Here Comes The Sun! – Mono County Shines
Color spotter Alicia Vennos reports the Eastern Sierra was blessed with a full day and a half of rain and snow at higher elevations this past Sunday. That made fall colors stand out even more beautifully in the bright sunlight that has come out, since.
The most significant color to be seen in Mono County is at 9,000′, where we issue a GO NOW! alert for Rock Creek. Alicia writes that it’s gorgeous and peaking from East Fork up to Rock Creek Lake.
This is the perfect weekend to make the drive, considering that this is the last weekend Pie in the Sky Cafe will be open. Get there early, as they almost always sell out before noon.
Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Rock Creek – Rock Creek Road from East Fork to Rock Creek Lake. Color is now flooding this section of Rock Creek. Look out for motorists who are in awe, and always check rear-view mirror before pulling over or slowing down suddenly. From East Fork down to Tom’s Place, the aspens are still green in many sections, and Lower Rock Creek Road and the trail — popular with mountain bikers, hikers and anglers — is also yet to pop.
Patchy (10-50%) – McGee Creek – Aspen around McGee Creek Campground and McGee Creek Pack Station are just starting to turn color. Hike up the trail for a mile or two and the aspen are bright yellow, orange and red.
Patchy (10-50%) – Convict Canyon – The colors from the lower section of the canyon up through the campground have increased slightly in intensity. The foliage along the lake has definitely begun to develop more color but there are still areas that haven’t turned. The change seems to be taking a little more time this year and it is difficult to predict the pace. The foliage throughout the canyon seems to be changing at different rates. One section may be bright yellow and adjacent to it are pockets of green. Even with the unpredictability, the peak should be just around the corner. The colors there now are still amazing and a walk along the NEW PATH on the south shore is recommended.
Patchy (10-50%) – Mammoth Lakes – The lakes basin continues to brighten.
Patchy (10-50%) – June Lake Loop/Hwy. 158 – The Loop is taking its sweet time this year — or maybe it just seems that way, because our readers can hardly wait. Most of the aspens are just beginning to hint at the awesome color that is yet to come. Around the Fire Station down canyon, the trees are beginning to move towards yellow-orange. Even Parker Lake , off the north end of the Loop, seems slow to move to peak. We thought that last weekend it would be pretty close to prime but on Saturday, it still had more hues of lime-green and gold than orange. It is a gorgeous 4-mile hike round trip with stunning views of Mono Lake and the color will have picked up a bit the last few days so still a good bet. Try and get to the lake itself before 9:00 am if possible as you will almost be guaranteed a spectacular reflection of the mountains on the surface of the water — unless it’s a windy morning, of course. For those who are fit and enjoy a longer, steeper hike, try Bloody Canyon out of Walker Lake. The trees at the lake level have yet to really start turning but a couple of miles up the trail, you’ll find some exceptional color. The June Lake Autumn Beer Festival is this Saturday, Oct. 10 at Gull Lake Park.
Past Peak YOU MISSED IT! – Sage Hen Meadow Road.
Patchy (10-50%) – Lee Vining Canyon – Tioga Pass Road has awesome views of Lee Vining Canyon and the aspens look like they are still a couple of weeks from peaking. Log Cabin Road area is starting to shine.
Patchy (10-50%) – Lundy Canyon – The thick aspen stands that line the road are still just beginning their autumn wardrobe change! Along the Lundy Canyon trailhead, the color is heating up a bit around the waterfall viewpoint, although still another week or more from peak.
BRIDGEPORT / VIRGINIA LAKES
Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Twin Lakes – The higher elevations have been peaking over the last week in the areas around Barney Lake and Horsetail Falls. Expect to see greens, lime greens and some yellows around Upper and Lower Twin Lakes and Robinson Creek. The next two weekends should be spectacular here. Color spotter Jen Heger adds, “Aspen have many shades of yellow, light orange with patches of green. Trees still have all their leaves… Just breathtaking and not many people around!”
Past Peak YOU MISSED IT! – Virginia Lakes
Patchy (10-50%) – Conway Summit – Conway summit is also brightening substantially, making for really pretty photos right from the pull-outs on US 395. Always use caution when pulling over, of course. Bridgeport’s Ducks Unlimited Dinner is October 17 which should be perfect timing for peak color if you are hungry for a delicious dinner and a ton of great raffle prizes!
Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Green Creek – Colors are at peak and are past peak in other places. The recent storm last Sunday blew off many leaves before reaching full color. We recommend starting at Summers Meadow and working your way up to Green Creek.
Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Summers Meadow – Go Now! Summers Meadow off Green Creek Road will be perfect over the next week. Some leaves at the upper elevation may be past peak but there is still plenty of photo opportunities along Lower Summers Meadow Road.
WALKER / COLEVILLE / TOPAZ
Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Monitor Pass – Go Now Colors have peaked at the top of Monitor Pass but as you progress down the mountain expect to see more color.
Patchy (10-50%) Walker Canyon – The colors along the West Walker River are starting to glow in certain sections.
Patchy (10-50%) Towns of Walker & Coleville – Still mostly green and traditionally is one of the last destinations to turn throughout the Eastern Sierra. Plan your trip for the last weekend in October.
SONORA PASS
Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Sonora Pass/Leavitt Meadows – Leavitt Meadows is starting to turn gold, as are some of the aspens as you drive up Sonora Pass. The Leavitt Meadows Pack Station is open until mid-October for anyone wanting to take a ride by horseback to see the color!
Dogwood Days in the Shasta Cascade
These are dogwood days in the Shasta Cascade as this photo of Dogwood drupes, taken by Jeri Rangel, attests.
The dogwood are now laden with their brightly colored drupes, which are the flower of the dogwood tree.
In springtime, the white blossoms, commonly thought to be the tree’s flower, are actually the flower’s leaves, called bracts. They surround the actual yellow/green colored flower.
In autumn, the drupe turns black, orange and vibrant red as seen in Jeri’s photo. In this picture, the dogwood tree’s leaves have not yet turned color, though they will transition from green to shades of pink, orange and rose.
As is being reported from other corners of California, a fourth year of drought is having its effect on Plumas County’s trees. Bigleaf maple, cottonwood, willow and black oak should be moving from patchy to near peak right now, though little of that is happening. In fact, the maples and cottonwood have shed most of their leaves, with very few left on the trees to turn. Those that are, have disappointing color.
There is hope for the willows and black oak, however, as they appear healthy and are rated as Patchy.
Though the report indicates parts of this prime color area are Past Peak, it’s still too early to declare that. Considering that color spotters in Quincy are reporting that 25% of the trees are turning, as usual, we’ll wait a week or two more.
Peak GO NOW! (75-100%) – Antelope Lake, Plumas County – Aspen and elms surrounding Antelope Lake are at full peak. Color spotter Jeff Titcomb found a buck resting in the grass near Greenville. He said it little noticed him, while enjoying a break out in the open, during the middle of hunting season. Brave buck.
Of Things Yet To Come
Alena Nicholas titles these views near sunset at Lake Arrowhead, “Of Things Yet To Come.”
As, there is just a bit of color change to be seen in the San Bernardino Mountains. However, following the storm seen moving across the mountains, colder nights are expected and Alena anticipates change, “sooner than later.”
To those who were anxious for an update on Southern California color, the storms prevented any worthy report, due to the low level of color to be seen down south.
Alena reports that she plans to tour Big Bear and Green Valley Lakes this weekend. And notes, “I was surprised to see one very dedicated water skier out on the lake, this evening, who had the water almost all to himself!”
Just Starting (0-10%) – Lake Arrowhead
Out&About in Westways
CaliforniaFallColor.com was contacted by the Auto Club of Southern California for advice on where to find fall color within an easy drive of Southern California. The advice appeared in “Falling for Color,” an article in Westways’ October number.
Travel writer Paul Lasley got it right when he concluded the article by writing, “Fall color can happen fast in California and be spectacular — you just have to be ready.”
Paradisiacal Plumas
Color spotters Jeff Titcomb and Mike Nellor send these paradisiacal pictures taken in Plumas County.
Jeff walked beside the Feather River to capture the above picture, stating that the colors are “getting there.” Mike Nellor found the following idyllic scene of Indian Rhubarb draping the edges of Spanish Creek near Oakland Camp on the outskirts of Quincy in the Shasta Cascade.
Patchy (10-50%) – Plumas County
Still Hope, Though Mostly Past Peak
Last year, to the day, I drove the western Sierra foothills to Placerville, up Newtown Rd and Mormon Emigrant Rd. to CA-88, crossing Carson Pass and descending into the Hope Valley where it was peaking beautifully. I then returned over Luther Pass to South Lake Tahoe, then back over Echo Summit on US50. Today, I repeated the drive.
