Bishop (Peak 75-100%) – The Eastern Sierra city of Bishop on US 395 is peaking with glorious stands of huge Fremont cottonwood glowing orange-red along the Owens River. Color spotters Nick and Alena Barnhart captured the peak this past weekend. It appears these trees will remain beautiful for a week more, longer if it remains calm. So, Bishop and the Owens Valley are this week’s Peak of the Week.GO NOW!
The view from Mt. Palomar alone is worth the trip (11/3/14) Scott Turner
Black Oak, Mt. Palomar (11/3/14) Scott Turner
Mountain Maple, Mt. Palomar (11/3/14) Scott Turner
Mt. Palomar (Patchy 10 – 50%) – We beg forgiveness for the pun in the headline, though considering the observatory atop Mt. Palomar, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to post it.
Modern Hiker’s Scott Turner reports that most of the black oaks on Mt. Palomar still have a long way to go before they turn. The rain and the wind have stripped some of the trees – particularly those on south-facing slopes, but most of the oaks retain their leaves and are around 25-50% turned on the north-facing slopes and over 50% on the south-facing slopes. Bark beetles are not a problem here, and Palomar has actually been close to matching its average precipitation since July, which is 3x that of the lower elevations.
Riparian areas are well short of peak (11/3/14) Scott Turner
Dogwood, Mt. Palomar (11/3/14) Scott Turner
Riparian foliage, including berries, box elders, and dogwoods are showing a bit more color. Dogwoods are showing colors ranging from green, yellow, pink and red, while box elders are lime green. The berry plants are yellowing nicely. Scott estimates that Mt. Palomar will peak in one to two weeks. Last year, we received photographs of black oak peaking near the observatory.
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2014-11-04 23:34:272014-11-05 20:59:45Mt. Palomar Patchy, but Looking Up
Pomegranates are the color of fall at Boa Vista in Apple Hill (10/30/14 John Poimiroo
Grape tubs are full of rainfall at Narrow Gate Vineyards (11/1/14) John Poimiroo
Counoise vines at Holly’s Hill Winery (11/1/14) John Poimiroo
Color spotters from around the state have sent reports on what’s showing as November and daylight saving time arrives.
Western El Dorado County (Near Peak 50 -75%) – The brilliant orange-red of exotic Chinese pistache is a show stopper along El Dorado Hills Boulevard and at all US 50 exits in Placerville. Newtown Rd between Placerville and Pleasant Valley is a veritable canopy of yellow and lime bigleaf maple with occasional orange flushes of black oak. This is one of the most beautiful drives in the Gold Country, though has few turnouts, so you have to stop before or after you see the color to photograph it. GO NOW!
Apple Hill (Near Peak 50-75%) – Apple orchards, fruit trees and vineyards are a blend of yellow, gold and green. GO NOW!
Sierra Foothills Wineries and Vineyards (Near Peak 75-100%) – Counoise and Grenache vineyards at Holly’s Hill and Narrow Gate wineries in the Pleasant Valley area south of Placerville are a mix of lime, yellow, orange and red. GO NOW!
Beckstoffer Vineyards, Ukiah (10/29/14) Walter Gabler
Ukiah Valley (Near Peak – 50-75%) – North coast color spotter Walter Gabler reports that Mendocino County vineyards are near peak in the Ukiah Valley. Vineyards tend to change by variety. Because of this, it’s difficult to know which are peaking and which are progressing toward peak. Our advice, regarding all wineries, is to visit anytime from early October to mid November and there is likely to be color in their vineyards. GO NOW!
Monument Campground, Lake Camanche (10/30/14) Terry Willard
Lake Camanche (Near Peak 50 – 75%) – Colorful fremont cottonwood and exotic trees are reflected in the Monument Campgrounds trout pond, providing an idyllic setting for RVers. GO NOW!
Castle Crags State Park (10/30/14) Cory Poole
Castle Crags State Park (Near Peak 50 – 75%) – Cory Poole posted this photo of Castle Crags State Park on California Fall Color’s Facebook page, showing how the color is developing in Shasta County. GO NOW!
Tilden Park, Berkeley (11/1/14) Sandy Steinman
Tilden Park, Berkeley (11/1/14) Sandy Steinman
Tilden Park, Berkeley (11/1/14) Sandy Steinman
Tilden Park, Berkeley (Patchy 10 – 50%) – Color spotty Sandy Steinman reports that fall color at East Bay Regional Parks’ Botanic Garden is mixed. He writes there are no grand displays, but some nice color spots. Some decidous trees have peaked while other are still showing green.
