Dogwood, Calaveras Big Trees SP, Arnold (10/4/20) Barry Calfee
Dogwood, Calaveras Big Trees SP, Arnold (10/4/20) Barry Calfee
Dogwood, Calaveras Big Trees SP, Arnold (10/4/20) Barry Calfee
To see Pacific Dogwood, Cornus nuttalli, at peak, head to the western Sierra. One of the best places is among the Giant Sequoia, Sequoia Gigantea, of Calaveras Big Trees State Park in Arnold, off CA-4.
Sacramento area color spotter Barry Calfee was in the north grove of the state park this past weekend and reports that ten percent of its dogwood are blushing.
It’s still early for peak fall color at the park’s elevation, but Barry’s report provides important planning guidance for timing a visit to the Big Trees.
Calaveras Big Trees State Park (4,800′) – Patchy (10- 50%)
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North Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Clayton Peoples
North Lake (Bishop Creek Canyon) is being reported as having the best fall color, EVER.
Color spotter Clayton Peoples has been visiting North Lake before it became known as one of the most magical fall color destinations in North America, and reports he’s never seen it better.
North Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Clayton Peoples
North Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Clayton Peoples
He wrote, “This year the color is truly remarkable, and it’s at Peak NOW!”
Road to Lake Sabrina, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Clayton Peoples
Trail near start of North Lake Rd, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Clayton Peoples
Road to Lake Sabrina, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Clayton Peoples
For the lead photograph in this article, Clayton hiked along a trail on the ridge to the north of the lake’s east end. He says the tricky part is finding the trail, but once there, the trail is easy and friendly.
North Lake Rd., Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Gary Young
More dazzling evidence that North Lake is beyond beautiful was provided by Gary Young who got there today.
North Lake Rd., Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Gary Young
North Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Gary Young
North Lake Rd,Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Gary Young
North Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Gary Young
North Lake., Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Gary Young
North Lake Rd., Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Gary Young
North Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Gary Young
North Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Gary Young
North Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Gary Young
North Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Gary Young
North Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/3/20) Gary Young
Cherry red Quaking Aspen, Rock Creek Canyon, Mono County (10/3/20) Clayton Peoples
Among his huge finds, Clayton Peoples came upon this cherry red aspen up Rock Creek Canyon in Mono County, which we declared would be peaking. It was.
Clayton said he’s never seen an aspen quite so red. We agree. It is gorgeous.
McGee Creek Canyon, Mono County (10/3/20) Clayton Peoples
McGee Creek Canyon, Mono County (10/3/20) Clayton Peoples
If you are considering delaying your trip until next weekend, you’ll miss it. There will be good color for the coming week, but nothing as stunning as what’s being seen right now in Bishop Creek Canyon, Rock Creek Canyon, and at Lobdell Lake Rd.
When you see “GO NOW!” published on this site, drop everything you’re doing, reschedule your motel reservation to tonight, postpone the wedding to another season, change jobs, sell your house, tell the kids college isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, pack your camera, extra batteries, memory cards and a change of underwear, and head to wherever it’s peaking. That day. That hour. That moment.
We mean it, and presently there’s no time like the present to see North Lake at peak. Take it from Clayton who has been visiting North Lake in Bishop Creek Canyon since long before it became a popular fall color spot. He says that, right now, it’s the BEST he’s ever seen it.
Now, let’s get back down to earth or at least down to 10,300′ in elevation. That’s at Upper Rock Creek which is peaking. The below photos tell its story best.
Rock Creek, Mono County (10/3/20) Clayton Peoples
Rock Creek, Mono County (10/3/20) Clayton Peoples
Rock Creek, Mono County (10/3/20) Clayton Peoples
Peak occurred at Virginia Lakes last week, but wouldn’t you know, Virginia Lakes decided to have a rolling peak with another round of emerging peak color. Clayton was there to catch the sunrise lighting up mountain peaks and reflecting the dawn and fall color on the still waters of Little Virginia Lake.
