Archive for category: Fall Color Report

NORTHERN SIERRA

15-30% — Plumas County.  The native foliage in Plumas county is presently two weeks from peak.  Often, exotic, ornamental trees lead the show and that’s true near the Beckwourth Ranger Station in Graeagle where the exotics are attracting interest with their bright colors.

Could the leaves be confused in Plumas County?  That’s Annette’s contention.  She works at Gray Eagle Lodge in the Lakes Basin area and has seen other areas of her county changing while her area has seen little change.  More likely, the color has been late to arrive because of the weather.

Until today, the weather has been temperate, but colder weather is arriving including a dusting of snow in the high country.  If the cold snap is limited to nighttime with days remaining warm, ideal conditions would exist to “get the color process going.  The best conditions for fall color are warm days and cold nights.

SHASTA CASCADE

15-30% — Lassen Volcanic National Park.  Shanda from the National Park visitor center reports that willow, serviceberry and currant are beginning to show at Hat Lake.  Shrubs and grasses have also turned.  The national park’s many groves of quaking aspen are still a couple of weeks from peak.

HIGH SIERRA

15-30% — CA-88.  Still a lot of green and lime-green showing, though groves of aspen are beginning to flicker in the Hope Valley (Carson Pass).

Fall color at higher elevations in the Eastern Sierra is peaking right now, with the overall display being exceptional.

Jared Smith of The Parchers Resort at South Lake in Inyo County reports that the majority of aspen below 8500’ still have a lot of green going on, but those above that elevation are glowing yellow, orange, red and auburn.

A big wind came through this past Tuesday night, but did not knock many of the leaves from the trees. Jared opined that “if the leaves can withstand Tuesday night’s wind and cold snap (17 degrees at Parchers – brrrrr!) there’s still a lot of great color.” So far, this has been an awesome year for fall color viewing. Here are the most recent reports:

EASTERN SIERRA

75-100% – South Lake (9,768’). Jared continues that the aspen at South Lake are ablaze, especially the groves at Boiler Cove, the Rock Slide on the west shore, and the patch in the back of the lake near the Long Lake inlet. The area did not experience the 80mph winds that had been forecast so a lot of the aspens were spared.

75-100% – Weir Pond (9,592’). This lovely pond is absolute at its best right now, according to Jared who reports the aspen surrounding the pond are showing brilliant color. We have lost a good number of aspen in the grove climbing up the hill to the west but the view at Weir is still breathtaking!

75-100% – Parchers Camp (9,260’). Who better to report about Parcher’s than Jared Smith who says the view from his porch at Parchers “is nothing short of spectacular right now. There is still a mix of green to go along with the yellows, oranges and reds, but it really doesn’t get much better than it is right now. We had some seriously cold weather at the camp last night but only time will tell if it was cold enough to kill off the color. As I write this report it is 18 degrees but the color is hanging tough at present.”

75-100% – North Lake (9,255’). Again, Jared reports (what are we going to do when his elevation is past peak?!) “The hillside above North Lake is brilliant right now. In some places the aspens have turned to a bright orange/red and it almost looks like the mountain is on fire, awesome stuff! I was also excited to find that arguably my favorite place in the canyon to take pictures, the North Lake Road, went from mostly green to bright yellow and orange in just a week. This is one of those places where even novice photographers can capture an image worth hanging on the wall. I would rate both the lake and road at nearly 100% if its fall scenic glory.”

Check out the before and after comparison shots of the North Lake poplar road to see how the color has changed from in the past two weeks.

75-100% – Lake Sabrina (9,150’). Typical of Lake Sabrina, it is delivering some of the best views in the canyon. Just like with South Lake, according to Jared, the forecasted winds could have stripped the glowing aspens bare and ended the photographic party here in no time. Thankfully Rick Apted, operator of the cafe and marina at the lake, only saw gusts to 41 mph and the majority of the aspens were spared. We are starting to see some of the trees past their peak but there are plenty that are still increasing in color.

75-100% – Sabrina Camp Groves (9,000). Jared comments that the aspens below Sabrina Camp that had offered such brilliant colors over the last few weeks are “now past peak and rapidly losing their leaves. Thankfully, the majority of trees at the campground and just above it are making up for that loss in a big way.”

75 – 100% – Lake Sabrina Approach (9,100’). Jared says the approach to Lake Sabrina just before the dam is another of his favorite shots in the canyon. It is now peaking later than occurred last year but with some exquisite color. There is still quite a bit of green mixed in with the red, yellow and orange so Jared says he’s hopeful the Lake Sabrina Approach will “stay good for a bit longer – mother nature is the boss, though, so who knows. I rated this in the 75-100% range but it is probably on the lower end of that scale with all the green that is left.”

