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As Good As It Gets

Intake II, M Fork Bishop Creek Canyon (10/6/19) Dylan Ren

Right now, Bishop Creek Canyon is as good as it is gonna get this autumn.

Although it hasn’t peaked all at once, as some observers would like, the peak that is occurring is gorgeous.

Color spotters Jean Pan and Dylan Ren were among those who had delayed a trip to the Eastern Sierra, cancelling a trip the previous week because they’d read that it hadn’t yet peaked.

“Then suddenly I read that it was about to peak!” Jean wrote. They drove from San Diego to Bishop Creek Canyon on Saturday and, “It was beautiful as always!”

Here’s what they saw:

North Lake, N Fork Bishop Creek Canyon (10/6/19) Dylan Ren
  • North Lake Rd., N Fork Bishop Creek Canyon (10/6/19) Dylan Ren
  • North Lake, N Fork Bishop Creek Canyon (10/6/19) Dylan Ren
  • Lake Sabrina, M Fork Bishop Creek Canyon (10/6/19) Dylan Ren
  • Intake II, M Fork Bishop Creek Canyon (10/6/19) Dylan Ren
  • South Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Dylan Ren
  • Table Mountain Camp, S Fork Bishop Creek Canyon (10/6/19) Dylan Ren
  • South Lake Rd., S Fork Bishop Creek Canyon (10/6/19) Dylan Ren
  • South Lake Rd., S Fork Bishop Creek Canyon (10/6/19) Dylan Ren
  • South Lake Rd., S Fork Bishop Creek Canyon (10/6/19) Dylan Ren

Anirudh Natekar found North Lake, Lake Sabrina and South Lake Road all bursting with color and predicted the June Lake Loop and Aspendell could peak within a week. Here’s what he saw on Monday:

Lake Sabrina, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/7/19) Anirudh Natekar
  • South Lake Rd, S Fork Bishop Creek (10/7/19) Anirudh Natekar
  • South Fork Bishop Creek (10/7/19) Anirudh Natekar
  • Lake Sabrina, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/7/19) Anirudh Natekar
  • North Fork Bishop Creek (10/7/19) Anirudh Natekar
  • Sabrina Campground, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/7/19) Anirudh Natekar
  • North Lake, N Fork Bishop Creek (10/7/19) Anirudh Natekar
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Patrolling My Backyard

Red Lake Creek Cabin, Hope Valley (10/7/19) John Poimiroo

The Hope Valley and American River Canyon are sort of my backyard. So, when John Bartell of ABC10 in Sacramento asked to talk about fall color in the Hope Valley, I met him at the Kirkwood Inn and made a loop of the day, checking out the Hope Valley and visiting some spots in the American River Canyon that I’d had on my “must see” list.

What’s happening in the Eastern Sierra is also happening at Hope Valley. Aspen are peaking by grove. Some are at full peak and gorgeous, while others are Just Starting … heavy with leaves, but green.

It looks like we’re not going to have an “all at once” peak, here. Instead, it’s more likely that stands will peak and drop leaves while others remain patchy. This could continue for another week or two. Or it could end abruptly, depending on weather.

Why this is happening is anyone’s guess. Any of these could explain it: a wet winter, a dry summer, a warm autumn. Or, it could be any of another list of reasons. No one can say for certain.

What is certain is that no one should delay visiting fall color when it’s reported as Near Peak or better. As, delaying too long risks missing it altogether. On my drive, I was called by a woman in Fresno who’d somehow gotten my number. She wanted to know if it would be perfect this weekend. I replied, it’s as good as it’s gonna get, and it’s pretty nice.

As Philip Reedy has shown in his weekly reports from Hope Valley, there is plenty of beautiful color there, right now.

Hope Valley (10/7/19) John Poimiroo

One of the best groves is a few hundred feet east of Blue Lakes Rd. on CA-88. It’s a couple of hundred yards from the road across unfenced meadow on public land. Do not, however, climb the fenced ranch beside it, as that’s private property.

  • Caples Lake (10/7/19) John Poimiroo
  • Red Lake Creek Cabin Hillside (10/7/19) John Poimiroo
  • Blue Lakes Rd Junction (10/7/19) John Poimiroo
  • Blue Lakes Rd Junction (10/7/19) John Poimiroo

Elsewhere in the Hope Valley, you’ll see a mix of fully peaking aspen beside healthy stands that are almost entirely green.