Last year, the Hope Valley was peaking. This year, it’s beyond hope.
Carson Pass and the Hope Valley are now mostly Past Peak, though amid groves and groves of bare aspen, others are still fully green and Just Starting, while others are Patchy, and still others are Near Peak.
Last year, I stopped at the Caples Lake Resort to photograph a hillside of colorful aspen reflected in the lake. This year, only the crowns of those trees carry any color.
It’s interesting that the willows that normally turn first, are now peaking while the aspen have lost their color.
Beyond Carson Pass, among landmark-sized Jeffrey pine, the ground between granite boulders is full of deep-orange ground cover.
The effect of black leaf spot fungus is evident along Forestdale Creek Road, an off-road trail near Red Lake, where many aspen still carry spotted leaves.
One of the few nice aspects of the color this year is that many of the aspen are topped with golden crowns, though they’ve lost the color below and all that remains are their buff and white colored lower branches and trunks.
The forest’s remaining color is nice to look at, though photographers will be disappointed.
At 7,400′ in elevation on the east side of Carson Pass, there are several healthy stands of green aspen that should be Near Peak in two weeks. Patchy sections in the forest will turn sooner. Healthy, lush groves are found near streams, but not far from denuded stands of bare aspen, their stemy branches raised to heaven as if imploring the skies to let them embrace the first snowfall.
Next weekend’s best hope to see full peak in the Hope Valley will be at Sorensen’s Resort. There, the most promising grove along Hwys 88 and 89 is a brilliant, yellow-orange stretch of Near Peak aspen (seen above) directly across the highway from the Sorensen’s Resort.
I stopped to chat briefly with resort owner John Brissenden who said several of his cabins are still available this coming weekend for those who would like to see the best fall color the Hope Valley will provide this year. He also admitted that, though disappointing, 2015 isn’t the earliest peak that Carson Pass has experienced. Some years ago, it went Past Peak in mid September.
As for the rest of the route:
- The black oak and bigleaf maple along Newtown Road (Placerville) are Just Starting.
- Vineyards in El Dorado County’s Pleasant Valley are now showing yellow highlights, though they’ve a way to go.
- There is little to no color along Mormon Emigrant Road, though a few dogwood are showing soft pastel-orange and rose leaves.
- South Lake Tahoe is Patchy with yellow and lime just emerging among its mostly green aspen.
- Grasses, willows, ferns and brush provide the most color along the entire route with maroon, yellow, buff, gold, crimson and orange decorating meadows and forest floors.
Past Peak YOU MISSED IT! – Carson Pass. Nearly all the aspen at the highest reaches of the pass have lost their leaves. The most profound example of the change (seen at left) is the comparison of a stand of aspen shot last year off CA-88 at the trailhead to Kirkwood Lake and the same stand shot today.
Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Hope Valley – The best stand is found directly across Hwys 88 and 89 from Sorensen’s Resort. Room at the inn is available next weekend, if you want to see it at its best. Unfortunately, all the aspen at and surrounding the resort have dropped their color.
Patchy (10-50%) – Lake Tahoe
Just Starting (0-10%) – US 50 – All elevations
Just Starting (0-10%) – Newtown Rd, Placerville (Gold Country)
Just Starting (0-10%) – Pleasant Valley Vineyards (Gold Country)
Shasta Cascade Sugars Up
Color spotters Jeff Titcomb and Ashley Hollgarth send these snaps from the Shasta Cascade (California’s northeast corner, a lightly populated part of the state that is as big as the state of Ohio).
Jeff notes that yellow quaking aspen and rosy western dogwood are nearing peak in Plumas County, though golden bigleaf maple and orange black oak have not yet developed.
Look to the streams in Plumas County and along the upper reaches of the Feather River to see the big fan-shaped leaves of Indian Rhubarb turning flame orange and gold.
Ashley continues to report on the progress of exotic sugar maples in the town of Mt. Shasta.
As seen in this photo of a sugar maple that she’s photographed near the U.S. Forest Service office in Mt. Shasta, the tree has changed from greenish-brown to ruby in the past week.
Several eastern sugar maples were planted along city streets throughout the town of Mt. Shasta, and, with snow-flecked Mt. Shasta seen in the distance, they provide a picture-postcard image of autumn in the Cascades.
