Trinity Dogwood and Locusts a Blessing
Shasta Cascade color spotter Jeri Rangel reports that Pacific dogwood are blessing the forest with a mix of rose, ruby and lime leaves in the Trinity Alps along CA-3.
Mixed in the forest are the bright yellow leaves of Locust trees and speckles of gold and yellow willow along the trail to Caribou Lakes in the Trinity Wilderness.
Trinity Alps – Patchy (10-50%)
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Rainbow of Colors at Lake Almanor
Jan Davies reports there’s “a rainbow of colors” in the neighborhoods of Chester at Lake Almanor with bigleaf and rocky mountain maples – as well as some exotics in gardens – showing, “everything from lime green to lemon, gold, umber, and cranberry.”
Lake Almanor is located along the Feather River in northern California, where the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade ranges meet.
Three ecosystems overlap there, the two mountain ranges and the high deserts of northern California and Nevada. This results in a mix of plant and animal life that makes it one of the most fascinating corners of California, and provides for a vibrant mix of fall colors.
Lake Almanor – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
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All Eyes on the Eastern Sierra
With all eyes on the Eastern Sierra, due to predicted wind and snow, Josh Wray of Mammoth Lakes went out today to see what’s happening and returned with this report.
Mammoth Creek Road – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now! – This spot sure turned on, quick. The dazzling display of aspen closely grouped together and hugging Mammoth Creek can easily be seen from US-395. From the right vantage point, one can even capture Mammoth Mountain Ski Area in the background. Take a sack lunch and post up by the creek covered in a canopy of yellow. Could this be the gold the original founders of the Mammoth Mine were looking for?
Lundy Canyon – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – This hotspot never disappoints. You’ll get a fantastic show of fall color along the entire road up to Lundy Canyon. Nearly every grove before Lundy Lake is at peak while some trees at the lake level are now past peak. Take a little extra time to drive back to the beaver ponds for an excellent view of the canyon reflected in the water.
June Lake Loop -Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now! – From June Lake to Grant Lake you can’t lose. It seems that just around every corner on the loop there’s another grove starting to peak. It’s hard not to stop at every turn off making the loop more of a full day drive than just a quick alternate route. The Loop typically starts to peak around this time every year and colors tend to last for about 2 weeks (weather dependent). With the possibility of snow this weekend, you might want to make the drive up and experience the fall colors with a fresh dusting of snow on the ground. Nothing compares to the beauty that happens when fall colors and snow battle for all of the attention.
Mammoth Fun at Parker Lake
Josh Wray and his friends know how to have fun… head to Parker Lake near Mammoth Lakes for some standup paddleboarding surrounded by brilliant fall color.
He rated Parker as Patchy, though by the time you get there, it will be peaking, and along the trail to the lake, aspen have peaked and are falling quickly.
However, Josh rates the aspen on the backside of Parker Lake as “incredible.”
Josh forecasts that, conditions permitting, the far side of Parker Lake will be completely yellow by the weekend.
He advises that carrying a paddleboard on the 1.8-mile hike to Parker Lake isn’t the easiest adventure, but WOW! what a result and what fun.
Who wouldn’t have wanted to be with Josh and his posse as they glided across this glassine water, surrounded by fall color.
Parker Lake – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
San Bernardino Mountains Approaching Peak
Wonderful color is appearing among the black oak, maple and aspen of the San Bernardino Mountains.
Alena Nicholas traveled the Rim of the World highway, scouting each of the Bernardinos’ popular lakes, finding lots of bright color and predicting that peak color should continue for two weeks (CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE).
San Bernardino Mountains – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
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Why It’s Called Fall
Peak yellow aspen leaves were fluttering in the wind when Laura Zirino visited McGee Creek, yesterday.
This area of the Eastern Sierra will likely drop it’s leaves by the weekend, should strong winds blow through on Thursday.
It’s why the season is called Fall.
McGee Creek – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Gallimauphry: Weekend Update
This is one of the longest reports California Fall Color has ever published. It is so, because of many detailed reports received.
Unbeknownst to us, our inbox crashed along with the server, causing reports sent to us last week to arrive today. So, please bear with this long post, as it’s full of great photos and important guidance for the week ahead.