Ah, to be there tomorrow when the same magical scene starts the day.
Virginia Lakes, Mono County (10/3/20) Clayton Peoples
Little Virginia Lake, Mono County (10/3/20) Clayton Peoples
Virginia Lakes, Mono County (9,819′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
McGee Creek Canyon, Mono County (8,600′) – Patchy (10-50%)
Upper Rock Creek, Mono County (10,300′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
North Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon, Inyo County – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
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Upper Bishop Creek Canyon is peaking and the color in these photographs speaks for itself. Go now.
Bishop resident Gary Young captured these images of layered fall color with green, lime, yellow, orange and red dazzling the eye. Haze from the Creek fire mildly diminishes what would otherwise be an unforgettable scene. Do not wait for the air to clear. The color will not get better. GO NOW!
Now that the closure of most of Inyo National Forest has been lifted, all areas of Bishop Creek Canyon and its resorts and campgrounds are open.
M. Fork Bishop Creek (10/1/20) Gary Young
M. Fork Bishop Creek (10/1/20) Gary Young
M. Fork Bishop Creek (10/1/20) Gary Young
South Lake Rd., Bishop Creek Canyon (9/27/20) Gary Young
South Lake Rd., Bishop Creek Canyon (9/27/20) Gary Young
South Lake Rd., Bishop Creek Canyon (9/27/20) Gary Young
South Lake Rd., Bishop Creek Canyon (9/27/20) Gary Young
South Lake Rd., Bishop Creek Canyon (9/27/20) Gary Young
South Lake Rd., Bishop Creek Canyon (9/27/20) Gary Young
Middle Fork, Bishop Creek (CA-168)
Upper Sabrina Lake (9,500′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Lake Sabrina (9, 150′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Sabrina Approach (9,100′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Sabrina Campground (9,000′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Groves Above Cardinal Village – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now!
Aspendell (8,400′) – Patchy (10-50%)
Intake II (8,000′) – Patchy (10-50%)
Big Trees Campground (7,800′) – Just Starting
North Fork, Bishop Creek
North Lake (9,225′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now!
North Lake Rd (9,000′) – Near Peak (50-75% Go Now!
South Fork, Bishop Creek
South Lake (9,768′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Weir Pond (9,650′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Parchers Camp (9,260′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Willows Campground (9,000′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now!
Surveyor’s Meadow (8,975′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now!
Table Mountain Group Camp (8,900′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now!
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The music of Martis Meadow rustles in autumn. It’s muffled in winter, gurgling in springtime and etched by passing vehicles in summer. It’s the rustling I like best.
Tania Junes was there yesterday, to listen to the rustling and send back these images.
Red leaves have been added to locations throughout the Eastern Sierra (click map at right)
A partial reopening of Inyo NF will occur tomorrow. This reopens all prime fall color viewing areas in Inyo and Mono County within the national forest including Bishop Creek Canyon, as seen this week.
Pond below Lake Sabrina, M. Fork Bishop Creek (9/27/20) Gary Young
M Fork Bishop Creek (9/27/20) Gary Young
M Fork Bishop Creek (9/27/20) Gary Young
The Inyo NF press release stated, “Wildernesses in the Inyo Mountains and the White Mountains, front country dispersed areas throughout the forest, developed sites, resorts, and recreation resident cabins” will reopen as well as the following prime fall color viewing areas:
Mono County
Lundy Canyon
Lee Vining Canyon
June Lake Loop
Sagehen Summit
Mammoth Lakes Basin
Laurel Canyon
Convict Lake
McGee Creek
Rock Creek Canyon
All backcountry trails and lakes
Inyo County
Lower Rock Creek Rd.
Pine Creek Canyon
Bishop Creek Canyon
Onion Valley
Whitney Portal
All backcountry trails and lakes
The following developed recreation campgrounds will re-open: Lower Lee Vining, Hartley Springs, Glass Creek, Big Springs, Oh Ridge, Twin Lakes, Silver Lake, New Shady Rest, Convict, French Camp, Four Jeffrey, Sabrina, Bitterbrush, Upper Sage, Lone Pine and Whitney Portal.” the release continued.