Patchy (10-50%) – Plumas County
Patchy (10-50%) – Siskiyou County
A Week of Photos In Review
So many photographers send great photos to share with CaliforniaFallColor.com readers, that we often don’t have time to post them. Let’s make that up, today.
Anyone can send photos. The best way to get your photos published is to email them to editor(at)californiafallcolor.com.
Photos should be large enough to post. 1,000k is best, though we can use photos down to about 250k.
The top five photos, each week, are (with the photographer’s permission) sent to media for placement on their websites on television (weather reports) and in newspapers. This is a great way to get published and garner exposure from a major medium. For these, we need high resolution shots (300 dpi).
We’re unable to promise to publish every photo, but when a photo is of a place we don’t see very often or is exceptional, we try our best to post it.
Here are some of the best photos received this past week from color spotters across California. Enjoy. We sure did.
Weekend Forecast: A Wet Mix of Peak and Past Peak
Color spotter Alena Nicholas reports from a lakeside cabin at Boulder Lodge on June Lake, near where these photos were taken. Nicholas notes that June Lake is joyfully transitioning from green to yellow, though the color is still at the low end of being Patchy. When it’s drizzling, as is now happening in the Eastern Sierra, it’s time to look for new things to photograph, like deer enjoying fresh bursts of green.
This weekend, all points above 9,000’ in the Eastern Sierra (Inyo and Mono Counties), including: Bishop Creek, Rock Creek, Hilton Creek, Virginia Lakes, Green Creek, Summers Meadow, Sage Hen, Dunderberg Meadow and Twin Lakes have the most color, though how long it lasts will depend on the weather.
Yesterday, light breezes blew some of the color from areas in the Eastern Sierra that had peaked or were approaching peak (see below reports). However, the wind only got to what had peaked. As Alicia Vennos wrote from Mono County this morning, there is still “far too much green mixed with the yellows and oranges,” for the show to end.
That should hold true even after this weekend’s storm passes by. Trees that have green leaves or slightly turned leaves will retain them and their fall color will emerge in coming days and weeks.
Prime areas to see California Fall Color this weekend are at all points above 9,000’ in the Eastern Sierra (Inyo and Mono Counties), including: Bishop Creek, Rock Creek, Hilton Creek, Virginia Lakes, Green Creek, Summers Meadow, Sage Hen, Dunderberg Meadow and Twin Lakes.
Patchy (10-50%) – June Lake – Still early, though color has begun developing.
Yee Haw! Mono County Nears Peak
Editor’s note: This report is based on observations made this week. However, in the past day, light rain and wind has stripped some leaves from aspen (See Kahlee Brighton’s comment under “Baffling Brilliance”). As always, these reports can be affected by changing conditions.
One of the most enjoyable ways to see California’s Fall Color is to ride to it by horseback, as seen above. Jennifer Roeser, owner of the McGee Creek Pack Station, is one of several wranglers who operate fall color rides from Eastern Sierra stables.
Above 9,000′, Mono County is approaching peak, reports color spotter Alicia Vennos. Below 9,000′, a beautiful mix of yellow and gold blended with lime-green and pops of bright orange are emerging.
Mono County’s hot spots this weekend (conditions permitting) will be: Rock Creek Road, McGee Creek Canyon (about 1.5 miles up the trail), Parker Lake (north of the June Lake Loop/Hwy. 158), Bloody Canyon out of Walker Lake (hike up about 2 miles), Virginia Lakes Road, Dunderberg Meadow Road, Twin Lakes near Bridgeport and Sage Hen Meadow Road, off Hwy. 120 East. Here’s Alicia’s report by area:
Near Peak (50-75% –GO NOW!) – Upper Rock Creek Road/Rock Creek Lake – This 11-mile drive diverts from 395 at Tom’s Place. Along the route, there are lots of hiking options. Colors are in full swing a few miles up the road, around the lake, and up Hilton Creek trail. If you’re going for the pie at Pie in the Sky Café, get there early, as they sell out often by noon.
Patchy (10-50%) – Upper Rock Creek Road – Around East Fork, you’ll see a blend of green, lime-green, gold and orange. A favorite hike starts at the East Fork campground and meanders along the aspen-lined creek all the way to Rock Creek Lake.
