Out for a Ride? Try San Gabriel Canyon
A popular, paved bike/hiking trail that runs 38.6 miles from Azusa to Long Beach is the San Gabriel River Trail.
In places, the trail is speckled (at various times) with fall color, including sycamore, alder, oak and – right now – brilliant red poison oak. While poison oak isn’t something you want to touch, it is beautiful to the eye.
Color spotter Steve Shinn scores a First Report on this route. On Saturday, he rode a 7-mile section of the trail, starting from one of the trail’s parking lots, 14 miles from Azusa, off I-210.
The path Steve took traveled up a gentle grade with “lots of ripe, native Hollyleaf Cherries, some deer, many kinds of birds (Steve saw a Kingfisher working the river), lots of Sister butterflies and others.”
To park, you must have an Adventure Pass on your windshield. Take plenty of water along, as there is no drinking water, just fish, in the river.
San Gabriel River Trail (610′ to 0′) – Patchy (10-50%) – Poison oak are peaking.
Near Peak Aspen Surround Sorenson’s
A number of information-rich reports arrived this weekend… so many that with other commitments it was difficult getting them up quickly.
Color spotter Steve Greer traveled back from the Eastside, over Monitor Pass, passing Sorenson’s Resort in Woodford’s Canyon, before continuing through the Hope Valley.
Greer concurs with Phillip Reedy’s assessment, that peak is likely a week away in the Hope Valley, although aspen in Woodford’s Canyon near Sorenson’s Resort are now Near Peak.
He also notes that the aspen seem to be so healthy in this area (not what they were last year at this time) of the Northern Sierra (CA-88) that the show should be bright and vibrant.
Greer took the drone shot (above) from the summit of Monitor Pass, providing a glimpse of the overall “patchy” condition of the weathered aspen at that elevation.
Monitor Pass (8,314′) – Patchy (10-50%)
Woodford’s Canyon (7,000′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Hope Valley (7,300′) – Patchy (10-50%)
Enjoy Magazine IDs Northstate Spots
Papoose Pass, Davis Gulch and Sacramento Ditch are three new fall color locations identified by Shasta Cascade native plant experts in the latest issue of Enjoy magazine.
Laura Christman’s article leads off with the above photo of Brewer’s Oak (rarely published here), reinforces what we espouse about California Fall Color, then lists places to see great fall color up north. CLICK HERE to read it.
On The Go with John Hamilton
This morning, the 50,000 watts of KGO-AM810 (San Francisco) sent word of California Fall Color far and wide over travel broadcaster John Hamilton’s program “On The Go.” To hear the program, CLICK HERE.
Way Up North – Two Firsts
Lassen Volcanic NP guide Shanda Ochs took a busman’s holiday, outside the national park, to explore McCloud River Falls trail in Siskiyou County and Panther Meadows at Mt. Shasta, while scoring two first reports, for these areas.
Panther Meadow (8,000′) – Peak (75-100%) – Shasta knotweed have carpeted the meadow with peak crimson leaves, though the remainder of the meadow was just beginning to change color, and Shanda saw some late blooming wildflowers in the meadow.
McCloud River Falls Trail (3,000′) – Just Starting (0-10%) – Indian Rhubarb is just beginning to promise giant flame orange fan leaves along the McCloud River. A quarter of the Pacific Dogwood growing beside the river are giving off intense ruby and lime.
Hope Valley Begins to Happen
Fly fisherman Phillip Reedy finds the most beautiful locations. Yesterday, he visited the Hope Valley and walked the old California Trail in search of bows, brookies and beauty.
He came back with these shots and likely a string of lunkers, finding the valley’s photogenic cabin (2 miles east of Red Lake on CA88 at 7,400′) surrounded by a few of the aspen that are changing in the valley. The rest along the highway and on the mountainside above the cabins are still green.
At 7,200′ in elevation the old California Trail, Reedy wrote, “cuts across 88 right there which was used back in the 1840s. That was the only place along the entire trip from Silver Lake to Tahoe with bright yellow color.”
Phillip said last year at this time, the route was peaking and anticipates it will be Near Peak to Peak by next weekend, in time for the Alpine Aspen Festival. It is likely to stay at peak for the next two weeks.
Hope Valley (7,400′) – Patchy (10-50%)
Tahoe Turns
Santa Cruz County color spotter Nicole Coburn traveled to North Lake Tahoe with her husband, Chris, and boys, Andrew and Bennett, reporting that fall color is turning at the lake with aspen and maples developing quickly, yet still a week away from peak color.
She reported the autumn weather at North Lake Tahoe to be “glorious.”
Nearby in Truckee, Herb Hwang found aspen transitioning from lime to yellow along the Truckee River and near the Tahoe Donner ski area.
The old cabin on CA-237, between Northstar and Brockway Summit – a favorite for wedding portraits – is a similar mix of colors.
North Lake Tahoe (6,250′) – Patchy (10-50%)
Truckee (5,817′) – Patchy (10-50%)
KCRA-TV3 – Top Ten NorCal Fall Foliage
Our friends at KCRA-TV3 have posted Northern California’s top ten fall foliage spots. CLICK HERE to read their report.
Whoomp! There It Is!
Tag Team oughta be singing, “Whoomp, there it is!” whenever we post a shot of the West Hollywood liquidambar, submitted by LA Leaf Peeper.
The tree is a scraggly one. Since LA Leaf Peeper last sent a picture of it, the venerable specimen appears to have lost a few limbs and looks the worse for wear… sorta like some silver screen starlet whose red carpet days are long past.
And yet, the West Hollywood liquidambar has been consistently one of the earliest reported examples of early color in California. That’s because liquidambar are runway ready and often dressed in splashes of auburn, gold and orange.
So, though it’s not “drop-your-jaw, Charlize-Theron gorgeous.” The West Hollywood tree still deserves a few flashbulbs popping. Thanks LA Leaf Peeper.
Shasta Cascade on Pace for Early Peak
Unlike the Eastern Sierra, which is a week to two late, we’re getting early reports of fall color from the Northern Sierra and Cascades.
Admittedly, the color is at the starting to patchy phase, but still, the photos don’t lie. Even valley locations in the northern Central Valley, like Colusa, are showing early color.
We’re not close to issuing a GO NOW! alert, as too few photos have been received to indicate a trend, though will be watching closely. What a weird year!
Westwood (Lassen County) – Patchy (10-50%) – Chris Gallagher, Lassen County District 1 Supervisor, sent a photo of patchy cottonwood near a Westwood barn to score a First Report. Westwood was a lumber mill town, east of Lake Almanor and beside the lovely (bring your kayak) Mountain Meadows Reservoir and Dyer Mountain, the northernmost point in the Sierra Nevada.
Fall River – Patchy (10-50%) – Martha Fletcher reports that the Fall River area, particularly Upper Fall River near the Spinner Fall Lodge remains Patchy with the color at 50% and showing shades of yellow, gold, some reds and green from willow, black oak and river grasses.
Colusa – Patchy (10-50%) – Mountain ash have brightened in Colusa (Central Valley), Nancy Hull reports. Several National Wildlife Refuges are located near Colusa, which is a great location for wildlife viewing in autumn.