John Poimiroo – Page 11 – California Fall Color

Rookie Spotters

What would it be like to take people, who had never seen fall color, to a peaking forest?

Clayton Peoples had that experience this week, when relatives from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia visiting “their daughter, who is a graduate student in California” also paid a visit to Clayton and his wife in Reno.

As is often the case when hosting visitors, Clayton asked what they’d like to see. Because Malaysia is tropical, they had never seen fall color and were excited about the chance to see seasonal change.

So, Clayton took Monday off and drove south with them on US 395 to Mono County’s fall color “hotspots” of Twin Lakes (Bridgeport), Conway Summit, Lundy Canyon, June Lake Loop, and McGee Creek.

Clayton said, “I chose those locations based on reports at the only fall color resource I really trust, California Fall Color.” The result was a wonder-filled outing with “oohs” and “ahhs” excitedly exclaimed and to watch visitors to our beautiful country “soak in the experience was amazing.”

Twin Lakes, Mono County (10/17/22) Clayton Peoples

Conway Summit, Mono County (10/17/22) Clayton Peoples

Lundy Lake, Lundy Canyon, Mono County (10/17/22) Clayton Peoples

Silver Lake, June Lake Loop, Mono County (10/17/22) Clayton Peoples

June Lake Loop, Mono County (10/17/22) Clayton Peoples

Lundy Canyon, Mono County (10/17/22) Clayton Peoples

McGee Creek, Mono County (10/17/22) Clayton Peoples

Twin Lakes (Bridgeport) (7,000′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now.
Conway Summit (8,143′) – PEAK to Past Peak, GO NOW, You almost missed it.
Lundy Canyon (7,858′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW! – It’s there. Do not delay.
June Lake Loop (7,654′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now. – The best color is at Silver Lake, but good color is found throughout the Loop.
McGee Creek Canyon (8,600′) – PEAK to Past Peak, GO NOW, You almost missed it. – This is the last great weekend for McGee. Get there soon.

October 19, 2022 by John Poimiroo

Fall Color Report, Out of State, Special Report

Great Smokies

Following fall color as it dips south, California Fall Color’s expat spotter Alena Nicholas left the upper midwest (Minnesota) to explore the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.

Autumn is Near Peak in Gatlinburg where Hazel alder, Sugar maple, Striped maple, Black oak, Sweetgum, Black maple, Scarlet oak, Red maple, Birch, Dogwood, Sourwood, Tulip poplar and hickories are decorating the forest.

Black oak, Striped alder, Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg (11/17/22) Alena Nicholas

Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg (11/18/22) Alena Nicholas

Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg (11/17/22) Alena Nicholas

Great Smoky Mountains NP, Gatlinburg, TN (1,289′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now.

October 18, 2022 by John Poimiroo

Eastern Sierra, Fall Color Report, Hike of the Week

Lundy Lovely, Conway Cowabunga!

Lundy Canyon, Mono County (10/16/22) Gary Skipper

Conway Summit, Mono County (10/16/22)Gary Skipper

Lundy Lake, showing lovely color as it now, is solidly Near Peak, but Conway Summit, well, Cowabunga! Boy, does its color scream.

Southern California color spotter Gary Skipper went to the East Side this past weekend and the force was with him.

Figure Conway was at full peak when he visited. So, by now it has lost some of the luster, but Lundy should be magical through this weekend and the following week. Time to hike Lundy Canyon!

Waterfall, Lundy Canyon, Mono County (10/16/22) Gary Skipper

Conway Summit, Mono County (10/16/22)Gary Skipper

Conway Summit (8,143′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW!
Lundy Canyon (7,858′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now.

October 18, 2022 by John Poimiroo

Fall Color Report, Northern Sierra

A Peek at Plumas’ Peak

Plumas County is just about there. Darmera are expected to Peak this week and as Jeff Luke Titcomb shows in his shots, aspen, sugar maple, coffeeberry and dogwood are approaching peak.

Celebration Sugar Maple, Thompson Ranch, Quincy (10/16/22) Jeff Luke Titcomb

Sugar Maple, LaPorte Rd, Quincy (10/16/22) Jeff Luke Titcomb

Celebration Sugar Maple, Thompson Ranch, Quincy (10/16/22) Jeff Luke Titcomb

Bigleaf Maple, LaPorte Rd, Quincy (10/16/22) Jeff Luke Titcomb

LaPorte Rd, Quincy (10/16/22) Jeff Luke Titcomb

Bigleaf Maple, LaPorte Rd, Quincy (10/16/22) Jeff Luke Titcomb

Aspen, Bucks Lake (10/16/22) Jeff Luke Titcomb

Sierra coffeeberry, Buck's Lake (10/16/22) Jeff Luke Titcomb

Pacific dogwood, Bucks Lake Highway (10/16/22) Jeff Luke Titcomb

Bigleaf Maple, Bucks Lake Highway, (10/16/22) Jeff Luke Titcomb

Pacific dogwood, Bucks Lake Highway (10/16/22) Jeff Luke Titcomb

Plumas County (3,342′) – Patchy to Near Peak (10-75%) Go Now.

October 17, 2022 by John Poimiroo

Eastern Sierra, Fall Color Report

Cardinal Gold

Red is the color usually associated with “cardinal,” but Bishop color spotter Gary Young tells us the groves behind Cardinal Village in Bishop Creek Canyon have now turned to gold.

Living in Bishop, Gary is blessed with golden opportunities to photograph great color. Earlier this autumn, he drove up the canyon at day’s end when glorious color was unexpected to capture one of the two best images of fire in the sky shown on this site, this season.

