Layered Cake
Fall color is a layered cake of emerging color along Coffee Creek in Trinity County.
Indian rhubarb (Darmera) are green with emerging touches of yellow and orange-red, bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) are mottled yellow and lime, while Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) top the cake with pink frosting.
Jeri Rangel sent us a slice of that cake and we’re hungry for more.
Coffee Creek (3,068′) – Just Starting (0-10%)
Mt Rose Deserves Respect
Mt. Rose is the Rodney Dangerfield of peaks at Lake Tahoe. It gets no respect.
As an extinct volcano, Mt. Rose (10,775′) is the most topographically prominent Nevada peak at Lake Tahoe, yet Freel Peak on the California side is taller (10,881′).
More photographed are the smaller Mt. Tallac (9,735′) and Pyramid Peak (9,985′) and more loved is Mt. Pluto (8,615′). Who doesn’t love Pluto?
Poor Mt Rose. Even its ski area, Mount Rose Ski Tahoe, is not actually on Mt. Rose. It’s on Slide Mountain.
So, when Patti Jazanoski sent photos of Near Peak aspen on Mt. Rose, even though it is in Nevada, I just had to give Mt. Rose a little love … and respect.
Mt. Rose (10,775′ – 6,225′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Special Report: San Juan Mtns
Matthew Pacheco spent a week in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and Utah, reporting that a 12-hour drive east of California, it’s looking incredible, right now, especially along Last Dollar Road, County roads 5, 7 and 9 off RT 62 into the Dallas Divide and along Owl Creek Pass, at peak for another week or two.
“Godly” was his description of the color seen in his beatific video.
Gallimauphry: Inyo County
“Gallimauphry” is a fun word. It means a confused jumble or medley of things.
While there’s little confusing about these wonderful photographs and reports, I love using the word when pulling together collections of shots from a given destination. As, when else would you use a word like gallimauphry?
In this case, the focus is on Inyo County, that long stretch of breathtaking scenery along US 395 from Lone Pine north to Topaz.
We begin with photos taken by Joe Pollini at North Lake in Bishop Creek Canyon, west of Bishop, this past Sunday.
Joe works at the Bishop Chamber & Visitor Center helping folks find fall color and arrange accommodations in the greater Bishop area. So, it was nice receiving Joe’s shots from his “busman’s holiday.”
Joe’s photos tell us what’s happening at North Lake. Areas near treeline are now Past Peak, though at lake level and along North Lake Rd, the aspen are bright yellow. However, North Lake only has another week at Peak.
Toru Takahashi reminds us why so many people enjoy Bishop and Bishops Creek Canyon in autumn, for the canyon’s great fishing.
Jennifer Cornell took a different angle at Lake Sabrina than we’ve seen previously … near the dock. She reported that on Saturday it was, “sunny and warm’ish, even up at the Sabrina campground.” Then, “Lo and behold, it began snowing in the early evening!” and continued off and on through the night. “We got up to freezing temps to shoot sunrise on Sunday morning at Lake Sabrina, even catching a dusting along North Lake Rd.
Gallimauphry: Mono County
We received so many photographs and reports from Mono County this past week, that I’ve just now pulled them together.
So, apologies for the delay in posting these.
Conditions have advanced since these were taken. So, look at the date, to make your own assessment of what it might look like, now.
In everyone’s favor, so far this autumn, is that conditions have never been better in California for the development and viewing of fall color with cold nights and warm days, and a few interesting skies, as well.
A dusting of snow fell above 10,000′ last week, but that only improved the color.
Frankly, I’m dazzled by what California’s color spotters have captured. Let’s look at a collection of shots from this past weekend:
East Bay color spotter Darrell Sano scored a First Report for his photograph of Sotcher Lake. Sotcher wha!? Never heard of it previously, though the Patchy to Near Peak color tells me, it’s gotta be flaming hot, right now.
Dunderberg Rd was the hot spot last week with gorgeous deep orange color among the aspen, and always worth visiting is Bodie State Historic Park. Though there is no fall color to be seen there, it is a must-see destination for anyone who wants to experience the “real” wild west.
