Gates of the Valley, Yosemite National Park (10/28/17) Mohan Ram
Wawona Road, Yosemite National Park (10/29/17) Mohan Ram
Yosemite National Park is at the last of its peak. The dogwood, bigleaf maple and cottonwood are past peak, though black oak and willows continue to dazzle.
Mohan Ram describes the Valley’s oaks as “glowing in the sunlight,” though the best show is seen at Wawona along CA-41 that Mohan describes as “stunning throughout the entire stretch from vibrant yellows to amazing reds. Not to be missed!”
Wawona Rd. – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Yosemite Valley (4,000’) – Peak to Past Peak – You Almost Missed It.
Bigleaf maple, dogwood, Yosemite Valley (10/28/17) Mohan Ram
The Midway between Durham and Chico, to its north, is still Patchy, though is increasingly showing signs of approaching peak color.
If you go now, you won’t be disappointed, but if you wait until peak is reported there could be nothing by the time you get there. So, our advice is to assess posted photos for when they were taken and what the area might look like in a week or two, then plan accordingly.
Color spotter Danie Schwartz was in Durham a couple of days ago; she found valley oaks showing nice yellow, lime and orange near the Patrick Ranch.
Ginkgo biloba, Bidwell Mansion, Chico (10/29/17) Robert Kermen
He continued to Chico to find the Esplanade still patchy with Chinese pistachios and Valley oak showing green, yellow and shades of orange, but limited to few trees. Robert Kermen also visited Chico to find ginkgo biloba along the Esplanade near the Bidwell Mansion heavy with gold leaves. These are some of the most beautiful of boulevard trees at maturity, though care should be taken to plant “male” pollinators, as the female ginkgo has an offensive odor.
Robert Kermen returned to the Chico Seed Orchard, operated by Mendocino National Forest on 209 acres. It was established in 1904 by the Agricultural Research Service for the purpose of plant breeding research and plant introduction from all over the world.
Two of the station’s early accomplishments included introducing the pistachio in 1917 and the kiwi in 1934. The “mother” and “father” kiwi are still at the Orchard and are the oldest producing kiwi in the country.”
Persimmons are another of Chico’s crops. Their orchards are peaking and near harvest.
Sank Park, Oroville (10/29/17) Cindy Lee Hoover
South of Chico in Oroville, Sank Park along Montgomery St. is peaking, with Chinese pistache overhanging the street with yellow, orange and lime leaves.
North of Chico in Paradise, black oaks are at the end of their peak.
In Biggs on Vance Rd., between Feather Road and Pond, trees are patchy with touches of yellow.
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Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties have one of the latest and longest-lasting peaks in California with peak color appearing from mid October to Thanksgiving Day.
In Sonoma County, fall color can be found in the vineyards, in wine country cities like Petaluma where native and exotic trees line downtown streets and in state parks where lovely color is found in the woods.
Anson and Karin Davalos visited Sonoma County this past week to report that despite the devastation left behind by wildfires in some of the wine country, “much of the area and the vineyards are as beautiful as ever.”
Petaluma Historical Museum (file photo) Deborah Garber
Karin should know, as she’s a local girl who grew up there. So, we know how anxious she was to return and see the places closest to her heart.
Presently, there are a lot of as-yet-unturned green vines to be seen, but also certain varieties are peaking with deep red, orange, yellow and lime to be seen. Vineyards peak by individual grape variety, so while one vineyard may be green, another nearby may be brilliant burgundy or past peak.
More than anything else, what Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties need – following this past month’s fires – is for normalcy to return. That can only happen once travelers return to visiting normally.
For fall color spotters that means including Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties in your fall travel plans, and visiting now.
Liquidambar and vines, Sonoma County (10/22/17) Karin Davalos
So, I’m putting out the challenge to all color spotters – particularly those great photographers who’ve shown the best of the wine country in the past – let’s show everyone how beautiful these areas are and what great fall color can be found there now, through Thanksgiving Day.
Email current photographs of fall color in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties to editor@CaliforniaFallColor.com and we’ll post them because, like Karin, the wine country is close to all of California’s hearts, right now.
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Some of this site’s contributors go to great lengths to spot fall color.
We put Phillip Reedy in that category, as he’s submitted photographs taken in the Hope Valley (on several occasions), Eastern Sierra and now the Northern Sierra.
Phillip drove a “long circuit” up CA-70 from Marysville to Quincy, south through Graeagle and the Lakes Basin, then down on CA-49 through Downieville and back to Davis.
In a day, Phillip!?
While we’re questioning his sanity, we’re not questioning the beauty he captured or the veracity of his reports.
Phillip reported back that there was “plenty of yellow and gold at the top of the Feather River Canyon, in Quincy and Graeagle (often missed by Plumas County color spotters). Aspen were still dressed in yellow around Sardine Lake.
Couthouse, Quincy (10/27/17) Phillip Reedy
Couthouse, Quincy (10/27/17) Phillip Reedy
The big bonus, he reported was not being disappointed by his stop in Quincy, as we’d raised his hopes, considering how many times in the past two weeks that peak color has been reported there.
