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Yosemite Pioneer Maple

Pioneer sugar maple, Yosemite Valley (10/15/19) Gene Miller

Color spotter Gene Miller was in Yosemite Valley on Tuesday, reporting that the fall color was “absolutely beautiful.”

He sends an image of a sugar maple that 19th-century settlers planted near the Yosemite Chapel. Of course, an exotic tree could not be planted in a national park today, but there were no such rules nor the same definition of what a national park represents, in the late 1800s.

Today, efforts are made to remove invasive plants (all exotic imports), though, fortunately, the sugar maple is protected because of its connection to the cultural history of the national park.

It peaks for a very short time, so getting there NOW is essential.

Other foliage that changes color in the national park include: Pacific dogwood, bigleaf maple, willows and black oak. The dogwood, maple and willows are turning now.

Fern Spring, Yosemite Valley (File Photo) © 2006 John Poimiroo

Favorite photo locations include seeing : brightly yellow fallen bigleaf maple leaves at Fern Spring at the entrance to the Valley (CA-140); vibrant orange black oak below Yosemite Falls and beside Yosemite’s meadows; and pink Pacific dogwood along the Merced River.

Yosemite’s black oak are the finest fall display of the specie in California. Black oak will be at their best in late October to mid November.

  • Pioneer sugar maple, Yosemite Valley (4,000′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!

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Singed Edges of Yosemite

  • Northside Drive, Eagle Creek, Yosemite Valley (11/4/18) Crys Black
  • Sentinel Bridge, Merced River, Yosemite Valley (11/4/18) Crys Black
  • Northside Dr.,Yosemite Valley (11/4/18) Crys Black
  • Sentinel Bridge, Merced River, Yosemite Valley (11/4/18) Crys Black
  • Sentinel Bridge, Merced River, Yosemite Valley (11/4/18) Crys Black
  • Merced River, Yosemite Valley (11/4/18) Crys Black
  • Cook’s Meadow, Yosemite Valley (11/4/18) Crys Black
  • Merced River, Yosemite Valley (11/4/18) Crys Black
  • Sentinel Meadow, Yosemite Valley (11/4/18) Crys Black
  • Sentinel Meadow, Yosemite Valley (11/4/18) Crys Black
  • Merced River, Yosemite Valley (11/4/18) Crys Black
  • Merced River, Yosemite Valley (11/4/18) Crys Black
  • Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite Valley (11/4/18) Crys Black
  • El Capitan, Southside Dr. Yosemite Valley (11/4/18) Crys Black
  • Minarets Rd., Chiquito Creek, North Fork (11/3/18) Crys Black
  • Sunset, Autumn Ridge Way, Cascade Woods (11/3/18) Crys Black
  • 6S90 near California Meadow, Nelder Grove (11/3/18) Crys Black
  • Dogwood, Bass Lake (11/3/18) Crys Black

This past summer’s Ferguson Fire singed the edges of Yosemite National Park and consumed 96,901 acres. It also was a human tragedy, killing two and injuring 19.

Color spotter Crys Black explored a large area of the Yosemite region, this past weekend to see how the fire affected the park experience.

She began at Mammoth Pool Reservoir, south of Bass Lake. The following day, she drove north along CA-41 through the southwest park entrance, past Wawona and Glacier Point before descending into Yosemite Valley, finally leaving by the Merced River Canyon, a route that took her through the center of the Ferguson complex.

Near Bass Lake, Crys reported spotty color, “around Nelder Creek and again near Mammoth Pool Reservoir and the San Joaquin River on Minarets Rd.”

“Sunset near Whiskey Falls at Cascade Woods was something else, especially spooky with fire-ravaged trees standing sentinel.”

She past severe fire damage along CA-41, 140, and the Glacier Rd., though remarked that, “even amongst the damage, new growth has already started in most places.”

Yosemite Valley was “as breathtaking as I’ve ever seen it,” staying so long that the light was too low to photograph the Merced River Canyon on her departure along CA-140 toward Mariposa, noting that the Yosemite View Lodge was “spared, yet again.”

Though she could not photograph the canyon, Crys reported that it should “remain colorful probably for another weekend if the weather is gentle, aside from the fire areas, all the way into Mariposa.” 

  • Southwest Entrance, Yosemite National Park – Peak to Past Peak, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT. – Spots of color are all that remain between Fish Camp and Tunnel View.
  • Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Black oak and cottonwood are at peak, bigleaf maple and dogwood are Past Peak.
  • Merced River Canyon, CA-140 – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
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First Report: Tuolumne Grove

Pacific dogwood, Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoia, Yosemite National Park (10/23/18) Thomas Haraikawa

Pacific dogwood, Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoia (10/24/18) Thomas Haraikawa

The Western Sierra follows its Eastern Sierra neighbors in peaking, because its most-profuse deciduous foliage grows at lower elevations.

Presently, Pacific dogwood, bigleaf maple, Frémont cottonwood and black oak are presenting a palette of pink, crimson, yellow, gold and orange colors in Yosemite National Park.

