What Matters Most
So what if:
- It’s your daughter’s wedding.
- You have 50-yard-line tickets to the big game.
- Your big retirement dinner happens Saturday and everyone will be there.
- After flirting for months, you finally got asked out by the hot barista at the coffee shop.
- The Nobel Prize committee just called and would like to meet you on Sunday.
- It’s your tenth wedding anniversary and you have tickets to Paris.
- Your doctor called and you’re finally scheduled for open-heart surgery.
Don’t get tunnel vision (unless it’s what you see, above).
All that matters is that fall color surrounding Mammoth Lakes in Mono County is peaking and that’s EPIC!
Cancel all plans and GO NOW! Here’s why:
Meadow Valley Morn
Mornings are golden in Meadow Valley, Plumas County color spotter Michael Beatley reports.
Michael shot pictures along Big Creek Rd, just west of Meadow Valley in Plumas County. It is the lower road to Bucks Lake. Turn Left at the split in the road where the sign reads, “Bucks Lake via Big Creek Rd for RVs.” The road is populated with bigleaf maple, Pacific dogwood, black oak, and some quaking aspen.
As Beatley’s photographs show, this nine-mile road to Bucks Lake is gorgeous and “worth the drive.” Intense purple, orange, red, yellow, vermillion, gold, lime, pink and green tones, illuminated by shadowed light create magical results on a Meadow Valley morn.
Best time of the day to drive Big Creek Rd. is between 9 a.m. and noon. A 4WD vehicle is required. Accommodations may be obtained in Quincy (click the UpStateCA graphic below for guidance).
Plumas County is at Peak now and through the coming week. A trip to the Northern Sierra now is a must for anyone who’s never seen it at Peak.
- Meadow Valley – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Mount Up and Ride
“Mount up and ride,” encourages Bishop Area color spotter Gigi de Jong who describes the Lower Rock Creek Trail (at the top of Round Valley, north of Bishop – First Report) as the gold standard for mountain biking in the Eastern Sierra.
“This trail earns ‘gold’ for its superior ride, and fall is its ‘golden season’ due to mild days and the trail’s splendid color,” she explains.
Aspen near the top of the trail are just beginning to yellow. Parts of the trail appear luminous. Gigi writes, “The last rays of the setting sun drop like liquid gold through the canopy, leaving traces of iridescent color on the ripples of Rock Creek. Willow and birch stand out in hues of deep gold and burnt orange.”
Bishop Creek Canyon is now done peaking. Though the lowest sections of the canyon remain at peak, none of them compare to the spectacular scenes witnessed for the past three weeks, higher up. Now, the show in Inyo County is dropping to the lower canyons and valleys.
In the Owens Valley, a surprising place to be wowed by autumn is the Bishop Country Club (First Report) where, Gigi continues, “where the luscious green of the fairways meets the lustrous yellow of the trees. Soon the beautiful grounds of the country club will blend with the last colors of summer in a riotous collision with autumn. Then,” she exudes, “if we’re lucky, a blanket of white will soften everything into the monochromatic colors of winter. Get ready for the most beautiful round of golf, ah … apologies, gold – anywhere!”
Other Owen’s Valley developing areas include Buckley Ponds, Rawson Ponds and canals where landmark cottonwoods grow along their edges, adorned with yellow crowns.
“They are majestic and tower over the valley’s lowland landscape,” Gigi adds, “Also, abandoned grain silos rise like ghosts from a forgotten era, standing sentinel over fields of pure sunshine. California grasses mixed with still-blossoming yellow rabbitbrush and cottonwoods cloaked in gold are filled with the sounds of migrating songbirds and bees.”
Owens Valley/Round Valley/Pine Creek
- Lower Rock Creek Rd – Patchy (10-50%)
- Round Valley – Patchy (10-50%)
- Pine Creek Canyon – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
- Bishop Country Club – Just Starting (0-10%)
- Owens Valley – Just Starting (0-10%)
- Big Pine Creek – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
- Mt. Whitney Portal – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Bishop Creek Canyon
S. Fork Bishop Creek
- South Lake – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
- Weir Pond – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
- Parcher’s Resort – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
- Willow Camp – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
- Surveyor’s Meadow – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
- Table Mountain Group Camp – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
- Stiny Loop/Mt Glen Camp – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
- Mist Falls – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
- Four Jeffrey Camp – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
M. Fork Bishop Creek
- Sabrina Lake – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
- Sabrina Approach – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
- Sabrina Campground – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
- Groves Above Cardinal Village – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
- Aspendell – Peak to Past Peak – GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT!