Not only did his photos show those trees in new perspectives, but they certified that indeed both Western Sycamore and sugar maple grow side-by-side, there.
“The colors were awesome,” he said. And, that’s saying something, since Phillip always combines a little fall color spotting with fly fishing.
On this outing, he visited the North Fork of the Yuba River and Lavezzola Creek near Downieville and though we don’t know how many he caught, he maxed limit in great fall color shots.
Middle Fork Feather River, Graeagle (10/27/17) Phillip Reedy
North Fork Yuba River (10/27/17) Phillip Reedy
North Fork Feather River – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Quincy – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Middle Fork Feather River, Graeagle – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Lavezzola Creek, Downieville – Peak (75-100%) – GO NOW!
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The Tritons of the University of California San Diego have Navy blue and gold as their school colors, though judging from these photographs taken on campus, perhaps they should have chosen pink, purple, green and gold.
Plumas County color spotter Jeff Luke Titcomb didn’t forget the rest of us color spotters when he traveled to San Diego. Instead he sent these shots of color blooming and turning on exotic boulevard trees at UC San Diego (fall color creds to whomever can ID them).
UC San Diego – Peak (75-100%) – How else could we classify such beautiful color? GO NOW!
Chinese pistache, Mendocino National Forest-Chico Seed Farm (10/27/17) Robert Kerman
Pistache tunnel, near Durham (10/27/17) Robert Kerman
Çolor spotters are beginning to cash in by heading to Chico, as autumn color is sprinting through Patchy toward Near Peak.
Less than a week ago, we were reporting Chico as Just Starting, but these photographs sent to us by color spotter Robert Kerman show a different story… one worth a road trip and worth photographing.
Robert visited a few of his “favorite haunts for fall color,” including the U.S. Forest Service’s seed farm in Chico (First Report), whose main road is lined with colorful Chinese pistache, now just approaching Near Peak. They should be good for another two weeks.
He passed through another “pistache tunnel” along the “Midway” between Chico and Durham, near walnut orchards featured on 10/23; and found “awesome colors” at forested Bidwell Park in Chico, where The Adventures of Robin Hood was filmed in 1938, winning three Oscars.
Bidwell Park, Chico (10/27/17) Robert Kerman
So, Sherwood, do you plan to be one of Chico’s Merry men and women this weekend? If so, it looks like the fall color hunting will be Oscar-nomination-worthy.
Chico (197′) – Patchy (10-50%) – While Chico doesn’t yet show enough color to get a GO NOW! alert, fall color there is progressing rapidly. Chico should be peaking the first week of November. On our must-see list are: Midway (between Durham and Chico), walnut orchards, Bidwell Park, Esplanade and Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina.
Black cottonwood (foreground), Donner Lake (10/26/17) Robert Kerman
Aspen on the south side of Donner Lake have lost about 40% of their leaves, putting them just past peak.
Robert Kerman was there on a balmy autumn day to find kayakers paddling across the lake as flushes of nearly stripped yellow aspen were being reflected in the lake.
Donner Lake (5,935′)- Peak to Past Peak – You Almost Missed It.
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Lower Rock Creek (10/22/17) Alicia Vennos | Mono County Tourism
West Walker River (10/22/17) Alicia Vennos | Mono County Tourism
If you’re in Mono County on the east side of the Sierra Nevada, you will find nice pockets of color along Lower Rock Creek Rd.,beside the West Walker River and along US 395 in Walker, Coleville and Topaz.
A few stubborn splashes of fall color are also hanging on near Silver and Grant Lakes on the June Lake Loop.
Otherwise, Mono County is mostly Past Peak.
As such, this will likely be our last report from Mono County until next autumn.
Sincere thanks are expressed to Alicia Vennos, Jeff Simpson and Josh Wray of Mono County and Mammoth Lakes Tourism for the reports and photographs they provided this autumn. Here’s Jeff’s final report:
Lower Rock Creek Road (7,000′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Walker/Coleville (10/22/17) Alicia Vennos | Mono County Tourism
Walker Canyon (5,200′)- Peak (75-100%) – The banks of the West Walker River are still lined with gold. There are heavy shadows here in the morning and afternoon for long exposure photography. Go mid-morning for the best backlit leaves. GO NOW!
Towns of Walker & Coleville – Peak (75-100%) – This is the prime location for this week. The big cottonwoods around town are looking beautiful and displaying wonderful color. GO NOW!
Lower Rock Creek Trail (10/22/17) Alicia Vennos | Mono County Tourism
Often called California’s best-kept secret, Lewiston Lake (downstream from Trinity Lake) is a prized, narrow body famous for its trout fishing.
Michelle James stopped there this past weekend, to photograph orange splotches of black oak reflected in its still waters.
The Mary Smith Campground at Lewiston Lake was described by the San Francisco Chronicle as the state’s prettiest. It features six glamping (Glamorous Camping) tents near the water. Traditional campsites for tent or RV camping are also available nearby.