75 – 100% – Willow Camp (9,065’). Jared writes, “Willow Camp is lit up presently, with most of the trees displaying brilliant color. There is still some green mixed in so if the weather cooperates we’ve got another week of good viewing here. The row of trees that lines the creek from the camp down to the Tyee bridge is looking fantastic right now, as is the approach coming up canyon towards Willow. Gorgeous!” Check out the comparison shots to see how it has changed in the past three weeks.

75 – 100% – Table Mountain Group Campground (8,845’). Aspen above and below Table Mountain Campground are as beautiful as Jared has ever seen them. He writes, “It seems to me that there is a bit more red and orange this year, a very good thing in my opinion. I would consider these areas to be very close to 100% of their peak. Surprisingly these groves are moving a bit slower than some of the other areas so hopefully the best of the color will stick around for another week or so.”

15-30% – Famous Mist Falls on South Fork Bishop Creek. Mist Falls remains very green, though Jared remarks, “a bit of yellow, and even a little orange, are starting to join the party. We’re still a ways off from the best of this areas color but it could start coming on fast in the next week, at least I hope so.”

50-75% – Cardinal Mine Area. Aspen by Cardinal Lodge are still “green as green can be but above the lodge and all the way up the hillside to the east of the Cardinal Mine towards Cardinal Pinnacle the aspens are looking fantastic. There are some really great shots available both looking up and down the canyon,” Jared reports.

0-15% Miscellaneous. Jared Smith reports that these areas have “tremendous concentrations of aspen which have almost no color yet: Aspendell, Big Trees Camgpround, the grove above Four Jeffrey, Intake 2, Intake 4 and the groves above Forks Camgpround are all in the 0-15% range present. Look for these areas to start to pop in the next few weeks if the weather holds up.”

30-50% — McGee Creek Canyon. Sarah McCahill in Mono County reports that she hiked up McGee Creek near Mammoth Lakes this week and “Wow, was it beautiful!” Photos she took show the transitional character of mixed aspen and cottonwoods in the canyon with lots of green evolving to yellow and gold. She says that at this elevation there’s still a lot of green. Some aspen groves are colored from 75 – 100% gold while others seem not to changing at all (0-25%).

GOLD COUNTRY

0-15% — CA-49 (El Dorado and Amador Counties). Just like panning for gold, it takes a bit of effort to find gold leaves in the Gold Country, right now. At 800′, sumac trees along CA-49, between El Dorado and Plymouth (El Dorado and Amador Counties), are beginning to flare bright yellow. A few black oak are flickering yellow-orange and flashes of red can be seen among the poison oak near the Cosumnes River. Although individual examples of fall splendor can be seen in the Gold Country, the Mother Lode region will not be fully colored until mid to late October.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Sacramento Bee columnist Rick Kushman describing Bishop Creek in the Eastern Sierra as, “a thousand-foot, Day-Glo waterfall of orange, yellow, gold and bright green.”

Photography copyright 2009 Jared Smith

0-15% — Just like the mineral, it takes a bit of effort to find gold leaves in the Gold Country, right now.  At 800′, sumac trees along CA-49, between El Dorado and Plymouth (El Dorado and Amador Counties), are beginning to flare bright yellow.  A few black oak are flickering yellow-orange and flashes of red can be seen among the poison oak near the Cosumnes River.  Although individual examples of fall splendor can be seen in the Gold Country, the Mother Lode region will not be fully colored until mid to late October.

The first day of autumn finally arrived officially yesterday, although color has been showing in California for the past couple of weeks.  In the past week, there’s been a big change in color at high elevations.  Here’s what’s showing, right now:

NORTHERN SIERRA

0-15% – CA-32.  The drive from Chico east to Chester along CA-32 has several nice locations to spot fall color once you near Deer Creek, though it’s still a couple of weeks away from breaking.  Big leaf maple (acer macrophyllum) and alder (alnus oregona) are just beginning to show yellow at about the 4,400′ elevation.  Between Deer Creek and the intersection with CA-36, a few of the big, fan-shaped leaves of Indian Rhubarb (darmera peltata) are beginning to blaze in red along Deer Creek.  While CA-32 is still two to three weeks away from full color, though some pockets of bright colors can be found if you’re attentive and willing to walk from a turnout.

0-15% – Lake Almanor.  Among the deciduous trees, deep green is coloring to a yellow green, as chlorophyll production appears to be declining.  Fall color is still two weeks away.