- Intake II – – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
- Big Trees Camp – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
N. Fork Bishop Creek
- North Lake – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
- North Lake Rd. – – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
Peak of the Week: Mono County
California Fall Color has refrained from declaring a peak of the week this autumn, though if there is a week to do it, this is it.
Along US 395 in Mono County (Eastern Sierra), fall color will be peaking for the next week and a half at: Crowley Lake, McGee Creek, Convict Lake, the June Lake Loop, Lundy Canyon, Conway Summit, Summers Meadow, Twin Lakes Bridgeport and Monitor Pass.
Green areas remain in some of these areas, but the vast majority of locations are showing brilliant yellow and orange.
Near Peak areas include Lee Vining Canyon, the West Walker River and the big cottonwood trees in the towns of Walker, Coleville and Topaz. Beautiful color can be seen now and in a week, it’ll be spectacular.
Now, the bad news. YOU MISSED IT in Mono County at: Sagehen Summit, Lobdell lake Road and the upper sections of Tioga Pass, Sonora Pass and Virginia Lakes and Rock Creek Rd. There’s a little at lower elevations and in scattered groves, but generally it has fallen.
Here’s the blow by blow:
Walker/Coleville/Topaz
- Monitor Pass (8,314′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Peaking colors along the top sections of the pass will only hang around for another few days. This section will be past peak next week.
- Lobdell Lake Road (8,600′) – Past Peak – YOU MISSED IT!
- Walker Canyon (5,200′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Patchy in sections with full peaking trees in others. Still another 7 days for the full display.
- Towns of Walker & Coleville – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – A few cottonwoods are peaking but very patchy still in most sections. This will be the last place to peak in Mono County.
- Sonora Pass (9,623′) – Past Peak – YOU MISSED IT! – Color lingers in shivering bunches at Leavitt Meadow.
Bridgeport/Virginia Lakes
- Twin Lakes (7,000′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! -Still a little patchy in sections but worth the drive. Take the dirt road around lower twin lakes great angles of the Sawtooth Mountains.
- Virginia Lakes (9,819’)- Past Peak – YOU MISSED IT!
- Conway Summit (8,143′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Sections with brilliant color and others with some green still hanging around. This will be spectacular for the next 10 days.
- Summers Meadow (7,200′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – We love Summers Meadow. It has one of the great long stretches of brilliant color in the state at peak. Presently, the color has worked down, though has a wonderful mix of red, orange, yellow and lime
Lee Vining
- Tioga Pass (9,943′) – Past Peak – YOU MISSED IT!
- Lee Vining Canyon (6,781′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Still green in some sections, while others have 80% yellow leaves with some trees past peak. Take Log Cabin Mine road for colors that will be good for the next two weeks.
- Lundy Lake & Canyon (7,858′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Lundy Canyon Trail should be perfect right now but might be past peak as we get closer to the weekend. Lundy Lake and Lundy Campground will be fantastic this weekend.
Benton & 120 East
- Sagehen Summit (8,139’) -Past Peak – YOU MISSED IT!
June Lake Loop
- June Lake Loop/Hwy 158 (7,654′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – This is the week to visit the June Lake Loop. It won’t get better than it is now. There are so many great spots along Grant, Silver, Gull and June Lakes. Make this destination a priority for the weekend.
Mammoth Lakes
- Mammoth Lakes Basin (8,996′) – Past Peak – YOU MISSED IT!
Crowley Lake/McGee Creek/Convict Lake
- McGee Creek Canyon (8,600’) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Still fantastic color up the canyon with great color now located along the campground and US 395 level.
- Around Crowley community (6,781′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Great color around the town and the surrounding hills. Take the old US 395 road to Toms Place for the best views.
- Convict Lake (7850′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Great color along Convict Lake Campground and the shores around the lake. Still green in some sections but make sure to take the quick and flat hike around the lake for the best viewing opportunities!
Rock Creek Canyon
- Rock Creek Road (8,500’+) – Past Peak – YOU MISSED IT! – It’s Past Peak up the canyon, though near Tom’s Place and in lower sections of the canyon spots of nice color are still found.
A Place With Alps
What place has alps, cowboys, an untamed river and empty roads that wind through the yellow-splashed wild?
Jeri Rangel found the answer as she drove California highway 3, with not a car or truck ahead or behind. She knew that those that are, pull over to let you pass. That is, if you’re in a hurry, and no one seems to be.
