Archive for category: Eastern Sierra

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Yesterday’s blustery day made some worry that the color might be stripped, but that only happens when the leaves have turned substantially or in a bigger blow.

Color spotter Bruce Wendler found Upper Lundy Canyon and Dunderberg Meadows Rd. to be wind survivors. Only a few trees lost leaves and that just carpeted the forest with color. Plan on Lundy for a week from now, as it’s still Patchy. As for Dunderberg, it’s at Peak, though Bruce recommends to make it an afternoon visit. That’s when the “red heads” are backlit and beautiful.

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• Lundy Lake (7,858′) – Patchy (10 – 50%)
• Dunderberg Meadows Rd. (9,600′) – Peak (75 – 100%), GO NOW!

By the weekend, areas above 9,000′ in Bishop Creek Canyon will all be Near Peak to Peaking, but for the moment the canyon has just edged past 50% of peak color. So, how do you estimate perfection?

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Bishop color spotter and photographer Gary Young has the enviable situation of living in Bishop and can be up the canyon in minutes. Most color spotters don’t have that luxury.

This past weekend, Gary looped the South Fork, Middle Fork and North Fork. Highest elevations in all areas are now Near Peak, though missing that edge of sparkle that they’ve had on the same day in previous years, only because the start has been a week later than usual.

Gary notes that the canyon continues to improve, though there’s still a lot of green. The Mist Falls is still 100% green, but that’s not unusual. It’s a later peak.

So, here’s the question. When do you go to catch a location at perfection? It’s a long drive and you want to be sure you’re not too early or too late.

The problem in estimating perfection is that so much can happen to hold peak back or push it forward. However, once it’s moving as peak is now, change can happen quickly. So, the right advice is to time your visit when it’s Near Peak or Peaking and clouds might be seen. That means watching Bishop/Mammoth weather forecasts closely, right now.

Starting on Sunday, broken clouds are expected for a week. A visit anytime between Sunday and the following weekend should result in good chances for dramatic photography above 9,000′ (It’ll still be good down to 8,000′ for a couple more weeks).

To know the elevations, use the search tool “Reports by Month/Year” on the right. Read previous year reports (in more than one year) and note where it was peaking a week before when you plan to visit (peak is running a week late in the Eastern Sierra this year). This isn’t a precise method, but it’s the best I can suggest to give you a good chance of being there when it’s nearest perfection.

Booking.com in the right nav bar will help you determine room availability and allows direct booking to accommodations in Bishop, at Mammoth Lakes and elsewhere in the Eastern Sierra (I use it all the time). Or, link through to any of the visitors bureaus from their ads at the bottom of posts.

Most importantly, when we post GO NOW! for a location, believe it and go as soon as you can. A week later, it could be gone.

• South Lake, S. Fork Bishop Creek (9,768′) – Near Peak (50 – 75%), GO NOW!
• Weir Pond, S. Fork Bishop Creek (9,650′) – Near Peak (50 – 75%), GO NOW!
• Parcher’s Resort, S. Fork Bishop Creek (9,260′) – Near Peak (50 – 75%), GO NOW!
• Willow Campground, S. Fork Bishop Creek (9,000′) – Near Peak (50 – 75%), GO NOW!
• Surveyor’s Meadow, S. Fork Bishop Creek (8,975′) – Patchy (10 – 50%)
• Mist Falls, S. Fork Bishop Creek (8,350′) – Just Starting (0 – 10%)
• Lake Sabrina (9,150′) – Near Peak (50 – 75%), GO NOW!
• Sabrina Approach (9,100′) – Near Peak (50 – 75%), GO NOW!
• Sabrina Campground (9,000′) – Near Peak (50 – 75%), GO NOW!
• Groves Above Cardinal Village (8,350′) – Patchy (10 – 50%)
• North Lake (9,225′) – Near Peak (50 – 75%), GO NOW!
• North Lake Rd. (9,000′) – Near Peak (50 – 75%), GO NOW!

BREAKING NEWS

Rock Creek (south of Mammoth Lakes) is reporting Near Peak – GO NOW! – Photos to be posted 9/28.

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Color spotter Bruce Wendler reports Sagehen Summit (CA-120E – Mono County) has now topped 50% of color, joining Virginia Lakes as GO NOW! locations.

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Wendler reports Obsidian Campground on the Little Walker River as Patchy.

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• Sagehen Summit (8,139′) – Near Peak (50 – 75%), GO NOW!
• Virginia Lakes (9,819′) – Near Peak (50 – 75%), GO NOW!
• Dunderberg Meadows Rd. (9,600′), Near Peak (50 – 75%), GO NOW!
• Obsidian Campground, Little Walker River, (6919′) – Patchy (10 – 50%)

Bishop color spotter Gary Young drove up Bishop Creek Canyon on Saturday morning to find he’d gotten there before the haze had cleared and too early to see much color as far up the South Fork as Weir Pond (9600′). He remarked that even some lower elevations had more color.

That happens because aspen groves are composed of different families of trees, whose color is triggered on their own schedule, as influenced by light, temperature and hydration.

The big grove across from Bishop Creek Lodge was still very green, as temperatures have not yet dropped. Nighttime temperatures are still hovering near 50° F in Bishop which is delaying the change. More color has been reported at Sabrina Lake, which has the highest elevations in the canyon.

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• S. Fork Bishop Creek (7,800 – 10,000′) – Just Starting to Patchy (0 – 50%)

With a week to go before the first official day of autumn, the Eastern Sierra is just starting to get gilded.

Spots of yellow are brightest at Virginia Lakes (US 395, south of Bridgeport), which is exhibiting patchy color. One can assume that other areas at similarly elevated altitudes (Rock Creek, Little Lakes Valley, Lake Sabrina) are also turning color.

This seems to be about on schedule, compared to past autumns. Though in drought years (this is one), autumn color often appears early and is short lived. So, we recommend heading to must-see areas soon after we report Patchy to Near Peak color, as change is likely to accelerate during a drought.

The big news in the Eastern Sierra is that Inyo National Forest is now fully open. This includes areas in Lee Vining, June Lake, Sagehen Summit, Mammoth Lakes, Convict Lake, McGee Creek, and Rock Creek. 

The Humboldt-Toiyabe NF was already open with few restrictions such as no dispersed camping and no overnight backpacking allowed. Areas of this national forest in northern Mono County – that are part of the Bridgeport Ranger District – are open, including areas around Walker, Coleville, Topaz, Bridgeport, Twin Lakes (Bridgeport), Virginia Lakes, Conway Summit, and Summers Meadow. The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest will fully open on September 18. To aid trip planning, Mono County Tourism offers a free Eastern Sierra Fall Color Map and other information-rich visitor guides.

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In the past week, there’s been little change. Mono County color spotter Jeff Simpson reports Virginia Lakes as being the best bet for fall color this weekend with most of it appearing near the Virginia Lakes Resort.

If you own an AWD or 4-wheel drive vehicle, drive the Dunderberg Meadows dirt road off Virginia Lakes Road to Sinnamon Meadow and Green Creek. Upper Rock Creek and Sagehen Summit are the only other locations that are just starting and worth the drive now. 

• Virginia Lakes (9,819’) – 10-50% Patchy – Go here if you want to get the first taste of fall color for the 2021 season! Full yellow trees along the road at the summit near Virginia Lakes Resort. 
• Sagehen Summit (8,139’) – 0-10% Just Starting – Traditionally this is the first location in California to reach peak color. Look for major development changes here starting next week! 
• Rock Creek Road (9,600’) – 0-10% Just Starting. Small changes happening right now around Rock Creek Lake and all hiking trails that lead to higher elevations.