peaking. Quincy, the Plumas County seat is a great starting point for exploring the region.

Because Plumas County does not have the elevation change found in the Eastern Sierra, knowing when to visit is key to a satisfying trip.

The trick to knowing where to go (as much of the color in Plumas County is not self-evident), is to search this site for references to Plumas County, then go to those locations within a week or two of when they peaked historically.

Black oak, Indian Falls (10/16/17) Jeff Luke Titcomb

Feather River Scenic Byway (5,436′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!

 

 

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Golden Hour and Fall Photography

Silver Lake sunrise, Mono County (10/14/17) Jennifer Franklin

McGee Creek day’s end, Mono County (10/14/17) Jennifer Franklin

Photographers are both story-tellers and artists, as these photographs by Jennifer Franklin show.

There is a moodiness to each image, caused by the early or late afternoon light and by the shutter speed she chose for the latter, which accentuates both motion and emotion.

Jennifer (@msnightfall) stopped at Silver Lake (June Lake Loop) at sunrise on Saturday, and ended the day in McGee Creek Canyon in the late afternoon.

Photographers call the hour shortly after sunrise or before sunset, “the golden hour,” because then, sunlight is warmer than when the sun is high in the sky.

However, in autumn the golden hour lasts much longer because the lower angle of the sun causes light to warm each scene. That is particularly noticeable when such light touches warm colors, as in these scenes (click on photo to enlarge).

Using digital darkrooms like Adobe Lightroom, photographers have many tools today that make it possible to emphasize vibrance, highlights, shadows and contrast. Years ago, we would spend endless hours in the dark working to express what we saw, experienced or imagined. Now, it happens in the light.

 

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Hazelgreen Dip Glows in Yosemite NP

Hazelgreen Dip, CA-120, Yosemite NP (10/14/17) Simon Lau

Two miles south of the Big Oak Flat entrance station (northwest entrance, Yosemite National Park), CA-120 (called the Big Oak Flat Road inside the national park) dips near Hazelgreen. There,  dogwood, ferns, willows and bigleaf maple are putting on an irridescent show of pink, rose, yellow, gold and lime. Simon Lau scores a First Report for this area, which has long been a favorite of Yosemite color watchers.

Down in Yosemite Valley, bigleaf maple and dogwood are peaking, as well. By the end of the month, however, they’ll have dropped their leaves and the black oaks will have turned deep orange in contrast to their black branches and trunks.

By this time in Autumn, until the late 1800s, native Ahwahneechee, the band of Miwok Indians who called Yosemite Valley their home, would have burned off the Valley’s grasses, to make it easier to collect black oak acorns, a principal food and trading item.

Tioga Lake, Yosemite National Park (10/15/17) Gene Miller

On his return from the Eastern Sierra, color spotter Gene Miller passed over Tioga Pass, capturing this shot of Tioga Lake with a touch of gold surviving at 9,638′, scoring another First Report, then traveled into Yosemite Valley to get a shot of the pioneer sugar maple planted near the Yosemite Chapel nearing the end of its peak.

Hazelgreen Dip, near Big Oak Flat Entrance Station, CA-120, Yosemite National Park (4,400′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!

Tioga Pass, Yosemite National Park (9,943′) – Past Peak – You Missed It.

Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park (4,000′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Dogwood, cottonwood and bigleaf maple are peaking. Black oak will peak at the end of October.

Sugar Maple, Yosemite Valley (10/15/17) Gene Miller

 

 

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Fall Photo Contest Entries

The following photographs, submitted by CaliforniaFallColor.com readers, have been entered in Cotton Carrier’s Fall Photo Contest. Vote for your favorites at www.CottonCarrier.com.

The photograph with the most votes wins an 18 x 24″ canvas wrapped print of the photograph and a $149 Cotton Carrier G3 Harness.

One photo may be entered per week, per photographer. Deadline Nov. 15. Photographers retain the rights to their work.

To enter, you must post them at www.CottonCarrier.com. Once you enter, send a .jpg of your shot, where it was taken and your name to: editor@californiafallcolor.com.  We’ll post all photographs here and encourage readers to vote for them. Photos do not need to have been taken recently, so past photographs are eligible.

North Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/7/17) Xin Wang

Autumn in the Sierra, Parker Lake – Alena Nicholas

Fall Fishing, Bishop Creek – William Barnhart

Convict Lake – Sigthor Markusson

Salmon Creek, Humboldt County – Ren Trujillo

Burney Falls – Ren Trujillo

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California Autumn

Tony Rice sings, “It looks like it’s gonna be another California autumn…”

“… the best time you’ll ever find to run away.”

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SoCal: Lake Gregory and Mt. Palomar Near Peak

Waterslide and black oaks, Lake Gregory (10/15/17) Micayla Anderson

Maple, Lake Gregory (10/15/17) Micayla Anderson

Black oak, Lake Gregory (10/15/17) Micayla Anderson

Now that days and nights are colder, the only thing sliding down the waterslide at Lake Gregory are fallen black oak leaves, Micayla Anderson reports.

Southern California’s mountain forests are now shedding their leaves as they evolve from Near Peak to Peak.

In the San Bernardino Mountains, Lake Gregory in Crestline is nearing peak with black oak and exotic maples showing orange, yellow and red.

Black oak, Mt. Palomar (10/15/17) John Caffrey

Fremont cottonwood, Mt. Palomar (10/15/17) John Caffrey

Dogwood, Mt. Palomar (10/15/17) John Caffrey

Black oak, dogwood and Frémont cottonwood at Mt. Palomar in San Diego County are showing near peak orange, rose and gold.

Lake Gregory (4,554′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!

Mt. Palomar (6,138′) -Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!

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Peak and Past Peak on the Eastside

Tuli, a miniature Labradoodle, enjoys the fall color at McGee Creek (10/15/17) Maggie Huang

Mono County was peaking gloriously this past weekend, while areas above 8,500′ in the eastern Sierra Nevada, including most of Bishop Creek Canyon had peaked.

Color spotters Maggie Huang and Anirudh Natekar found beauty at McGee Creek, Lundy Lake, the June Lake Loop and Convict Lake.

Maggie captured her dog, Tuli’s, joy over being able to hike off-leash on posted Eastern Sierra trails, saying she was, “enjoying the moment of her life!”

Aspendell, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/15/17) Anirudh Natekar

Anidrudh’s shot of Aspendell shows the last of the color at this elevation along the Sabrina fork of Bishop Creek. There is peak beauty still there to be seen, but it is fading quickly.

Niven Le followed our advice and traveled to the same areas, finding peak color wherever we advised going.

Here’s what they saw.

Aspendell, Bishop Creek Canyon – Peak to Past Peak – You Almost Missed It.

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

Convict Lake – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!

June Lake Loop – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!

Lundy Canyon – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!

Grant Lake, June Lake Loop (10/14/17) Gene Miller

Grant Lake, June Lake Loop (10/14/17) Gene Miller

Lee Vining Canyon (10/14/17) Gene Miller

Lee Vining Canyon (10/14/17) Gene Miller

Lee Vining Canyon (10/14/17) Gene Miller

Sherwin Creek Campground (10/14/17) Gene Miller

Gull Lake (10/15/17) Niven D Le

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Convict Lake, CA-395 (10/15/17) Niven D Le

June Lake Loop (10/15/17) Niven D Le

Lundy Lake (10/15/17) Niven D Le

June Lake Loop (10/15/17) Niven D Le

Sonora Pass (10/14/17) Niven D Le

Lundy Lake (10/15/17) Maggie Huang

June Lake Loop (10/15/17) Maggie Huang

June Lake Loop (10/15/17) Maggie Huang

June Lake Loop (10/15/17) Maggie Huang

Convict Lake (10/15/17) Maggie Huang

June Lake (10/15/17) Anirudh Natekar

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A Riot Along the Bear River

Maple, St. Canice Catholic Church, Nevada City (10/14/17) Robert Kermen

Bear Valley (10/14/17) Robert Kermen

Bear River (10/14/17) Robert Kermen

There’s a riot of color to be seen along the Bear River in Nevada County, Robert Kermen reports. He travels CA-20 and I-80 almost weekly and encounters “multiple color spots along the route.”

Kermen reports that one of his favorite stops is “the headwaters of Bear River which is located on Bowman Lake road just after you pass through Bear Valley headed eastbound on CA-20. This whole area is a riot of color now with bigleaf maple,  dogwood, and a few aspen at peak.”
Nevada City is also looking good with maple providing crimson and yellow highlights.
Nevada City (2,477′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Peaking from Nevada City to the headwaters of the Bear River, along CA-20.
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