http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2017-10-25 15:04:502017-10-26 16:00:11Plumas - About to Fall
Trees are Just Starting to turn color in Chico, but it’ll be paradise when the Esplanade (seen above) is peaking. Then, it is one of the most fall-tastic boulevards in California.
What makes Chico’s Esplanade so exceptional is its blend of vibrant Chinese pistache and landmark Valley Oak that drape the roadway with fluorescent red, yellow, orange and lime leaves.
A trip to Butte County (northern California – CA-99) to see Chico’s peak fall colors is a favorite excursion of ours.
We make a point to stop at the Sierra Nevada brewery for lunch, visit its gift shop, tour one of Chico’s art galleries (they’re known for great galleries), then drive up the Esplanade, continuing north past peaking walnut orchards along CA-99 to Vina and the Abbey of New Clairvaux where an inspiring gothic vaulted interior from an 800-year-old monastery has been restored. It will all be peaking in two to three weeks.
Patrick Ranch, Durham (10/21/17) Danie Schwartz
Black oak, Paradise Lake (10/22/17) Cindy Lee Hoover
In nearby Durham (south of Chico – First Report), orchards arch roadways with changing color. This one is next to the Patrick Ranch on Midway Rd. Large walnut trees provide green, gold, yellow and rust colors at peak.
However, once you reach Paradise north of Chico (Yes, there is such a town), you’ll find the black oak to be at the high end of patchy. Bigleaf maple, vine maple, California buckeye, California ash, Northern California black walnut and miner’s dogwood all provide seasonal color at this elevation.
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2017-10-23 18:13:372017-10-24 10:53:50It'll Be Paradise At Peak
Feather River Scenic Byway (10/21/17) Jeff Luke Titcomb
Feather River Scenic Byway (10/21/17) Jeff Luke Titcomb
Feather River Scenic Byway (10/21/17) Jeff Luke Titcomb
Indian Summer is the “spell of warm weather after the first frost.”
This American expression was first recorded in 1778 in a letter written to England, though its origins are uncertain.
Some attribute it to having come from areas inhabited by Native-Americans or because Indians were the first to describe it.
Beaver pond, Frenchman’s Lake (10/21/17) Parrish Todd
Packer Lake, Plumas County (10/22/17) Parrish Todd
Regardless of how it got coined, it is a pleasant period of warm weather following an early frost. That is happening now in the Shasta Cascade, where last week snow fell (see below). This week, temperatures are in the 70s and Peak color – appropriately – is being seen in the Indian Valley of Plumas County (northern Sierra).
Local color spotter Jeff Luke Titcomb writes that color is at peak, though that it will – like an Indian summer – soon be gone. Black oak dominate with deep orange leaves contrasting with their black limbs.
Yellow, chartreuse and red pop out at points along CA-89 and CA-70 on the route north, leaving the Sierra and entering the lower cascades at Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Indian Valley, CA-89 – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Manzanita Lake, Lassen Volcanic National Park (10/20/17) Larry Robbins
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Courthouse Maples, Quincy (10/21/17) Michael Beatley
Quincy, the Plumas County seat, sits at 3,432′. Hike a hundred feet higher into the hills surrounding the town and you have a birds-eye view of downtown Quincy splashed with orange, yellow, red and green.
That’s what Michael Beatley did this weekend, while also exploring fields and farms around Quincy to return with an album of great images.
Throughout town, both native and planted trees provide lush color. Exotic sugar maples near the county courthouse are guilty of being spectacular and Quincy (est. 1854) is packed with peak color.
The Peak color should last through the week, though do not delay, as Quincy is as good as it gets, right now.
Quincy (3,432′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Quincy (10/22/17) Michael Beatley
Quincy (10/21/17) Michael Beatley
Quincy (10/21/17) Michael Beatley
Quincy (10/21/17) Michael Beatley
West’s Ranch, Quincy (10/21/17) Michael Beatley
Quincy (10/21/17) Michael Beatley
Quincy (10/21/17) Michael Beatley
Quincy (10/21/17) Michael Beatley
Courthouse Maples, Quincy (10/21/17) Michael Beatley
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Another of the areas Near Peak to Peaking in the Shasta Cascade region is Trinity County.
Shasta Cascade color spotter Jeri Rangel traveled the Trinity Heritage Scenic Byway (CA-3) , yesterday, including scoring a First Report for Lewiston, which requires a detour (Trinity Dam Blvd.) from the route.
From Redding, head west on CA-299 toward Weaverville (great color, plus a fascinating historic downtown and Joss House State Historic Park – all worth seeing). Trinity Dam Blvd. is a couple of miles before the turn north onto the scenic byway (CA-3).
Her route along the scenic byway traveled north from Weaverville on Hwy 3, past Trinity Lake, Trinity Center, the Trinity Alps and Etna, Scott Valley, the Marble Mountains and Ft. Jones, finding “fabulous” fall colors that have “popped out brightly all over and just about at the same time!”
She estimates that the route is at full peak, though this is an area that should stay good through early November.
Trinity Heritage Scenic Byway, CA-3 – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Dogwood, Norwegian Area, North Trinity Lake (10/19/17) Jeri Rangel
Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum, Meadow Valley (10/19/17) Michael Beatley
Years ago, “It Hasta Be Shasta” was the motto of one of my PR clients, the Shasta Beverage Company. That motto sure fits what’s happening up north, as fall color is now filling the Shasta Cascade with beauty.
For the coming week, it hasta be Shasta.
Penny farthing in a field, North Arm of Indian Valley (10/17/17) Michael Beatley
Color spotter Michael Beatley was riding past Meadow Valley (not on the penny farthing seen at left) when he spied a Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum).