Patchy (10-50%) – McGee Creek – There are still so many green aspen around the McGee Creek Campground, Pack Station, and trailhead at the end of the road, that we continue to rate this area as patchy. Though, hike up the trail and you will soon see aspen that range from gold to orangey-red.
Patchy (5-35%) – Convict Lake Canyon – Color spotter Charles Porter says Convict Lake is starting to show pockets of yellow from top to bottom. The color change has increased modestly over the last week. Foliage along the lower creek, around the resort and in the campground is now about 30%. These areas are still showing a generous amount of green but the hues of orange and yellow are starting to establish themselves. The back of the lake and up the canyon is showing an increase of yellow but will need a few weeks to reach peak.
This week, a road crew was laying down asphalt. By the time the aspen peak here, there will be new road access to the lake. Until then, for day-use parking use the marina lot or the parking lot at the entrance of the campground.
The Convict Lake Resort is offering Fall Lodging Specials starting at $379+tax (Sunday thru Thursday – 2 Nights for 2 Persons). They include a $100 restaurant credit & full-day motor boat rental. Ambush at the Lake, the resort’s fall fishing derby, continues through Nov. 15 with $6,000 in resort prizes and a $2,000 cash bonus weekend on Oct. 30 – Nov. 1.
Patchy (10-50%) – June Lake Loop/Hwy. 158 – Color is escalating on the mountainside at the north end of the June Lake Loop, while down canyon and on the south end of the Loop, the change is still in its beginning stages.
Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Parker Lake – As reported earlier this week, the hike to Parker Lake is beautiful right now. To get there, take the Parker Lake Road at the north end of Hwy. 158. It’s a good dirt road with some washboard and rough spots.
Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Walker Lake – Another excellent but steep hike is Bloody Canyon out of Walker Lake. The aspen at lake level are still mostly green, but if you trek two miles up the trail at the west end of the lake, the aspen are abundant and peaking. June Lake Brewing hosts the June Lake Autumn Beer Festival on Oct. 10 at Gull Lake Park.
Peak (75-100% –GO NOW!) – Sage Hen Meadow Road – Off CA-120 East at Sage Hen Summit, turn south on Sage Hen Meadow Road for a few miles where you will find thick aspen groves of brilliant yellow and orange alongside the road. It is a short but sweet stretch. If you continue driving, take the first left-hand turn which will bring you to an overlook of the Sage Hen aspen groves. They seemed to have peaked early this year so there is only some red-orange color left, but the views of Mono Lake are pretty.
Patchy (10-50%) – Lee Vining Canyon – Aspen at the lower end of the Tioga Pass Road look like they are still a couple of weeks from peaking. Log Cabin Road, which is a good dirt road with some relatively steep switchbacks to an historic cabin is aspen-lined and is starting to show some rich golden color.
Patchy (10-50%) – Lundy Canyon – A beautiful paved drive to Lundy Lake takes you past aspen along the road that are just beginning to change. Beyond the lake, the road turns to dirt and takes you to some photogenic beaver ponds and one of the prettiest hiking trails in the area. Lundy Canyon still has a way to go before it nears peak, though it’s definitely starting.
Peak (75-100% –GO NOW!) – Virginia Lakes/Dunderberg/Green Creek Road/Bridgeport/Twin Lakes – Summer’s Meadow off Green Creek Road will be gorgeous this weekend. Same with Virginia Lakes Road and Dunderberg Meadow Road which are peaking now. Conway Summit is also brightening substantially, making for really pretty photos right from the pullouts on US 395.
The Bridgeport Valley’s Hunewill Ranch has been a working cattle ranch for over 100 years and offers horseback rides to see the fall colors and the opportunity to participate in an authentic cattle drive. Check out their programs at HunewillRanch.com.
Patchy (10-50%) – Walker/Coleville/Sonora Pass/Leavitt Meadows) – At the higher elevations above the West Walker River, the aspen stands are glowing golden and light orange, as is the top of Sonora Pass/Hwy. 108 and on the crest of Monitor Pass/Hwy. 89. Some aspens have lost leaves due to black leaf spot fungus. Leavitt Meadows is just starting to show off. Another area to ride to see the fall colors is the Leavitt Meadows Pack Station, which remains open until mid-October. Coming up on Oct. 3 is the Antelope Valley’s annual Deer Hunter Barbecue in Walker featuring a homemade dinner with the community’s “secret barbecue sauce.” Call (530) 208-6078 for more info.