Oakland Camp, Quincy (10/31/14) Mike Nellor
Aspendell (10/31/14) Steve Wolfe
High Sierra (Peak 75 – 100%) – Three to six inches of snow fell in the High Sierra this weekend. That’s a dusting of snow by Sierra standards. Steve Wolfe and Mike Nellor captured snow and fall color in Inyo and Plumas Counties. The combination of fall color and snow is dramatic and emotional, as seen in Mike’s shot of Oakland Camp. This does not mean the fall color show has ended, only that it has moved to a different stage. GO NOW!
Owens Valley (10/31/14) Steve Wolfe
Owens Valley (10/31/14) Steve Wolfe
Owens Valley (Peak – 75 – 100%) – Color spotter Steve Wolfe – on departing the Eastern Sierra provided this last report on the Owens Valley, where rabbitbrush, willows and black cottonwood are peaking with gorgeous tones of orange, yellow and gold. GO NOW!
Switzer Falls Trail (11/1/14) Dan Riley
Switzer Falls Trail (11/1/14) Dan Riley
Switzer Falls (Past Peak) – Dan Riley sent these photos of: Switzer Falls in the Angeles National Forest. The forest floor is orange with spent maple and black oak leaves. The Switzer Falls trail is an area from which we’ve not received photos, previously. A tip for photographers – take pictures of places not seen on this site previously and you’re almost assured of getting them posted. YOU MISSED IT.
Northern California is braced for its first major storm of the coming winter. So, I took camera in hand this morning to photograph the exotic trees in my yard that are near peaking, to capture their beauty before the storm.
Chinese pistache (pistacia chinensis) is a slow-growing ornamental tree from China whose foliage turns day-glo orange to red with tones of yellow and green. Yesterday, I mentioned on Twitter that pistache have naturalized in Placerville.
Traveling through there on the way to Apple Hill, you see bright red balls of color at all of Placerville’s highway offramp areas. It is evident that many of these pistache trees are volunteers that are now populating forests in and around Placerville, in the same way exotic pink flowering oleander are doing beside the Sacramento River between Redding and Shasta Dam.
Eastern Redbud (10/31/14) John Poimiroo
Eastern redbud (cercis canadensis) are the fastest growing of redbuds and get 25 to 35 feet in height, according to the Sunset Western Garden Book. We get many compliments about our redbud in all seasons, though particularly enjoy it now, when its large heart-shaped leaves turn yellow and are mixed with lime-colored brethren.
Red Oak (10/31/14) John Poimiroo
Red oak (quercus rubra) is native to the east U.S. It’s a handsome tree in summer, magnificent in autumn, then carries brown leaves through winter. This is lovely with a dusting of snow, though it’s not my favorite winter coat on an oak.
Strawberry Tree (10/31/14) John Poimiroo
The Strawberry Tree (arbutus menziesii) is a madrone whose autumn branches dangle with brilliant orange to red berries. They’re delicious to the eye only.
El Dorado Hills (Near Peak – 50-75%) – Gardens and landscaped boulevards are near peak at 1,000 feet in the western Sierra foothills. GO NOW!
Apple Hill (Near Peak – 50-75%) – Apple orchards and vineyards surrounding Camino are full of golden, orange and brown color. GO NOW!
Placerville (Peak – 75-100%) – Exotic Chinese pistache are brightly crimson along US 50. GO NOW!
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2014-10-31 14:03:292014-10-31 14:22:34Beauty Before The Storm
Huge trees at the LA County Arboretum (see people in lower right) start to turn colorful (10/29/14) Frank McDonough
Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanical Garden (Patchy – 10 – 50%) – Color spotter Frank McDonough estimates the LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden is about a third of the way to peak, moving it from Just Starting to Patchy. McDonough said it’s hard to determine how the fall color will develop though, with an Emoji wink, he writes, “If brown is a fall color then it should be spectacular.” The LA County Arboretum is a great place to see lots of trees at different stages of color change and is often the last reporting area of fall color in California.
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2014-10-30 13:39:552014-10-30 13:41:04Brown is the New Orange ;)
The Shasta Cascade region of northeast California is a slow developer of fall color, then… WHAM!
Presently, Lassen and Siskiyou Counties are Near Peak and Plumas County becomes the first in the Shasta Cascade to go to full Peak with its quaint towns, forested hills and color-draped streams in full glow. The photograph of Quincy’s Methodist Church surrounded by fall color is so reminiscent of the northeast, that it makes us ask, “Why go to New England?”
There’s lots of lovely color to be found in the forests, parks, towns and along the rivers and streams in other regions of the Shasta Cascade.
Shasta county (Patchy 10%-50%) – Yellow bigleaf maple and orange black oak are near peak at MacArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park. Elevations above 3,500’ are near the high end of patchy or nearing peak. Elevations below 3,500’ (Anderson, Redding) have modest color change, mostly exotic trees in their urban forests. Riparian forests along the Sacramento River are showing lime and yellow and will likely peak in mid November.