The aspen at Sorensen’s Resort are now devoid of leaves, but stands across the highway, upstream and downstream are lush, healthy and peaking.

On my return by US 50, black oak vary from Patchy to Near Peak on the south bank of the American River. Willows are golden and bracken fern are nearly Past Peak. An aspen grove on Ice House Road at 5,390′ is patchy, though with impressively tall aspen. Bridal Veil fall on US 50 has Near Peak bigleaf maple framing it.

  • Ice House Road (10/7/19) John Poimiroo
  • Bridal Veil Fall, US 50 (10/7/19) John Poimiroo

Here’s a rundown of what I saw on today’s drive. Note how now it’s peaking, now it’s not:

  • Sly Park, US 50 (3,560′) – Patchy (10-50%), Bigleaf maple.
  • Mormon Emigrant Trail (6,000 to 7,000′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Willows, yellow and orange.
  • Silver Lake (7,300′) – Just Starting (0-10%), Aspen
  • Shot Rock (7,600′) – Near Peak (50-75%) – Willows, gold.
  • Kirkwood Lake Grove (7,550 – 38° 41′ 39″ N 120° 7′ 20″ W) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
  • Woods Creek Trailhead (8,200′) – Patchy (10-50%)
  • Red Lake (7,861′) – Patchy (10-50%)
  • Red Lake Creek Cabin – – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Aspen.
  • Blue Lakes Rd. Junction (7,550′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Aspen, orange.
  • Sorensen’s Resort (7,000′) – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
  • Woodfords Canyon (7,000′), CA-89 – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
  • Luther Pass, CA-89 (7,740′) – Patchy (10-50%)
  • Strawberry, US 50 (5,325′) – Patchy (10-50%)
  • US 50 (3,500′ to 3,200′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Black Oak
  • Ice House Road, US 50 (5,390′ – 38° 48′ 29″ N 120° 22′ 45″ W) – Patchy (10-50%)
  • Bridal Veil Fall, US 50 (3,363;) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!

Finally, comparing fall color development in the photo of Red Lake Creek Cabin taken today (top), here’s one taken by Dan Rastler three days ago.

Red Lake Creek Cabin (10/4/19) Dan Rastler
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Over the Hump

Monitor Pass (10/7/19) Ryan Boyd

Color spotter Ryan Boyd went over the hump twice, today, crossing both Monitor (CA-89) and Ebbetts (CA-4) Passes.

He found them both Near Peak and because they are known for short displays, our advice is to GO NOW!

Monitor Pass (10/7/19) Ryan Boyd
Monitor Pass (10/7/19) Ryan Boyd
Monitor Pass (10/7/19) Ryan Boyd
Monitor Pass (10/7/19) Ryan Boyd

Monitor Pass is the quickest route from Carson Pass (CA-88), through Markleeville to the Eastern Sierra, while Ebbets Pass is a lightly traveled route through the Central Sierra leading from the Mother Lode mining towns of Angel’s Camp, Murphys and Arnold.

Ebbetts Pass (10/7/19) Ryan Boyd
Ebbetts Pass (10/7/19) Ryan Boyd
Ebbetts Pass (10/7/19) Ryan Boyd
Ebbetts Pass (10/7/19) Ryan Boyd
Ebbetts Pass (10/7/19) Ryan Boyd

Ryan had been in Mono County photographing Summers Meadow and Lobdell Lake, which he described as Near Peak, but with unturned green areas.

Summers Meadow (10/6/19) Ryan Boyd
Summers Meadow (10/6/19) Ryan Boyd
Summers Meadow (10/6/19) Ryan Boyd
Summers Meadow (10/6/19) Ryan Boyd
Lobdell Lake (10/6/19) Ryan Boyd
Lobdell Lake (10/6/19) Ryan Boyd
Lobdell Lake (10/6/19) Ryan Boyd
Lobdell Lake (10/6/19) Ryan Boyd
  • Lobdell Lake (9,200′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
  • Summers Meadow (7,200′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
  • Monitor Pass (8,314′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
  • Ebbetts Pass (8,730′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
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Round Valley Rabbitbrush and Other Colorful Tales

Rabbitbrush and Bees, Round Valley (10/5/19) GiGi de Jong

Rubber Rabbitbrush is positively iridescent in autumn.

A member of the aster family, rabbitbrush flowers brilliantly yellow from August to October as other plants fade, making it one of the most colorful of California’s fall plants.