0-15% – CA-89.  Between Lake Almanor and Greenville on CA-89, look to the ground and along streams for the best color.  Alder and some western dogwood (cornus nuttallii) are beginning to show yellow and pink-orange, while the poison oak is transitioning from pink to orange to brilliant red.  Again, this show is still re two weeks from full color.  Amateur botanist Joe Willis of Quincy reports that bitter cherry “is turning red along 89 from Keddie to Greenville.  Good examples are found overlooking Spanish Creek near the end of the Quarry Road and at the Taylorsville “T”. Scarlet honeysuckle provides a nice splash of late blooming color near the Plumas Charter School.

0-15% – Quincy.  There are several showy red displays of Virginia creeper around Quincy.  Several nice maples are turning red across from Moon’s in town, while some of the best color to be seen in Quincy now are the berries of the mountain ash and blue elderberry.  Most of the big leaf maple in Quincy is turning brown, though Willis predicts some will turn yellow.  The black oak are still a ways from showing color.  These tall trees with outstretched black branches become decorated in orange to red color, providing the classic Halloween coloration.  A service berry along the railroad tracks near Crescent Mills has begun to turn and in a week or two should be bright red.  The lower canyon by Cherokee Saturday has impressive displays of bright red poison oak, set against, still-green broadleaf trees.

0-15% – CA-70.  The Feather River Canyon (CA-70) is showing very little color.  The best is just west of Twain, though that’s just a hint of what’s to come.

EASTERN SIERRA

Jared Smith of the Parcher’s Resort at South Lake remarks he’s amazed at how fast the colors are turning in the canyon, “as in just a week some areas that were completely green are now nearing their peak. Of course, there is still a lot of green out there so if the weather cooperates we’ve got at least another week or two of exceptional fall color.”

50-75% – South Lake (9,768’) –  Jared says the aspen at South Lake are turning very quickly but there is still a ways to go for some of the larger groves around the lake. The view is stunning but it should get better over the course of the next week if the wind stays down.

75 – 100% – Weir Pond (9,592’) – Color is “really beginning to pop at Weir Pond, possibly the most popular spot on the South Fork Bishop Creek to take photos. Last week the yellow had started up the mountain to the west but this week just about the entire grove is bright yellow and the lower aspens among the pines right by the water are lit up as well. The aspens on the east shore aren’t going yet so we still have some more color to look forward to here but it sure is looking great right now.”

50-75% – North Lake (9,255’)  – Jared Smith remarks, “Wow – what a difference a week makes! When I went up to North Lake today I was absolutely shocked by the transformation at North Lake. Red and orange are really making a showing above the lake. The aspens around the shoreline are a bit behind which makes for a great contrast in color between the lower and higher aspens. It’s anyone’s guess how long the color will stay here but it certainly is moving quickly. The road at North Lake is still very green so I would have to guess that we’ve got some time left before shooting the road will be at its best. Although I estimate this area at 50-75% of full color, it’s definitely on the higher end of that range.”

50-75% – Lake Sabrina (9,150’) – Again, Jared describes Lake Sabrina as “simply breathtaking right now as the yellows, oranges and even some reds are starting to show in a big way. The lake water level is also such that in the mid morning sunshine the water glows a brilliant shade of blue. The lake surface is often glass in the early mornings which, according to Rick Apted of Lake Sabrina Boat Landing, gives photographers a great chance of catching reflections of the aspens off the water. Weather permitting; it’s going to get even better in the coming week or so.”

30-50% – Sabrina Camp Groves (9,000’) – “There are a few separate groupings of aspen around Sabrina Campground,” says Jared, “The grove just before the campground is now near peaking on both sides of the road….beautiful stuff! The majority of the trees at the campground itself however are still green so this location will be good for a while if the weather holds out.”

15-30% – Lake Sabrina Approach (9,100’)

30- 50% – Willow Camp (9,065’) – “Willow Camp is starting to look like it’s on the verge of exploding into color,” Jared reports.  The aspens along the road and around the camp itself are showing yellow but none of those trees are really popping yet. Just past the campground on the right however it’s looking awesome. The trees just below the beaver dam by the Tyee Lakes Trailhead are looking pretty bright as well. The hillsides in between Willow and Parchers are looking pretty impressive right now but the best is yet to come.

Comparison photos of Willow Camp show how color has changed in this area in just one week.  The first, taken on Sept. 16 shows very little color change, while the second shows the sudden appearance of yellow leading right up into the High Sierra.”

75-100% – Table Mountain Group Campground (8,845’) – Areas above and below the campground “are starting to really light up with yellow and some orange.. There is still a fair amount of green but it is disappearing fast. This area is turning as fast any anywhere in the canyon so look for it to peak very soon,” Jared reports.

0-15% – Mist Falls on South Fork Bishop Creek – “Mist Falls is still very green with only a few trees showing yellow.  Cross your fingers for continued dry and calm weather to allow the color to develop, here,” says Jared.

Photo Credit: Jared Smith, copyright 2009