That was a fortuitous bit of scouting that became golden. Though, even Gary would say the current peak at Cardinal Village’s was predictable. That location had been reported as Just Starting for weeks. So, it was inevitable that the aspen would eventually turn. Cardinal Village is now gilded and Aspendell is sure to follow.

Major creds to Gary for making his own luck, anticipating peak and venturing into the forest at just the golden moment.

Intake II, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/15/22) Gary Young

Looking toward North Lake, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/15/22) Gary Young

Big Trees Campground, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/15/22) Gary Young

Cardinal Village (8,550′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW!
Aspendell (8,400′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now.
Intake II (8,000′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW!
Big Trees Campground (7,800′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now.

October 16, 2022 by John Poimiroo

Fall Color Report, High Sierra

Lingering at Wylder

Peak color is lingering at Wylder this autumn. Groves layered with Just Starting to Peak color have peaked successively, each so beautiful they make you stop in your tracks.

Vishal and Seema Mishra found that experience on their visit this weekend.

Red Lake Creek Rd, Hope Valley (10/16/22) Vishal Mishra

Red Creek Cabin, Hope Valley (10/15/22) Vishal Mishra

Wylder’s Resort Hope Valley(7,000′) – PEAK to Past Peak, Go Now, you almost missed it.

October 16, 2022 by John Poimiroo

Eastern Sierra, Fall Color Report

Virginia On Fire

Virginia Lakes was rated past peak last week. That didn’t stop Curtis Kautzer from exploring and finding an aspen grove halfway up the road that is on fire.

“It’s hard to miss,” Curtis reports, as there are “tons of peeps there.”

Virginia Lakes Rd (8,800′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW!

October 16, 2022 by John Poimiroo

Fall Color Report, High Sierra

Hope Against Hope

Red Lake Creek, Hope Valley (10/18/22) Philip Reedy

Red Lake Creek, Hope Valley (10/14/22) Philip Reedy

A year ago, Philip Reedy took a self-portrait fishing Red Lake Creek in the Hope Valley. Yesterday, he took a similar photograph. The comparison of color and weather are fascinating.

Though, what is most interesting between the two is how similar the color is in photographs taken four days apart, a year later. Other than the snow and sky, the trees are at very similar stages of color development. Four more days and the aspen seen behind the cabin will be more orange, as they were when photographed last year.

As Reedy pointed out last week, the Hope Valley may have the most consistent change anywhere in the Sierra Nevada.

Red Lake Creek (10/14/22) Philip Reedy

Woods Lake Rd (10/14/22) Philip Reedy

Presently, from Carson Pass down to Wylders on CA 88, “almost every tree has changed and many have already dropped their leaves,” Reedy reports, “It still looks great, but I would go in the next few days before more trees are bare for the winter.”

“The road to Woods Lake is still gorgeous and unlike Monday at dawn, there were quite a few people driving by to enjoy the colors,” he continues. Red Lake Creek and its oft- photographed cabin is still looking good, though across the road the trees are now pretty bare.

Groves on the north end of the pasture near the junction with Blue Lakes Road, “still look great,” and the grove “west of Picketts Junction ranges from bare trees to full color.” Reedy suggests parking in the USFS dispersed camping area for a “leisurely walk to enjoy the range of colors.”

However, peak has now lasted near two weeks in the Hope Valley, so green areas are nearly gone and leaves are falling. Go immediately, if you don’t want to be disappointed by finding only bare branches.

Across from Wylders (10/14/22) Philip Reedy

Hillside above West Carson River (10/14/22) Philip Reedy

Hope Valley Pasture (10/14/22) Philip Reedy

Hope Valley (7,300′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW!

October 15, 2022 by John Poimiroo

Fall Color Report, Northern Sierra

California’s Smartest Buck

When you’re the smartest buck in Plumas County, what do you do on a Saturday during hunting season? You go into town and find a nice spot away from the hunters.

Michael Beatley found this trophy-sized mule deer resting behind an 1870s Victorian in downtown Quincy, a location that’s definitely out of bounds for hunters.

Fall color varies from Patchy to Near Peak in Plumas County, and should develop nicely in the next two weeks.

Quincy (10/15/22) Michael Beatley

Plumas County Courthouse, Quincy (10/15/22) Michael Beatley

Quincy (10/15/22) Michael Beatley

Quincy, Plumas County (3,342′) – Patchy to Near Peak (10-75%) Go Now.

October 15, 2022 by John Poimiroo

Eastern Sierra, Fall Color Report

Goin’ to the Chapel

This is a good time to be in Mammoth Lakes which has been experiencing clear skies and warm days making for great fall color spotting in the Eastern Sierra. The Lakes Basin is at peak with color spotters making novenas to the Twin Lakes, Lakes Mary, Mamie, George, Horseshoe and the Twin Falls Overlook.

Angie Plaisted was there yesterday and photographed a copse of trees at Lake Mamie, and later, the forest chapel, an outdoor location where weddings often occur. It occurs to me that the copse of trees ought to be called the forest chapel, as they have spiritual beauty.

In the autumn light, willows and aspen near Lakes Basin shores glow as if lit by clerestory windows.

Average temperatures are predicted to decline steadily this week, though skies are expected to remain clear. This means that while the Lakes Basin will move past peak in coming days, areas near Mammoth Lakes (Convict Lake, June Lake, Parker Lake) should be beautiful.

Brothers and sisters, yes, it’s time to visit the chapel of fall color … Mammoth Lakes.