Cardinal Meadowhawk, Sympetrum illotum, Green Creek Rd., Mono County (9/30/20) Jennifer Miyara
Fall color is about the little things, not just the big ones. Like the Cardinal Meadowhawk that Jennifer Miyara photographed during her visit along Green Creek Rd.
Mormon Cricket, Anabrus simplex, Green Creek Rd, Mono County (9/30/20) Jennifer Miyara
Or, the Mormon Cricket she found guarding Green Creek Rd.
Though fall color is still Patchy, it’s the little things that adds color to an early Autumn walk.
Green Creek, Mono County (9/30/20) Jennifer Miyara
Green Creek, Mono County (9/30/20) Jennifer Miyara
Green Creek., Mono County (7,500′) – Patchy (10-50%)
Serviceberry bush, Big Bear Lake (9/27/20) Trent Vierra
Surrounding the town of Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains, the national forest is officially closed, but a forest closure does not mean the trees stop what they do naturally.
Fall color is Patchy (10-50%) at Big Bear Lake, though serviceberry bushes, as local color spotter Trent Vierra found, are Near Peak.
Serviceberry bush, Big Bear Lake (9/27/20) Trent Vierra
Big Bear Lake (9/27/20) Trent Vierra
Black oak, Big Bear Lake (9/27/20) Trent Vierra
Trent took these from the forest hillside behind his cabin in the Moonridge area. He admits that his “little hillside seems to be much farther along than other areas, probably due to it being north-facing. The serviceberry bushes on the hillside, which are pictured, are very golden, while the one by our deck is more green. Black oak, also pictured, on the hillside are about 40% changed into their beautiful autumn russet color.
“Elsewhere around town, the bigleaf maple and some cottonwood are starting to turn, about 40% or less as well. On the drive up the 330, some willows and ferns are beginning to change and there are cool, shaded pockets, especially after the dam on the way into town, where there is some really great golden color in the deciduous ground cover,” Trent posted in a very thorough and appreciated report.
Serviceberry (Amelanchier), deciduous shrubs within the rose family, have beautifully delicate blossoms in springtime and the Autumn Brilliance variety is rich with deep orange and red in fall. The shrub needs little care or attention, though occasional pruning will accentuate its form and remove dead, crossing or dry stems.
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Lobdell Lake Rd (9/28/20) Jeff Simpson | Mono County Tourism
If you’re seeking to target California’s best fall color this week, focus on Lobdell Road in northern Mono County (US 395) as your bullseye. It is both our Peak of the Week and Driving Tour of the Week.
Lobdell Lake Rd. is a dirt road. As such, a sport-utility vehicle (SUV), an AWD passenger car like a Subaru, or pickup truck is recommended. Only if you attempt to drive up to the summit might a high-clearance 4WD be required. Here’s what Buzzards on the Road experienced in 2018.
Video courtesy of Buzzards on the Road (10/10/18)
The route begins on US 395, a short distance southeast of Sonora Junction. Take Burcham Flat Rd. from US 395 north to Lobdell Lake Rd. From there, it winds, dipping down beside the south fork of Cottonwood Creek and through lush groves of aspen as it climbs into the Sweetwater Mountains of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. At times, the aspen line the road in one of the prettiest fall color boulevards in California.
This weekend and coming week it will be at Peak and fabulous. Considering that there are few alternatives as good and that – therefore – it’s likely to be a busy road, please drive courteously, cautiously and take time to enjoy the scenery.
Good places to fuel up and refresh are Bridgeport from the south and Walker from the north (US 395). A favorite stop is the Walker Burger for one of the best roadside hamburgers in California (not gourmet, but satisfying).
Elsewhere in Mono County, Jeff Simpson reports the colors are looking fantastic at upper elevations of Mono County. Unlike last year, the leaves are bright, vibrant and colorful across all elevations and locations.