Rabbitbrush, Pine Creek Canyon (10/5/19) GiGi de Jong

It thrives on arid rangelands to montane openings, even when the soil is poor, coarse or alkaline. Dense stands are often found on degraded rangelands, the U.S. Forest Service writes.

Native Americans used it as a yellow dye, for medicinal tea and chewing gum. The species name “Nauseosa” refers to the smell given off when leaves or flowers are crushed. Some think it smells like pineapple, others as rubbery.

It is that rubbery quality that has had it studied as a natural source of rubber and fuel. Throughout the Eastern Sierra, rabbitbrush is now carpeting the high plains with bright yellow clusters.

  • Round Valley (10/6/19) GiGi de Jong
  • Round Valley (10/6/19) GiGi de Jong
  • Round Valley (10/6/19) GiGi de Jong
  • Rock Creek Canyon (10/6/19) GiGi de Jong
  • Rock Creek Canyon (10/6/19) GiGi de Jong
  • Iris Campground, Rock Creek Canyon (10/6/19) GiGi de Jong
  • Rock Creek Canyon (10/6/19) GiGi de Jong
  • Pine Creek Rd., US 395 (10/5/19) GiGi de Jong
  • Gable Lakes Trailhead, Pine Creek Canyon (10/5/19) GiGi de Jong
  • Trailhead, Pine Creek Canyon (10/5/19) GiGi de Jong
  • Pine Creek Canyon (10/5/19) GiGi de Jong
  • Pine Creek Canyon (10/5/19) GiGi de Jong
  • Millpond Equestrian Center, Round Valley (10/5/19) GiGi de Jong

Eastern Sierra color spotter Gigi de Jong was moved by its beauty to praise it in reports from Pine Creek Canyon, Round Valley and Rock Creek Canyon near Bishop. Here’s what she reported:

  • Lower Pine Creek Canyon (7,400′) – Patchy (10-50%) – The black cottonwood along Pine Creek seem to be at odds with each other – some are brightly yellow and others are still verdantly green. This canyon has California’s finest display of cottonwood, at peak.
  • Upper Pine Creek Canyon (7,400′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Aspen at the top of the canyon look like beams of sunshine emanating from behind and inside a forest of evergreens. One line of aspen presented a golden invitation to hike the Gable Lakes trail.
  • Round Valley (4,692′) – Just Starting (0-10%) – The towering cottonwoods and oaks that dot Round Valley are just beginning to glow. Their golden crowns sway gently to light breezes above still-green grassy fields. Rabbitbrush are everywhere, brightening their wild fields like pure sunshine and perfuming the air like honey. Visitors to the Round Valley (north of Bishop) were out exploring, walking, photographing, taking hay rides, pleine air painting and, as Gigi did on her yellow BMW 650GS “Queen Bee,” enjoying a “spectacular” tour by motorbike.
  • Lower Rock Creek Canyon – Just Starting (0-10%) – Rock Creek Rd at Tom’s Place is just starting; the same for lower Rock Creek Trail, a famous mountain bike route.
  • Upper Rock Creek Canyon – Near Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – The drive up the canyon begins with green, then patches of yellow appear around Iris Campground. Orange and red splashes pop out further up. It’s a mash up of everything from green to yellow to red at Mosquito Flat. Fall started late, but the cold snap last week hurried the change … like someone arriving late to a party, determined to make a big entrance. There’s color everywhere and it’s not as uniform as it often is. That’s the beauty of Eastern Sierra … it always takes you by surprise. 
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Bitterbrush

Bitterbrush (l) and Rabbitbrush (r) sprout from deformed lava flows along the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway (CA-89) (10/7/19) Martha Fletcher

Its name bespeaks the hard life it endures. Bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) is a member of the rose family, a shrub that thrives on arid mountainsides.

Martha Fletcher found it, along with bright yellow rabbitbrush, pushing up out of deformed lava flows south of Burney Mountain (7,863′) and close to Twin Buttes (5,340′) along the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway (CA-89), today.

Creamy yellow flowers cover bitterbrush branches in springtime, but now their brittle reddish-brown stems bare similarly colored leaves.

  • Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway (7,000′) – Just Starting (0-10%)
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Mango Madness

Mango madness along the North Lake Road (10/6/19) Jared Smith

Bishop Creek color spotter Jared Smith has created a new description of individual aspen that are all at once green, lime, yellow, orange and red. He calls them “mangos, because they’re like a ripening mango. Get it?”

