Gone With The Wind
It began blowing at about noon yesterday in the Sierra foothills and blew through the afternoon and night, stripping trees of leaves that had turned. Snow fell to 5,000′ in elevation. Steve Hemphill of Sierra-at-Tahoe said a foot fell last night. Webcams from Heavenly and Kirkwood show a heavy dusting, though those images showed brush poking through, here and there. It will take a bit longer before we’ll be skiing, even though Heavenly began making snow today.
On Saturday, we traveled to Pleasant Valley in the Gold Country where the oaks were beautifully orange along Snow’s Road, south of Camino and Apple Hill. High winds likely stripped a bit of that color, yesterday, though leaves that hadn’t yet turned will remain on their branches and color up in the next week or two.
Also traveling US 50 (The Lincoln Highway) this past Saturday was Vijay Sridhar, who was on his way to Emerald Bay. Vijay was taken by the beautiful color to be seen beside US50, which was at peak. He noted the beautiful combinations of green, yellow and orange as the highway traveled beside the American River.
Color spotter Richard McCutcheon sent this image of what the color looked like at Chrystal Lake in Plumas County. The beautiful show that was at peak along Hwy 89 in the Northern Sierra has now been blown away by rain, snow and wind.
Mono County’s color spotter, Alicia Vennos, said the change began with, “…big winds yesterday afternoon and all through the night, and it’s snowing quite heavily right now (11 a.m.)” She said, “driving the June Lake Loop yesterday late afternoon was like being in one of those booths where paper money is flying all around and you have to grab as many bills as you can – the leaves were swirling like crazy through the air! So our precious fall season has come to an end.”
There wasn’t much left on the trees in Mono County, as the show had already descended to 6,000′, so the storm stripped what would have dropped anyway, over the coming week.
We’re now in a typical pattern of early storms then breaks. It’s predicted to be cold for the next week, but then warm slightly. That means color will continue to develop at lower altitudes and autumn has not ended. The Shasta Cascade and Gold Country regions will likely be at or near full peak in the next two weeks, with color appearing between 3,000 and 4,000 feet.
Photographer Phoebe Chuason sent a link to images she’d captured in the Eastern Sierra on Oct. 23, well before the storm flew through. She took our advice to GO NOW! and got lovely photos of the peak, including a late season shot at Cardinal Mine in the Bishop Creek Canyon that is pure magic. CLICK HERE to see her photos.
Color spotter Linnea Wahamaki sends this photo of fall color at the AT&T Business Park in San Ramon. It’s representative of the many beautiful urban forests that are at or near peak throughout California. Great color can be seen in Sacramento, Burlingame, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Cupertino, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Walnut Creek and San Ramon.
Past Peak – Mono County – You missed it. Alicia thanks all who came to enjoy the fall colors of Mono County this autumn and says she’s already missing the show, but looking forward to 2014.
30 – 50% – Gold Country (3,500′) – Pleasant Valley is at too low an elevation to have been snowed upon, but the many oaks that are turning from green to orange have likely lost a good percentage of leaves from yesterday’s winds. Still, color will continue to show on leaves that hadn’t turned.
GO NOW! 50 – 75% – US 50 (4,000 to 5,000′) – Black oaks are peaking along The Lincoln Highway between Pollock Pines and Kyburz.
Cattails at Mono Lake
Color spotter Aki Yamakawa sends us a Flickr file of photos taken last weekend in the Eastern Sierra. Aki-san says he often rides his sport bike to the Eastern Sierra in autumn to photograph the fall color. This weekend is likely the last big one to see the color change at that elevation. CLICK HERE to see Aki-san’s photos.
Shasta, Siskiyou and Plumas Peaking
GO NOW! – 75-100% – Siskiyou County – The area surrounding Mt. Shasta between 3,500’ and 4,000’ is at full peak. Now is the time to get a shot of Mt. Shasta with fall color in the foreground, though it will be declining now, through the weekend and into next week. Good places to head are lower Castle Lake Road, lower South Fork Road (Forest Road 26), and Pondosa on Hwy 89 east of Mt. Shasta. Aspen near Pondosa are at peak, though now dropping color.
GO NOW! 50-75% – Shasta County – The area in and around Redding is approaching peak, so we’re issuing our first Go Now Alert for Shasta County. Bigleaf maple, oaks and riparian brush are nearing peak with lots of yellow, orange, gold, red, and chartreuse in the woods. Areas along the Sacramento River Trail, at Sundial Bridge, Turtle Bay Exploration Park, and Anderson River Park are brightening up with some areas below 50% and others near peak. Great fall color is also seen at the Coleman Fish Hatchery and the Battle Creek Wildlife Area, where fall colors and salmon returning to the area can be seen simultaneously. Drive west on CA-299 for color splashes between Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and Weaverville.
GO NOW! 75-100% – Plumas County – Oaks along Highway 89 have been at peak for the past week. Aspen and dogwood are also peaking, providing for abundant shows of yellow, orange, and red in the forest. See Jeff Titcomb’s remarkable videos of fall color (posted earlier this week).