For a Hike of the Week, head out on the Green Creek Trail or Molybdenite Creek Trail for colors you won’t be able to see from a car. This completes the first CaliforniaFallColor.com Triple Crown: Peak of the Week, Driving Tour of the Week and Hike of the Week for Mono County!
Sonora Pass just edged into the Near Peak designation and will be best by the end of the weekend or early next week.
WALKER / COLEVILLE / TOPAZ
Monitor Pass (8,314′) – Patchy (10-50% – Still around 50% for most areas and especially at the summit. Some good yellows and peaking trees on the east side but still a good week away from peak color.
West Walker River, Walker, Coleville and Topaz (5,200′) – Just Starting (0-10%) – Still just getting started with a few yellow and lime-green leaves.
Sonora Pass (9/28/20) Jeff Simpson | Mono County Tourism
SONORA PASS / LOBDELL LAKE
Sonora Pass (9,623′) Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now! – Just barely made the list, as some groves are just starting to turn along the road south of the summit and as low as Leavitt Meadows Pack Station. Just approaching peak color and would be best over the weekend or early next week.
Lobdell Lake Rd (9,274′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now! – This drive is both Peak of the Week and Driving Tour of the Week. It should be spectacular this weekend. Some areas are still green while others are past peak but this is the week for the most coverage of peak colors. Go now before slamming your palm against your forehead and muttering, “Why didn’t I listen?”
Virginia Lakes (9/28/20) Jeff Simpson | Mono County Tourism
Little Virginia Lake (9/28/20) Jeff Simpson | Mono County Tourism
Virginia Lakes Rd (9/28/20) Jeff Simpson | Mono County Tourism
BRIDGEPORT / VIRGINIA LAKES
Twin Lakes (7,000′) – Just Starting (0-10%) – Just getting started, mostly green trees with some yellow leaves along the Twin Lakes Road. Nice color is seen up the Robinson Creek Trail at the end of Twin Lakes Rd.
Virginia Lakes (9,819’) – Peak to Past Peak (75-100%) GO NOW or you’ll have missed it! – Golden yellows, oranges and reds are being seen along the road below Virginia Lakes Resort. Some areas are past peak at the parking lot of Upper Virginia Lakes.
Dunderberg Meadows Road – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Take Dunderberg Meadows Road toward Green Creek for full groves of peak color.
Conway Summit (8,143) – Just Starting (0-10%) One good patch of yellow trees way up on the hill but mostly green/lime green everywhere else.
Summers Meadow (7,200′) Just Starting (0-10%) – Just starting in the highest of elevations.
LEE VINING
Tioga Pass (9,943′) – RESERVATION REQUIRED TO TRAVEL TIOGA RD.
Lamoille Lake, Ruby Mountains (9/30/20) Clayton Peoples
With peaking areas of Inyo National Forest closed to fall color viewing and smoke returning to many areas, Reno color spotter Clayton Peoples traveled east to Lamoille Canyon in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains.
CaliforniaFallColor.com focuses on – of course – California, though we do occasionally post reports from other states and countries.
Nevada is one location we’ve only lightly addressed, though this location has, as Clayton wrote, “some relevance to our current situation in California: Lamoille Canyon experienced a devastating fire in 2018. Many worried – understandably – that it would be irreparably damaged. But, the back third of the canyon was spared and is now thriving. There are also signs of new growth in areas that burned in 2018.”
Indeed, the bleached skeletons of incinerated aspen are seen in the above photograph, near young trees.
The Ruby Mountains are within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest which includes a small portion of Eastern California (northern Mono County). This national forest remains open. Ruby Dome, the range’s highest peak, is 11,387′. The mountains were named for the garnets found by prospectors.
Lamoille Canyon is the largest of the range’s valleys. Aspen are the principal deciduous tree growing within the range.
Lamoille Canyon, Ruby Mountains, Elko County, Nevada (9,747′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