Mango aspen are all over Bishop Creek Canyon, right now. And, we share his opinion that the mangos make for “some awesome shots.”

He reports that cold last Sunday through Wednesday dulled some of the color that had peaked last week, though few leaves turned black and did little damage to most of the foliage that had yet to turn.

So, there’s plenty of color up Bishop Creek Canyon, though leaves are now falling everywhere. Nonetheless, “In the right light, especially in the afternoon hours, it’s stunning out there.” Here’s Jared’s latest report:

  • South Lake, S Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Jared Smith
  • Wier Pond, S Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Jared Smith
  • Parchers Camp, S Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Jared Smith
  • Willow Camp, S Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Jared Smith
  • South Lake Rd., S Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Jared Smith

Bishop Creek Canyon Summaries

  • Above 8,500′ – Peak (75%-100%) GO NOW! – Expect Instagram and Facebook feeds to be blowing up with pictures from Bishop Creek this week, as it’s really looking great up here and what’s online is pretty impressive. There is still quite a bit of green yet to turn, but peak color can be found all over the canyon. A lot of the green is now turning yellow. Should the good weather hold, so will this epic scenery. GO NOW! Do not delay. It may be gone by next weekend at high elevations, especially along the South Fork of Bishop Creek. Other areas will remain spectacular for longer, conditions permitting.
  • Below 8,500′ – Patchy (10-50%) – Plenty of yellow is going off in patches all over the canyon, especially above 8,000′. None of the lower locations have been overtaken by yellow, but it’s showing among a sea of green. Having seen the rapid onset of color over the past week, I estimate Near Peak color in several locations by the end of the week. Some of these lower elevation locations can be spectacular, which bodes well for canyon visitors who can’t make it up until mid October or even later.

    South Fork Bishop Creek

    • Weir Pond (9,650′) – Near Peak (50% – 75%) GO NOW! The aspen above the pond were hardest hit by the cold and wind, but there’s plenty of color here. The aspen along the road are really bright yellowish green and the back of the pond has some orange.
    • Parchers Resort (9,260′) – Peak (75%-100%) GO NOW! – The hillsides all around the resort have come on beautifully. Best viewed from within the resort or from below near Willow Camp.
    • Willow Campground (9,000′) – Peak (75%-100%) GO NOW! – Big time splash of color found its way to this area and the views up towards Parchers Resort are awesome.
    • Surveyors Meadow (8,975′) – Peak (75%-100%) GO NOW! Impossible to miss – just tons of color all around this spot. Lots of photographers and even a painting club made this their destination of choice this past weekend.
    • Table Mountain Camp (8,900′) – Peak (75%-100%) GO NOW! Watch out for photographers here because it seems they’re lining the road from morning to dusk. Great views and a splash of rosy orange still hanging tough and more color comes on every day.
    • Mist Falls and the groves above Bishop Creek Lodge (8,350′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Lots of yellow has developed here, especially looking up canyon. Healthy happy aspen ready to make a big splash within the next week.
    • Four Jeffries (8,000′) – Patchy (10% – 50%) – Frequent splashes of color amidst the green … likely to be near peak soon. 
    • Big Trees Campground and Forks Campground (7,800′) – Just Starting – (0 – 10%)
    Groves Above Cardinal Village, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Anirudh Natekar
    • Sabrina Lake, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Jared Smith
    • Sabrina Approach, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Jared Smith
    • Sabrina Bridge, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Jared Smith
    • Sabrina Camp, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Jared Smith
    • Cardinal Mine, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Jared Smith
    • Sabrina Camp, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Jared Smith
    • M Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Clayton Peoples
    • Sabrina Lake, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Clayton Peoples