NORTHERN SIERRA
The upper areas of the Hope Valley are past peak, though as seen in Andrew Zheng’s photo (above) of the cabin near the junction of CA-88 and CA-89, a mix of developing lime to fully peaked trees can be seen side-by-side with stripped trees.
Hope Valley – Peak to Past Peak YOU ALMOST MISSED IT!
EASTERN SIERRA
First Report: Longtime contributor, Clayton Peoples sent news of “an oft-overlooked gem,” Glacier Lodge which is west of Big Pine in the southern Eastern Sierra, off US 395. He visited the previous weekend and found some nice patchy color in the lower elevations and near peak higher up, with more color appearing this week. He promises to return.
Tip of the Day: a number of canyons lead up into the Eastern Sierra from US 395. These are often lightly visited and full of color. No, they don’t have the big stands of aspen found in Bishop Creek or at June Lake, but they’re beautiful, nonetheless. And, for So. Calif. color spotters they’re a lot closer to reach.
Glacier Lodge, Big Pine – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Bishop Creek is past peak at its upper reaches, though peak color can still be found (conditions permitting) at mid and lower elevations.
Then, there are exceptions like the Sabrina Approach, photographed by Abhi Bhaskaran, Robert Provin and Julie Kirby.
Following is a video from Bishop showing what the canyon looked like this past weekend.
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Bishop Creek Canyon – Upper Elevations – Past Peak YOU MISSED IT!
Bishop Creek Canyon – Mid Elevations – Near Peak and Peak GO NOW!
Bishop Creek Canyon – Low Elevations – Patchy (10-50%)
Gigi deJong toured Round Valley, northwest of Bishop in the Eastern Sierra on Friday and found the cottonwood just turning yellow.
Though, there are “some lovely stand in picturesque spots,” with rabbitbrush in full irridescent yellow bloom, complementing the trees perfectly.
Counterpoints include bull rushes along the creeks, an occasional apple tree and “old structures that have lovely patina.”
Farm animals and the Sierra Nevada provide ornamentation that complements the scene and makes it classically a California Fall Color diorama.
She recommends exploring Pine Creek Rd., Round Valley Rd., Horton Creek Campground and Millpond County Park (Inyo County).
Round Valley, Inyo County (northwest of Bishop) – Patchy (10-50%), though well worth a trip.
Color spotter Anthony DeChiaro hiked to the Hilton Lakes on Oct. 6 to find the area denuded of leaves. He admitted he didn’t spend a lot of time searching for color around the lake, but that’s about what we would have expected, considering that the lakes are from 9,800′ to 11,000′ in elevation, and everything abover 9,000′ was reported as past peak the day Anthony headed up to the Hilton Lakes.
Hilton Lakes – Past Peak YOU MISSED IT!
Leor Pantilat traveled to Mono County yesterday to capture these images on an iPhone.
He reports that the “Robinson Creek Trail to Barney Lake is at peak and dazzling with mountainsides full of yellow, orange and red contrasting with the rugged peaks surrounding the scene.
“After the short stretch in the pine forest near Twin Lakes, the trail emerges into meadows and the aspen at peak color is virtually unabated for 4 miles all the way to Barney Lake and beyond.
“I was at the same spot at the same time last year and the aspen show is substantially better this year with much less brown rot.
“Leaves were flying off the trees with every breeze so this is definitely a GO NOW! situation.”
He continues, “Strong winds are forecast as early as Thursday will likely end the show.”
Robinson Creek Trail to Barney Lake, Mono County – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
June Lake should peak this weekend, with color lasting another week. So, even if the winds strip some trees, enough color should remain along the June Lake Loop to keep it beautiful.
June Lake Loop – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Sonora Pass and Leavitt Meadow are now wearing orange as if they were rooting for the San Francisco Giants in the playoffs. When Dave Olden crossed the pass on Oct. 7, it was just beginning its peak.
Then, Leor Pantilat happened by on Sunday and found it had donned Giant colors. That’s how fast it peaks. Again, this color might not last out the week.