Yosemite Valley’s famous sugar maple peaked in mid October, though dogwood, maple, cottonwood and oak continue to carry bright color.

Favorite areas to shoot fall color in Yosemite’s fall color are: the Yosemite Chapel (mid Oct.), Fern Spring (mid to late Oct.), Bridalveil Fall, El Capitan Meadow, Lower Yosemite Falls, Yosemite Village, Photographer’s Bridge and the Valley’s other eight historic stone bridges (late Oct. to mid Nov.).

Thomas Haraikawa scores a First Report for his visit to the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoia. This grove is often overlooked by Yosemite photographers who are attracted to the valley, but as Thomas’ photographs show, it has iridescent and irresistible fall color.

Located near the intersection of the Big Oak Flat and Tioga Road (CA-120), the Tuolumne Grove is now a riot of hot pink, red, orange, yellow and lime colors.

Bigleaf maple and black oak, Southside Drive, Yosemite Valley (10/24/18) Thomas Haraikawa

Late October to mid November is when the Valley’s black oaks are best. Yosemite Valley likely has the most impressive stands of black oak in California, due to their juxtaposition to such impressive granite monoliths as Half Dome, Sentinel Rock, El Capitan) and Yosemite’s many towering waterfalls which get replenished by autumn rains.

We call black oak the Halloween tree, both because it peaks near Halloween and because its black trunks and branches contrast so boldly with the tree’s fully peaked orange leaves.

Yosemite’s fall color is truly a treat to the eye. 

  • Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoia, Yosemite National Park (6,200′)- Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
  • Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park (4,000′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
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Yosemite – No Reason To Wait. Just Do It.

Yosemite Valley (10/22/17) David Olden

Yosemite Valley (10/22/17) David Olden

After visiting Yosemite Valley this past weekend, David Olden wrote, “I can’t see any reason to wait.” He added, “Go now. Just do it.”

He found “most of the valley floor to be 75% to past peak, with small areas still in the 50-75% range. Low elevation dogwoods mostly yellow with some green and red just starting. (higher elevation dogwoods are peaking or gone).”

Olden reported that black oak on the valley floor are “in full glory as well as the bigleaf maple. Most meadows are showing golden grasses and even the ferns are showing their more subtle Fall yellow.”

Yosemite Valley (4,000′) – Peak to Past Peak – You Almost Missed It. GO NOW! JUST DO IT!

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Hazelgreen Dip Glows in Yosemite NP

Hazelgreen Dip, CA-120, Yosemite NP (10/14/17) Simon Lau

Two miles south of the Big Oak Flat entrance station (northwest entrance, Yosemite National Park), CA-120 (called the Big Oak Flat Road inside the national park) dips near Hazelgreen. There,  dogwood, ferns, willows and bigleaf maple are putting on an irridescent show of pink, rose, yellow, gold and lime. Simon Lau scores a First Report for this area, which has long been a favorite of Yosemite color watchers.

Down in Yosemite Valley, bigleaf maple and dogwood are peaking, as well. By the end of the month, however, they’ll have dropped their leaves and the black oaks will have turned deep orange in contrast to their black branches and trunks.

By this time in Autumn, until the late 1800s, native Ahwahneechee, the band of Miwok Indians who called Yosemite Valley their home, would have burned off the Valley’s grasses, to make it easier to collect black oak acorns, a principal food and trading item.

Tioga Lake, Yosemite National Park (10/15/17) Gene Miller

On his return from the Eastern Sierra, color spotter Gene Miller passed over Tioga Pass, capturing this shot of Tioga Lake with a touch of gold surviving at 9,638′, scoring another First Report, then traveled into Yosemite Valley to get a shot of the pioneer sugar maple planted near the Yosemite Chapel nearing the end of its peak.

Hazelgreen Dip, near Big Oak Flat Entrance Station, CA-120, Yosemite National Park (4,400′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!

Tioga Pass, Yosemite National Park (9,943′) – Past Peak – You Missed It.

Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park (4,000′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Dogwood, cottonwood and bigleaf maple are peaking. Black oak will peak at the end of October.

Sugar Maple, Yosemite Valley (10/15/17) Gene Miller

 

 

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Yosemite Sugar Maple Peaks

Sugar Maple, Yosemite Valley (10/13/15) Elliot McGucken

Sugar Maple, Yosemite Valley (10/13/15) Elliot McGucken

GO NOW! If you want to see Yosemite Valley’s historic sugar maple peaking, as it doesn’t last long.  The exotic tree will probably be past peak by the weekend.

Peak GO NOW! – Yosemite Valley – One tree peaks first in Yosemite Valley each year, an eastern sugar maple planted near the Yosemite Chapel over a hundred years ago. Because these trees lose their color quickly, when we receive a report that it’s peaking, pack up and leave for the valley.  You might get lucky and see it as Elliot McGucken did. Or, just admire Elliot’s photo, while biting your lip and promising to get there next year.

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