30 – 50% – Butte County – Little has changed this week in Butte County. Trees are still showing a variety of colors ranging from greens to reds, with the best places to see fall color remaining as: Bidwell Park, the Hwy 32 corridor, CSU Chico, the Hwy 99 corridor, Manzanita Ave., and Esplanade Ave. On Oct. 26, Chico holds its 25th Open Art Studios Art Tour. More about it is found at www.chicoartcenter.com
30 – 50% – Tehama County – More color is appearing at lower elevations of Tehama County, though the change is similar to Butte County. There is a considerable amount of yellows, and more oranges and reds appearing among bright greens. Areas to see the best displays are found at The Sacramento River Discovery Center, Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area, and Lassen Volcanic National Park. While the fall color is fiddling around, so will be western fiddlers at the Western Open Fiddle Championship in Red Bluff, Oct. 24 – 26. More about it is found at www.westernopenfiddle.com
Vintage Year for Wine Country
Reports from wine growing regions in northern and central California describe beautiful color in the vineyards with different varieties showing maroon, crimson, orange, yellow and lime grape leaves. All but a few late harvest grapes remain on the vines.
GO NOW! – 50 – 75% – Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Monterey, Santa Clara and Contra Costa County Vineyards – Peak will evolve through vineyards as specific varieties of grapes turn color. The show will likely continue for another two to three weeks.
Mono Moves to the lower Canyons, Walker River
There’s still gorgeous color to be seen in Mono County, though it’s now peaking in the lower canyons, Walker River and at Topaz Lake. This is likely the last weekend for peak color along the rim of the June Lake Loop, which has been spectacular.
Past Peak – Upper areas of Mono County are now past peak with remnant color still viewable, such as at Sotcher Lake near Reds Meadow (west of Mammoth Lakes).
GO NOW! – 75-100% – Lower Rock Creek – Spots of color are found up the lower section of Rock Creek, though upper Rock Creek has completely blown its color.
GO NOW! – 75-100% – June Lake Loop – This is likely the last weekend to see aspen along the June Lake Loop at peak.
GO NOW! 75-100% – Lee Vining Canyon – Robust stands of aspen can be found in Lee Vining Canyon. A wide ribbon of color is seen in Lee Vining Canyon from pull-outs along Tioga Pass Rd and close-up from the Poole Power Plant Road turn-off.
GO NOW! – 75-100% – West Walker River – Walker, Coleville and Topaz are golden at river/lake level. The Walker River Canyon is brilliant, as is Topaz Lake. Upper elevations are past peak.
Yosemite Open and Colorful
Yosemite National Park is open and colorful again. Black oak in Yosemite Valley are approaching peak. A color spotter posted a photo of a particularly beautiful landmark tree in Ahwahnee Meadow that is putting on a show of orange and black, with Half Dome rising above in the distance.
GO NOW! 50-75% – Yosemite Valley – Approaching peak among the black oak, which should continue to show color for a week or two, conditions permitting.
A Late Yet Great Start in LA County
We were comparing notes with Frank McDonough of the LA County Arboretum and Botanical Garden this past week who suggests that a cooler than usual summer may be contributing to a late start for fall color in LA County’s urban forests, as plants were confused by cooling, then warming weather. Frank says science is still imprecise as to the triggering mechanisms for fall color, with light, temperature and water influencing change. He opined that the same environmental conditions that contributed to a late show at the arboretum’s elevation, may have also contributed to an earlier one in the High Sierra’s climate zone. For us color watchers, however, it adds variety and interest.
30 – 50% – LA County Arboretum and Garden – Expect spots of brilliant color to continue to show through November and into early December. Seen in these photos, the LA County Arboretum is exhibiting color change among varied exotic species, such as: Shagbark Hickory (carya ovata) putting on a rosey show, Eastern Redbud (cercis canadensis) full or orange in the arboretum’s Kallam Garden and Grape Vine and Freeman’s maples showing hot red near the Herb Garden.
Salinas Valley Peaking
The old Spanish highway from San Diego to San Francisco (U.S. 101) is called the El Camino Real (the king’s highway) and near King City in the Salinas Valley, oaks and cottonwood along the Salinas River are dressed regally.
GO NOW! 75 – 100% – Salinas Valley – Oaks and black cottonwood along the Salinas River are backlit yellow-green to orange on a morning drive south through the Salinas Valley. Stop in King City and just south of it for the best show.
Videos Postcards From Round Valley
Jeff Titcomb provides these videos of the brilliant color to be seen near Greenville on the way to the Round Valley (Plumas County).
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A Forest of Yellow at Mammoth Lakes
Edina Ingram reports, “the weather in Mammoth Lakes remains gorgeous. With daytime temperatures in the mid 60s: crisp air, bright blue skies and a forest of yellow, now is a perfect time for sightseeing, hiking or mountain biking.” The Mammoth Lakes area is in full peak at lower elevations and past peak at higher elevations.
GO NOW! 75-100% – Mammoth Lakes (7,500′) – Fall color is peaking at Mammoth Creek, and Convict Lake, just south of Mammoth. The trail around Convict Lake, ten minutes south of Mammoth Lakes, remains beautiful. The aspen grove at the backside is fully vibrant. In Mammoth Lakes Basin, hike the trail ascending from the Twin Lakes parking lot to spots of great color.
Past Peak – Above 8,000 feet – Fall color is just past peak. This includes upper regions of the Lakes Basin in Mammoth Lakes and the Devils Postpile National Monument (closes Oct. 31).