Sugar maples are exotic trees (native to eastern Canada and the northeast U.S.), known for their brilliant fall color.
Meadow Valley is eight miles west of Quincy on the old Beckwourth Trail where Black Bart robbed stage coaches in the late 1870s. The town was settled around 1850.
Bigleaf maple, Indian rhubarb, Indian Creek, Taylorsville (10/17/17) Michael Beatley
It sits at the base of Spanish Peak in the Plumas National Forest, which is full of native aspen, maple, dogwood, cottonwood, pine and fir.
Michael reports that “CA-89 from CA-70 towards Taylorsville, Greenville and Chester is very beautiful, with a lot of color along Indian Creek.”
Meadow Valley – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Indian Creek, Taylorsville (10/17/17) Michael Beatley
Spanish Peak, Meadow Valley (10/17/17) Michael Beatley
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2017-10-20 12:57:192017-10-20 13:00:23It Hasta Be Shasta: Meadow Valley
Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima, Anderson (10/18/17) Gabriel Leete
Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is less angelic than it is the devil’s work.
It is one of many invasive, non-native species that, once established, takes over the natural landscape preventing native trees from growing.
While beautiful in autumn with its bright red color, Tree of Heaven will produce over 52 million seeds during its 100-year life.
That’s much more than other trees like maples and oaks. And, while oaks will take decades to produce acorns, Ailanthus produce viable seeds in just a few years.
Modern Farmer writes that “the book, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, was about an Ailanthus, using its ability to thrive in cement or garbage, with poor soil, poor light, and poor water supply, as a metaphor.
“If you cut it down, it’ll regrow from its own roots. It also blocks out native plants, altering local ecosystems, partly because it grows so fast and efficiently, and partly because it is allelopathic, meaning that it produces chemicals that inhibit the growth of nearby plants. It isn’t content to just box out native plants; it cheats.”
Native to China, Ailanthus is prized there for its use in traditional Chinese medicines and as a habitat for silk worms.
However, here it has only ornamental value and takes over habitat that would otherwise be populated by native species.
Modern Farmer writes, “Currently, there are no easy options (to eradicate them); some solutions involve hacking notches into the trunk with a machete before applying herbicide, or pulling out the entire root system of younger trees.”
So, enjoy the beauty of Tree of Heaven, but don’t encourage them. There really are devils beneath those angels’ wings.
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Foray Rd., Greenville, Plumas County (10/18/17) Jeff Luke Titcomb
Locations like these, shot by Herb Huang and Jeff Luke Titcomb, will be overcast for the next 24-hours as a storm passes over Northern California.
The storm will blow turned leaves from most trees, but it won’t denude them.
Lots of color will remain, particularly on trees that were nearing peak, as they still have the strength in the leaves to, as Avril Lavigne would sing…
Keep holding on ‘Cause you know we’ll make it through We’ll make it through Just stay strong ‘Cause you know I’m here for you I’m here for you There’s nothing you could say Nothing you could do There’s no other way when it comes to the truth So keep holding on ‘Cause you know we’ll make it through We’ll make it through
President Teddy Roosevelt described Burney Falls as the “eighth wonder of the world,” and with good reason.
Pit River above Burney Falls (10/15/17) Clayton Peoples
Burney Falls is constantly fed by an underground stream that flows at a rate of 379 million liters a day (imagine that in terms of soda bottles).
The water permeates through and flows over a 129-foot tall wall of rock that is covered with lush green ferns.
The pool below the falls (a waterfall is one drop, falls are many) has every imaginable blue in it (indigo, cerulean, cobalt, turquoise) and the wall in autumn is topped with vivid orange, yellow and lime colors.
Color spotter Clayton Peoples was there this past weekend to report the scene “sported great colors.”
He wrote, “At McArthur-Burney Falls State Park, the black oak trees are turning yellow, orange, and rusty red. There are some that have already reached peak color–for instance, those along Burney Creek just above where it plunges down the Falls. Elsewhere, though, the leaves are only beginning to change.
Manzanita Lake (10/15/17) Clayton Peoples
“At Lassen Volcanic National Park, willows along Manzanita Lake range from Peak to Past Peak, and the grasses and other ground shrub have turned a nice golden hue. It’s unclear how long the color will last there, so I would recommend that folks GO NOW! before color disappears and winter weather settles in.”
The Shasta Cascade region is now a go-to destination to find great fall color, with Plumas County, Lassen Volcanic and Burney Falls at Peak.
McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Manzanita Lake, Lassen Volcanic National Park – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
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As peak color declines in the Southern and Eastern Sierra, color spotters look for other areas to satisfy their appetite for fall color.
The Feather River Scenic Byway in the Northern Sierra is one such destination. This route follows the North Fork of the Feather River 130 miles east/west across Butte and Plumas Counties on State Highway 70.
The byway has extraordinarily diverse terrain and is a showcase of engineering marvels including seven power houses that make up California’s “Stairway of Power” hydroelectric power generating system, impressive railroad trestles (one crossed by a highway bridge – providing for an amazing photograph) and grades and tunnels.
It’s all accessible by CA-70, an impressive accomplishment in its own right. Trailheads to many paths, including the Pacific Crest Trail, lead from it and to superb fall color viewing.
In mid to late October, fall color in Plumas and Butte Counties is peaking. Quincy, the Plumas County seat is a great starting point for exploring the region.
Because Plumas County does not have the elevation change found in the Eastern Sierra, knowing when to visit is key to a satisfying trip.
The trick to knowing where to go (as much of the color in Plumas County is not self-evident), is to search this site for references to Plumas County, then go to those locations within a week or two of when they peaked historically.
Black oak, Indian Falls (10/16/17) Jeff Luke Titcomb
Feather River Scenic Byway (5,436′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