    Middle Fork Bishop Creek

    • Lake Sabrina (9,150′) – Peak (75%-100%) GO NOW! – There is too much green to compare Sabrina now with what has shown in years past, but there is a whole lot of color, especially on the east shore where red patches give the appearance that the lake is on fire in places. We’re still on the low end of Peak and expect it to get even more spectacular, weather permitting.
    • Sabrina Campground to Sabrina Dam (9,000′) – Peak (75%-100%) GO NOW! – The aspen by Sabrina campground are looking surprisingly good considering they were peaking last week. The stretch from the campground to the dam is spectacular, but on the low range of peak.
    • Groves above Cardinal Village (8,550′) – Peak (75%-100%) GO NOW! This view is stealing the show on the middle fork of Bishop Creek. Lots of yellow and even a little bit of rose has consumed the shrubs from Cardinal Peak all the way down to the creekside groves adjacent to the old Cardinal Mine. With the Sierra crest as the backdrop, it’s hard to beat the view. There are some big turnouts here making for easy access for shutterbugs.
    • Aspendell (8,400′) – Patchy (10% – 50%) – Lots of color below and above this small neighborhood, but it’s worth a look for sure. Just below is Bishop Park Group Camp, and it’s stunning.
    North Lake, N Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Anirudh Natekar
    • North Lake Rd., N Fork Bishop Creek (10/6/19) Jared Smith

    North Fork Bishop Creek

    • North Lake (9,255′) – Peak (75%-100%) GO NOW! – North Lake developed quickly this past week, following a long period of green aspen. Jared noted pleasant surprise at how much color remained after the cold snap early in the week. Beautiful views and plenty of color still around and the road should just get better as the week goes on.
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    California’s Most Beautiful Undiscovered Town

    Quincy (10/6/19) Michael Beatley

    Michael Beatley is biased when he describes Quincy as Califoria’s most beautiful undiscovered town. Lucky guy, he lives nearby in Meadow Valley and exhibits his photography in Quincy.

    Years ago, Quincy’s city leaders buried power lines, so no unsightly electrical lines ruin the view. It’s a classic American hometown with a timeless, turn-of-the-century (20th) mainstreet, a classic Greek revival colonnaded county courthouse, and a gentile central park shaded by towering trees.

    • Judge Thieler Sugar Maple, Quincy (10/6/19) Michael Beatley
    • Courthouse Park, Quincy (10/6/19) Michael Beatley

    Majestic maple and sycamore surround the courthouse and grow throughout its nearby neighborhood.

    Jackson St ,which runs parallel to Main Street (behind the County Courthouse) is lined with homes built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

    Downtown Quincy is an idyllic setting that locals do very little to promote. There is no visitors bureau in Plumas County. It was closed years ago. And though local business owners and residents welcome visitors, they do it without much fanfare.

    Mountain Ash, Plumas County (10/6/19) Michael Beatley

    Enveloping Quincy are forests and streams where native conifers, golden bigleaf maple, ruby mountain ash, yellow aspen, flame orange-red Indian rhubarb, auburn creek dogwood, and orange black oak grow.

    Peak will arrive there within a fortnight. There are already signs that the town’s landmark Judge Theiler sugar maple (on the corner of West High St and Lee Way) is nearing peak. Though Quincy’s typical peak occurs in mid October.

    Favorite fall walks include downtown Quincy and its genuine shops, courthouse square, Jackson St. to see sparkling white Community United Methodist Church when it is framed with fall color (see below banner ad), and to hike a forest trail through Boyle Ravine (at the terminus of Coburn St.) amidst bigleaf maple, Pacific dogwood, black oak, alder, fern, violas, cedar, pine and fir trees.

    OK, the secret’s out. Quincy is uncrowded, authentic and full of fall color. So how can a place so beautiful remain undiscovered?

    • Quincy (3,342′) – Patchy (10-50%)
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    Humboldt State Changes Colors

    • Red Maple, College Creek Dorms, HSU (10/5/19) Michelle Pontoni
    • Maple, HSU Police Bldg (10/5/19) Michelle Pontoni

    Humboldt State University’s school colors are green and gold, Michelle Pontoni tells us, but in autumn the Arcata campus looks more like USC with all the red and gold.

    Near the University Police building, one of the tallest evergreens on campus towers over maples that hang with golden leaves. The change has happened so rapidly, that Michelle expects returning students to be surprised by the color change when they resume class today.

    She writes, “One vibrant red maple stands among others still green lining both sides of Harpst Street outside the College Creek dorms, with a quarter moon hovering low in the southern sky.”

    • Ivy, Harry Griffith Hall, HSU (10/5/19) Michelle Pontoni
    • Ivy, Harry Griffith Hall, HSU (10/5/19) Michelle Pontoni

    Usually, the busy intersection of Harpst and B streets resounds with hundreds of students passing each hour, but all that could be heard this past weekend was the “tiny rustle of leaves and just a whisper of wind near empty tables outside ivy-covered Harry Griffith Hall. There, the ivy seems almost animated, crawling up the wall in varying shades of green to red.  Nearby, hydrangeas in blue, pink, and white join the spectacle.  While, beyond lively crimson maple leaves are glimpsed between the greens and golds.