Poison Oak, Oak Run, Shasta County (10/26/14) Jill Dinsmore
Poison Oak (10/27/14) Mike Nellor
Cottonwood, Trinity County (10/25/14)
Butte County (Patchy 10%-50%) – Urban parks surrounding Chico State University and in Bidwell Park are beginning to show vibrant lime and yellow, though the change in Chico, Oroville and Paradise is still developing. Poison oak is providing flashes of crimson in the woods. A good time to visit would be when the Great Gobblers Family Hike occurs in Bidwell Park on Nov. 15. CLICK HERE for more information.
Lassen County (Near Peak 50%-75%) – The Susanville area and Bizz Johnson trail are exploding with fall color. Many of the area’s aspen, cottonwood, dogwood, black oak and bigleaf maple are near peak and should peak in the coming week or two. Lassen Peak has received a dusting of snow, creating a beautiful backdrop for fall color in the national park. GO NOW!
Tehama County (Patchy 10%-50%) Not much has changed over the past week. It’s still patchy with some foliage now blushing with red and yellow. The Sacramento River is a great place to see big stands of cottonwood and valley oak as they color up with orange and yellow, particularly in Red Bluff where Victorian homes provide an ideal backdrop for the color between Halloween and Thanksgiving Day. Appropriately, on Nov. 1, the Wild and Scenic Film Festival occurs at the venerable State Theatre (333 Oak St) in Red Bluff. So, even though the color is patchy, the scenery inside the State Theater should be moving.
Bigleaf Maple (10/29/14) Mike Nellor
Dogwood, Plumas County (10/21/14) Mike Nellor
Siskiyou County (Near Peak 50%-75%) – It’s getting as good as it gets in Siskiyou County with plenty of Fall color set before the breathtaking backdrop of snowcapped Mount Shasta. Vibrant red, orange and yellow dogwood, oaks, maple and cottonwoods populate the scenic villages of Mt. Shasta and McCloud. GO NOW!
Plumas County hillside (10/29/14) Mike Nellor
Red Oak, Plumas County (10/29/14) Jeff Titcomb
Trinity County (Patchy 10%-50%) Only patches of color are yet to be seen in Trinity County and mostly along the Trinity River and CA-299. Look for chartreuse wild cucumber which is peaking along the river and bigleaf maple and oaks dressed with yellow and lime colors.
Shasta Cascade Creeks are alive with color (10/27/14) Mike Nellor
Modoc County (Patchy 10%-50%) The austere autumn landscape of northeasternmost California has not changed greatly in the past week, though when it does the subtle tangents of fall color and high plains provide a show unseen elsewhere in North America. Photographers who have captured it rank among the state’s greatest landscape photographers. We give it another week to two before we’re saying it’s ready.
American Valley (10/25/14) Mike Nellor
Plumas County (Peak 75-100%) Plumas County has just transitioned to full peak, which should continue for a couple of weeks. Mike Nellor captures the bucolic charm of Plumas County in his photographs of a landscape and architecture that is most like New England, with covered bridges, signature white town churches and pastoral splendor. This northern Sierra county’s fall color is best found by driving its backroads (often paved, sometimes gravel) near Greenville, La Porte and Quincy (such as the American Valley, seen here, earning the title for Plumas County as CaliforniaFallColor.com’s Peak of the Week. GO NOW!
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Yosemite Valley (Near Peak 50 – 75%) – A photo posted by a Yosemite friend on her Facebook page shows a black oak peaking in Cook’s Meadow with frost on the meadow. It inspired calls to Yosemite.
My friend said some of the black oaks in the Valley are beautiful and at peak, some are yet to change and some have changed quickly with dry, colorless leaves that fall after almost no show. She mentioned that for the past two years, she’s observed dryer and dryer leaves, perhaps an indicator that the drought is affecting the color in Yosemite Valley, as reported is occurring on Mt. Laguna in Eastern San Diego County. She noted that dogwood are showing less of their fresh rose and red tones and lighter pink, than seen in past years.
Yosemite Falls, Autumn (File Photo) John Poimiroo
That’s surprising, as far below Yosemite Valley lies a great aquifer that supplies seemingly endless pure water for consumption by the visitors and residents of Yosemite Valley. It is the remnant of millennia of melted snow and ice that have poured over the rim of Yosemite Valley in a seasonal display of spectacular waterfalls. Despite all that water, could fall color be another casualty of California’s drought? At least, in some parts of the state? We can only speculate.
As reported previously, the signature sugar maple near the Yosemite Chapel has turned, though early bets are for the bigleaf maple and dogwood near Fern Spring (where Hwy 140 enters the west end of the Valley, below Tunnel View) to be dropping yellow, orange and mottled leaves into the dark waters of the spring. GO NOW!
Modern Hiker correspondent, hiker and color spotter Scott Turner spent yesterday afternoon at Mt. Laguna in eastern San Diego County and provides these compelling images of the effect of drought on trees that live at the edge of a desert.