Darrell was avoiding rain and hail on his drive, noting that many trees are now bare upslope as winds were clearly doing damage. Though advises to stay out during changing weather, as dramatic, structured clouds and moody skies do their best to make the scene a photographer’s fantasy.
Jeff Hemming also found glory and destruction at Dunderberg Meadow, then continued down the east side. I’ll split his photos into a later report about conditions in Inyo County. He suggests, however that the June Lake Loop is looking luscious.
Peter Chun and MingLo separately found Virginia Lakes Rd. mostly past peak on Saturday, with spots of color along the road. Ming sends an angle, rarely seen of Mono Lake in the distance beyond a crest of orange-red peaking aspen.
At Rock Creek Lake, Peter found the color to be about the same as at Virginia Lakes … stripped in many places though with pockets of bright color.
Cadmium Yellow Canyon
“Pine Creek Canyon” would be more accurately described, were it renamed “Cadmium Yellow Canyon,” during autumn.
The combination of crystal-clear air, blue skies, bright sunlight and blooming rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus), golden grasses and emerging yellow-leaved black cottonwood (Populus balsamifera) make it appear as if cadmium sulfide was sprinkled across the canyon.
The cottonwood are well short of nearing peak, though once they do, Pine Creek Canyon has the greatest show of peaking cottonwood in California.
This is a must-see destination at peak, for those who stop visiting Bishop Canyon after it has peaked.
Pine Creek Canyon (7,400′) – Patchy (10-50%)
Puttin’ on the Dog
Dog Valley is puttin’ on the dog.
Color spotter Clayton Peoples was in search of an old crystal mine in the eastern Sierra foothills (near Reno) where people can pick up crystals – as many as they can carry in a five gallon bucket (in a week) – and happened to pack along his camera.
- Dog Valley (6,700′) – Patchy (10-50)
Poppin’ on the LaPorte Rd.
The LaPorte Road in Plumas County, leading from Quincy, forms a boulevard of deciduous trees that in Mid-October compares to any in California for its beauty.
Jeff Luke Titcomb drove it on Sunday, finding native bigleaf maple Near Peak. The sugar maple are close to peaking, as well.
Though sugar maples are an exotic specie, so many specimen have been planted in Quincy’s parks and gardens, that they can be confused as being native.
Dogwood are lagging the maples in this part of the Northern Sierra, though evolving through lime, rose, pink and vermillion.
The coming two weeks will be Near Peak in this region.
To the east on the Trinity River near Strawhouse Resort, California wild grape, bigleaf maple and ornamental trees are near peak.
- LaPorte Rd – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
- Trinity River – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
The Bear Valley State
There’s a reason California has a bear on its flag. The state was full of bears in the mid 1800s and it still is.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife states that between 30,000 and 40,000 American black bears and one California grizzly bear can be seen in California.
The grizzly bear is on the state flag.
Considering there are so many bears living in California, it’s understandable why more than one place is named “Bear Valley.”
There’s a Bear Valley in Alpine County (the ski area), another in Mariposa County (not far from Yosemite), one in Colusa County (near Cache Creek) and the last in Nevada County, on CA-20 near Bowman Rd..
Robert Kerman passed through this last Bear Valley (the Nevada County one) on Sunday, and reported, “Big leaf maple are dominating the color in this area now. Right nearby is the excellent Pioneer Trail hiking area. I saw many hikers coming and going from the parking lot near Bear River.” More about the area can be found HERE.
On his way to Bear Valley, Kermen passed Donner Lake and found it not showing much color. Interesting, as just beyond Truckee along Middle Martis Creek, the color is just about gone. I’ve never seen much fall color at Donner Lake. I figure, the few trees that peak there are about all Donner Lake is gonna get.
Funny. Robert didn’t mention seeing any bears, either.
- Bear Valley, Nevada County (5,000′) – Patchy (10-50%)
- Donner Lake (5,936′) – Patchy to Near Peak (10-75%) GO NOW!