Sonora Pass – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
CENTRAL COAST
First Report: Traveling north from Ojai along SR33, color spotter Kevin Rose found a stand of Fremont cottonwood, brushed by refreshing mountain breezes off Rose Valley Road.
The trees were showing patchy color at coordinates 34.5595382 – 119.1654414 along Sespe Creek.
Nearby, several backpackers were gearing up to hike Lion Canyon. Kevin did some of the same hike and declares it hike-worthy! Turn right off CA-33 on Rose Valley Rd. and follow the parking lot to its bitter end.
This is a nice walk for Central Coast color spotters and earns title as HIKE OF THE WEEK. “Totally worth it!” wrote Rose who followed Rose Valley Road.
Rose Valley Road, Los Padres National Forest, Ojai – Patchy (10-50%)
NORTH COAST
North Coast color spotter Max Forster happened upon the historically significant Luna tree while looking for color in Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
This is the tree that Julia “Butterfly” Hill sat in for two years in protest of logging within the area.
Humboldt Redwoods State Park – Patchy (10-50%). Bigleaf maple and poison oak along the Avenue of the Giants have another week until peak yellow and crimson, though examples can be seen when rays of sun light the redwood forest. Look for the poison oak creeping up the trunks of the skyscraper redwoods along Mattole Road.
Redwood National & State Parks – (75%-100%) GO NOW!. Most of the bigleaf maple are putting on their best show of the season. Trees along Mill Creek (Jedediah Smith State Park) and Little Lost Man Creek (Redwood National Park) have turned particularly impressive over the last few days.
June Lake on Track for Terrific Color
After hearing today that leaves had dropped from some aspen trees at June Lake, we asked Jeff Simpson to go there and photograph what it looks like, right now. His photos do not disappoint.
The aspen groves are lush and full of leaves, though, on closer inspection, some are spotted with black leaf spot fungus. Still, June Lake is on track for terrific color.
Next weekend (Oct. 15/16) should be prime for peak color at June Lake. Make your travel plans, now!
June Lake Loop/Hwy 168 – Patchy (10-50%) – The patchy rating is deceiving. This area should easily move to near peak within a week.
As such, in the coming week June Lake is sure to earn the title PEAK OF THE WEEK.
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Mineral King Gets Royal
The Southern Sierra have been hit hard by drought. 60 million conifers have died from bark beetles. As, in a drought, the trees are less able to defend themselves by pushing sap to block infestation by the beetles.
We received a report today that, as a result of the drought, many aspen are so dry at 7,000′ that “they simply shed their leaves.”
And yet, fall color survives. At Sequoia National Park, this past weekend, color spotter Leor Pantilat found a stand of aspen at the base of the mountain that was at peak with brilliant orange mixed in.
He reports that while the aspen are probably past peak by now, cottonwood will peak this week or next, meaning that fall color at Sequoia National Park continues.
California Fall Color is a proponent of looking down, not just up. Leor confirmed that dictum, by noting that the High Sierra was carpeted with red and yellow ground cover.
So, look down as well as up when hiking Mineral King.
Mineral King, Sequoia National Park – Peak (75-100%) to Past Peak GO NOW!
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Plumas County Comes Out to Play
So much attention is given to the Eastern Sierra at the start of each autumn, that Plumas County must feel like the last kid picked to play. But, when Plumas County eventually steps up, it plays big.
At the northern end of the Sierra Nevada, and part of Califoria’s vast Shasta Cascade tourism region, Plumas County is a major leaguer in its own right.
The Eastern Sierra has quaking aspen and, well, cottonwood and willows. But Plumas? It’s got aspen, bigleaf maple, cottonwood, black oak, dogwood, willow, alder and gloriously showy Indian rhubarb.
The Eastern Sierra presents grand landscapes, while Plumas has rural charm… white steepled churches embraced by deep orange oaks, barns sitting in a sea of color and those rhubarb draped over the edges and reflected in still streams.
Mike Nellor, a local photographer and color spotter reports that the show is just emerging in Plumas County, with its capital city, Quincy now coloring up at nearby Oakland Camp and the rhubarb, as reported last week, are turning firey orange-red.
Plumas is in the game and out to play.
Plumas County – Patchy (10-50%)
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