Black Oak (10/27/14) Scott Turner
Black Oak (10/27/14) Scott Turner
Mt. Laguna (10/27/14) Scott Turner
Black oak there, which would normally be a vivid mix of green, lime, yellow, orange, gold and buff are, sadly, a dull beige. Scott said the effect of drought on the forests of Mt. Laguna are palpable. Some trees appear to have lost the majority of their leaves, though what remains is still partially green.
Scott found it hard to assess the change, because so much has dropped, though he classifies Mt. Laguna as near peak, but nothing like the vibrant show seen last autumn. He notes that the oaks were hit hard by bark beetles with a lot of them dying.
Scott plans to hike and photograph Mt. Palomar on Friday. On his last trip, he noted that the oaks there appeared to be healthier, but then they live at an elevation that is 1,000′ lower. That likely means Palomar’s peak is two weeks away.
On a separate Southern California note, I met with Jonathan Patterson of Lake Hemet yesterday. Jonathan said the color is beginning to look beautiful around the lake. He was reluctant to classify it as near peak, though from other reports made directly to me by John Koeberer who’d been there this weekend, the San Jacinto Mountains are a definite GO NOW! Jonathan said Idyllwild has been peaking for a week. Our recommendation is head up to the San Jacintos, camp at Lake Hemet in the middle of the color and take side trips to Idyllwild and Mountain Center. If you get great photos of the San Jacintos, email them to us and we’ll post.
Mt. Laguna (Near Peak – 50 – 75%) – Drought and bark beetles have damaged the trees. The color is not the brilliance it had last autumn. Do a rain dance for Eastern San Diego County.
Idyllwild (Peak – 75 – 100%) – Beautiful color in and around Idyllwild is nearly past peak. GO NOW!
Lake Hemet (Near Peak – 50 – 75%) – Camp beside the lake surrounded by intense fall color. Very few people and developing color that should be good for the next couple of weeks (weather permitting). Just say no to Santa Anas! GO NOW!
South Fork, American River (US 50) (Near Peak – 50 – 75%) — Color spotter Kimberly Kofala reports that points along the American River above Pollock Pines is now approaching peak with “oaks, golden willows and grasses are cloaked in gold. While probably not quite at peak yet, all the trees and shrubbery are turning; the display is colorful and won’t be disappointing.” GO NOW!
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This will likely be the last week for any significant color in the Eastern Sierra, so if you hope to see any color in the Eastern Sierra, go immediately. Otherwise, you’ll likely be reading that YOU MISSED IT.
Mono County color spotter Alicia Vennos recommends this week’s Hike of the Week along Lower Rock Creek Road which is right off US 395 just south of Tom’s Place.
Lower Rock Creek (10/26/14) Alicia Vennos
Lower Rock Creek (10/26/14) Alicia Vennos
Lower Rock Creek (10/26/14) Alicia Vennos
Lower Rock Creek (10/26/14) Alicia Vennos
Lower Rock Creek (10/26/14) Alicia Vennos
Lower Rock Creek Rd (Peak – 75 – 100%) –HIKE OF THE WEEK: Drive about 2.5 miles down Lower Rock Creek Rd. to the first major pull-out (west side of the road), park and then cross the road to hike back up the trail. Aspens along the beautiful rushing creek are at peak now. Look for the beaver dam which has stilled the water surface to afford mirror-like reflections of the trees. The trail is multi-use, so mountain bikers, hikers and anglers. Alicia warns, “Please watch out for one another!” GO NOW!
Mammoth Lakes (Peak to Past Peak – Sections of Mammoth Creek Rd. (off Old Mammoth Road in Mammoth Lakes) still offer brilliant red and orange on the trees.
June Lake Loop/Hwy. 158 (Past Peak) – Even though the June Lake Loop moves to being past peak, a few stands remain vibrant, particularly around Gull Lake, at the base of June Mountain and just north of Silver Lake. YOU MISSED IT!
Lee Vining Canyon (Peak to Past Peak) – The lower section of Tioga Pass Rd. and Lee Vining Canyon are peaking beautifully, with some trees definitely past peak. GO NOW!
Conway Summit, Green Creek Road and Twin Lakes (Past Peak) – Again, though spots of color appear in the groves surrounding Bridgeport, comparative photos now show the haunting contrast between most of the trees that are completely bare and those few with bright patches of color still on them. Overall, it’s past peak and one good gust from being stripped. YOU MISSED IT!
West Walker River and Walker/Coleville (Peak – 75 – 100%) – Grand cottonwood flanking the northern stretch of US 395 and along the West Walker River are bright yellow at peak. GO NOW!
US 395, Bishop (10/24/14) Kathy Thieu
Bishop (Peak 75 – 100%) – US 395 from Lone Pine to Bishop is at peak with cottonwood and sage brush golden.
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