Along the highway, she passed corrals with horses grazing idly. Along the Trinity River, lemony bigleaf maple and rosy dogwood lit up the woods.
You’re on the highway to Alps they call Trinity, in a county of the same name, traveling the vast Shasta Cascade region of UpStateCA.
- Trinity County (3,000′) – Patchy (10-50%)
Lost Hope – So, Blue
Color spotter Crys Black visited the Hope Valley on Sunday, but arrived at the tail end of its peak.
Disappointed with the color, she “decided to go off the beaten path to see if we’d get lucky. We drove down to the Sunset Lakes where we found a little peak color and around Upper Blue Lake which had some nice scrub color.” Crys scores two First Reports for Sunset and Upper Blue Lakes.
Continuing onto Forestdale Rd., there were very few opportunities for color until she’d looped back to Red Vista Rd. beside Red Lake. If you make this drive, you must have a 4WD with high clearance. Anything less might get you stuck high and dry.
- Hope Valley – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
- Red Lake – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
- Sunset Lake – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT!
- Upper Blue Lake- Peak (75-100%) GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT!
Lovely, Rain or Shine
Kathleen DiGregorio says Big Bear Lake is lovely, rain or shine.
A rainy Saturday drive took DiGregorio to Blue Jay (First Report), Big Bear Lake and Snow Summit, where she found color mixed, estimating two to three weeks more color, depending on weather.
We’re not as optimistic, rating Big Bear native color as now Near Peak to Peak. It should be noted that several of the species Kathleen photographed were exotics, which have a different fall color clock.
To get away from it all, Kathleen found solitude by using the AllTrails app, reporting that an aspen grove near the rangers’ station at North Shore is lovely.
- Big Bear Lake (6,752′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Over The Top
On a whim, this past weekend, color spotter Gene Miller crossed the Sierra Nevada to the East Side and found “over the top” color.
On Sunday, he was impressed by color along the June Lake Loop and at Silver Lake, but realized areas like Sherwin Creek Campground at Mammoth Lakes were Past Peak and loosing leaves.
- Tioga Pass (9,943′) – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
- Log Cabin Rd. (7,545′)- Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
- June Lake Loop(7,654′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
- Sherwin Creek Campground, Mammoth Lakes (7,600′) – Peak to Past Peak, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT!
Ducky at Silver Lake
A mating pair of Mallard Ducks enjoyed a rest from their southbound migration Saturday at Silver Lake on the June Lake Loop where fall color is Near Peak. Now, isn’t that just ducky?
- Silver Lake (7,200′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Ordered To Appear
You are hereby ordered to appear at the Plumas County Courthouse in Quincy to attest that trees surrounding the court are Near Peak.
Now that you have been duly served, what can you expect to see?
Towering maple, plane trees and elm, anytime from now through this weekend and the following week, depending on conditions. The trees will be glorious, carrying heavy loads of orange, red and lime.
Local color spotters Michael Beatley and Jeff Luke Titcomb report that Quincy’s most photographed maple, The Theiler Tree at the former residence of Judge Alan Theiler, is red-hot and not-to-be-missed. It’s on West High Street and Lee Way, behind the courthouse.
Other great spots to photograph in and surrounding Quincy, include Community United Methodist Church at 282 Jackson St. This white steepled church is backed by black oak, when at peak (it’s still early) are deep orange (seen below in the UpStateCA graphic).
Along LaPorte Rd. look for Thompson Ranch and its landmark sugar maple, which is now peaking. In fact all the sugar maples in town are a rich orange-cream color.
The Indian rhubarb at Spanish Creek in Oakland camp are now peaking at 3,500′, so get there quick to see their bright red-orange umbrella-shaped leaves reflected in the creek’s still waters.
More reflections of aspen are seen at Thompson Lake west of Quincy near Buck’s Lake.
Jeff Luke Titcomb said most of Plumas County’s fall color backroads can be driven in a normal passenger vehicle. To prove it, he sent a photo of his classic Cadillac DeVille that he drove on a spotting trip to Round Valley.
He described, “The road away from Almanor is gravel and well maintained. Some days, though, you’ll be sharing it with logging trucks. The color down in the ravines is full of dogwoods and the springs are running pretty strong with lots of yellow maples, the oaks are coming on too, now. You will need to stop and explore the canyon’s full of color, which is getting very strong now.”
Be sure to appear by your appointed court date and time (not to late in the day), or you could miss Peak color in and around Quincy.
- Quincy (3,432′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!