Color spotter Shishir Iyer made a trip to the Eastern Sierra recently and couldn’t be happier with his decision.
“Last weekend I ended up making the trip over to the Mammoth Lakes area with my family. This is the first time we’ve been to the Eastern Sierra in fall, and my life feels more complete now having witnessed the brilliant foliage against still snow-covered peaks.“
“We started off Saturday at Convict Lake, where a low cloud deck really made the yellows and oranges of the cottonwoods pop. The clouds eventually burned off, creating the classic contrast between the turquoise waters and fall colors. Overall, Convict Lake is right around peak (75-100%), with the southern end of the lake being past peak as recent observations have noted.
“On the way back, there was also a nice view of aspens along Convict Creek against the now aptly-named White Mountains.
“Next up, we headed to Lee Vining Creek. It’s still very much at peak there, with some absolutely glowing areas.
“Finally, we drove the June Lake loop, where I’m sure I annoyed my family to no end by stopping every 30 seconds for a picture. There’s still plenty of color to be found here, especially between Grant Lake and Silver Lake and near the June Lake campground.
“On Sunday morning, we visited Devils Postpile and did the hike to Rainbow Falls. It’s definitely past peak here with mostly stripped trees, but a few are still holding on, which makes for a nice late fall scene in combination with the snowcapped mountains.
“Definitely looking forward to getting back out here next fall! Next year I might try to plan a little earlier to catch some other locations at peak.”