    Pontoni recommends walking the Humboldt State campus in Arcata to appreciate the show, though the school is nicknamed Hills and Stairs University (HSU) for all the ascents and descents that students make during their matriculation.

    One thing’s certain, color awaits around every building and up every staircase at HSU, and Michelle Pontoni scores a First Report for her colorful description of autumn in Arcata.

    • Humboldt State University, Arcata – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
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    Perfection is Elusive

    South Fork Bishop Creek (10/4/19) John Ehrenfeld

    Perfection is elusive. Case in point: Bishop Creek Canyon. It struggled to start, but the color now being reported from that fork is gorgeous, with a layered blend that dazzles.

    Color spotter John Ehrenfeld sends these photographs, which were taken on Friday.

    Surveyor’s Meadow, S Fork Bishop Creek (10/4/19) John Ehrenfeld

    In the above shot, Ehrenfeld shows the mix of lime, green, yellow and orange that travels 500′ up the mountainside at Surveyor’s Meadow. Not perfect, but then what ever is?

    Some photographers delay going until they sense it will be absolute perfection. In doing so, they miss the beauty Ehrenfeld captured and risk not seeing it, at all.

    Lake Sabrina, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/5/19) Aaron Thom

    Aaron Thom wasn’t discouraged by the mixed start, either. He visited Lake Sabrina on Saturday and got a shot splashed with green, yellow and orange.

    In years when it turns all at once, it’s a short-lived display. A visit not timed to the elusive moment of perfection could may miss peak by a day or two. Whereas, this year’s show is proving to be the Energizer Bunny of autumn displays. It keeps going and going.

    Conditions permitting, peak at Bishop Creek could last another week or two longer, making it one of the longest-lasting we’ve recorded in the past ten years.

    So, if you’ve delayed visiting, you’re missing an unexpected show, one we may not see again for years to come. GO NOW!

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    Hold Up at Carson Pass

    Fallen gold, Hope Valley (10/4/19) Philip Reedy

    Those words haven’t been written since the late 1800s.

    Back then, highwaymen robbed stage coaches of their silver, gold and payrolls along the Carson Pass (CA-88). Today, what’s being held up is fall color.

    Yesterday, color spotter Philip Reedy passed over the pass and into the Hope Valley to find aspen steadfastly holding on to their green and reluctant to give up the gold.

    N Meadow, East of Blue Lakes Rd., Hope Valley (10/4/19) Philip Reedy

    He wrote, “From Caples Lake to Carson Pass there are many aspens along Highway 88 and almost all of them are still green.  From Carson Pass down to Red Lake it’s the same story.  The dirt road heading south from Red Lake has a lot of aspens and almost all are still green. 

    “Heading east down to everyone’s favorite cabin (Red Lake Creek Cabin) there are some yellow trees but still mostly green.  There is a little more color by the cabin from last week, but not much more. 

    “Across the highway Red Lake Creek should be bursting with yellow and orange leaves, yet most are still green.  Heading east from the cabin toward Hope Valley there are some yellow trees, but most have not changed yet. 

    “Just past the Blue Lakes turnoff the Hope Valley has some nice color, but again, there are a lot of trees still waiting to turn.  A little further on the West Carson River area is almost entirely green still,” he explained.

    • Hope Valley (10/4/19) Philip Reedy
    • Hope Valley (10/4/19) Philip Reedy
    • Hope Valley (10/4/19) Philip Reedy
    • Hope Valley (10/4/19) Philip Reedy
    • Hope Valley (10/4/19) Philip Reedy

    Phil estimates, from pictures he’s taken over the past five years that fall color is at least a week, perhaps two, behind past years.

    He agrees with out assessment that this could mean one of the best Octobers we’ve seen in years, should the color be long-lasting, once it develops, as the trees are healthy and full of leaves.

    The best color, for now, is in the north meadow, east of Blue Lakes Rd. Though, wear water-resistant hiking boots to see the best of it, as you’ll need to hike into the woods. When doing so, be alert not to create new paths (use the predominant trail and stay in it, even where it gets wet.

    Don’t worry, you won’t be held up. Only the color is.

    • Hope Valley – Patchy (10-50%)
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