Diverted by Shoofly Bridge
It’s derelict, but boy is it pretty, especially with fall color reflecting below Shoofly Bridge in Indian Creek.
Plumas County color spotter Michael Beatly shares his images of Shoofly (an old miner’s term meaning “diversion” – also, the Shoofly Complex is a metamorphic rock structure found in the Northern Sierra) which sits at a bend in the creek, which – Michael opines – is probably the reason the old bridge (erected in 1889) is still standing today.
- Shoofly Bridge, Indian Creek – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Doin’ The Shasta Loop
Shasta Cascade color spotter Gabriel Leete did the Shasta Loop last Saturday, driving CA-299 from Redding to Burney, then north on the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway (CA-89) to Mt. Shasta and return.
He found peak fall color and lots of treasures along the way, including various mushrooms (he’s an expert – don’t do this unless you know what you’re picking) and memories of Burney Falls, Mt. Shasta and the Stand By Me Bridge, famous for its role in the 1986 film, Stand By Me.
In the motion picture, Wil Wheaton and Jerry O’Connor, as boys, outrun a train that is quickly overtaking them on the bridge. The 80-foot-tall bridge crosses Lake Britton near Burney. It is no longer used for rail traffic and it’s barricaded, so it’s not possible to walk across the bridge, though taking photos of it is possible.
- CA-299E, Shasta County (2,000′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
- MacArthur-Burney Memorial SP, Burney (2,783′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
- Lake Siskiyou, Mt. Shasta (3,586′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
North Coast Color
The North Coast is peaking, from Del Norte County south to Mendocino County with bigleaf maple, vine maple and poison oak painting the redwood forests in yellow, gold and crimson.
North Coast color spotter Max Forster sends this beautifully detailed report of where to see the best of it:
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (75%-100%) GO NOW! – Bigleaf maple are at peak and most of the vine maple are quickly approaching peak, as well. Many fine bigleaf maple can be seen from the roadside of Drury Parkway, particularly around the Big Tree area. Though, you can find pockets of color along the entire 9 mile drive. While the drive is great, visitors who are able to walk a few miles of the Prairie Creek Trail will be treated to the best show.
Redwood National Park – Patchy to Peak (10-100%) GO NOW! – There’s considerable variance in the park between the Lost Man Creek vs. Redwood Creek. Bigleaf maple along Lost Man Creek, specifically near Little Lost Man Creek, are at peak, with some are already past. While most the bigleaf along the Redwood Creek Trail are just starting to turn.
Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Park Near Peak to Peak (50%-100%) GO NOW! – Much of the bigleaf maple along Mill Creek are approaching or are at peak. Poison oak is at peak. Great examples of the creeping vine climbing up redwood trees can be found along the northern section of Howland Hill Road. Other ground cover species are a bit further behind and will likely begin peaking next week. JSRSP has a prolific amount of ground cover vegetation and there are large sections of the the forest can be found carpeted in gold when you time your visit right in the autumn. Potential visitors should note that Howland Hill Road will be closed until Friday evening.
South Fork Smith River – Peak (75%-100%) GO NOW! – Pockets of golden bigleaf can be found along the entire 14 mile drive on South Fork Road from the town of Hiouchi to Big Flat Campground at the confluence of the South Fork Smith River and Hurdygurdy Creek. Visitors can also find Dogwood approaching peak sprinkled throughout the forest the further east you travel along the South Fork Road and along French Hill Road.
Nights of the Jack
California holds the world’s most amazing artistic events.
A sampling of the state’s best, include: the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Ferndale Kinetic Sculpture Race, Comic-Con San Diego, Laguna Beach Pageant of the Masters, Ramona Pageant, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, South Lake Tahoe Snowglobe, Palm Springs Film Festival, Coachella Music Festival, Yosemite Bracebridge Dinner, and – in Autumn – Calabasas’ Nights of the Jack.
Nights of the Jack is an artistic display of jack o’ lanterns, all carved from real pumpkins, then lit on nights leading up to Halloween at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas.
Kathy Jonokuchi sent these images of this year’s displays, though this is one event you have to go see to believe.
Sad Sunset
They look beautiful, but they’re filled with sadness.
Autumn sunsets are gorgeous, but when wildfire smoke colors them, there’s a tragic tinge to their beauty.
Geyserville’s Kincade Fire so colored twilight, last evening.
Going PP in the San Bernardinos
No, “Going PP” is s not what you’re thinking. Shame on you. “Going PP” means, going Past Peak, and this is one of those hurry up and GO NOW alerts, and that’s not potty mouth advice.
As, Peak color is currently limited to Lake Arrowhead, Lake Gregory and a few other locations in the San Bernardino Mountains, and these areas are quickly going PP.
Now Past Peak is Big Bear Lake, though some bright color can still be found here and there.
You’ll find Southern California’s best fall color at Wrightwood (San Gabriel Mountains), Idyllwild and Lake Hemet (San Jacinto Mountains) and the Sespe Wilderness and Piedra Blanca Trail (Sierra Pelona Mountains).
Mt. Palomar and Mt. Laguna are Past Peak. Julian is peaking, though threatened by power outages (check before going – worth visiting!).
- San Bernardino Mountains – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT.
- San Gabriel Mountains – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
- Sierra Pelona Mountains – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
- Mt. Laguna, Laguna Mountains – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT.
- Mt. Palomar, Peninsular Range – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT.
- Julian – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Check for power updates.
Photogenic Yosemite
It may be impossible to take a bad picture of Yosemite National Park. It’s just that beautiful.
Steve Arita visited Yosemite Valley last Friday (apologies, this site’s crash delayed posting these) and found the park peaking. Mid October to mid November is when Yosemite is best, so if you go now, even though many of the dogwood and bigleaf maple are past peak, it won’t disappoint.
This is the time for black oak to peak and when their deep orange leaves and contrasting black branches and trunks are lit the Valley scene is breathtaking.
- Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Last Call: Mono County
This is it. The last peak aspen can still be seen in a few locations throughout beautiful Mono County.
Mono County color spotter Jeff Simpson sent these dazzling photos of color around the edges of Twin Lakes near Bridgeport (there’s another “Twin Lakes” in the Mammoth Lakes Basin that is now Past Peak).
Mono County has shown spectacular color this autumn, but not in the places most fall foliage fans have come to expect the best color in the Eastern Sierra, namely the June Lake Loop, its necklace of gorgeous lakes and the inviting town of June Lakes.
Instead, the Sweetwater Mountains popped up as a great place for fall color, as did Mill Canyon and the Molybdenite Trail. Say, “Whaaat!?”
Yup. This autumn, you based in Mammoth Lakes or June Lakes, but then ventured to new places where it was peaking. Sure, there was lots of beautiful color still to be found in go-to places like Lundy Canyon, Rock Creek Canyon and Sagehen Summit, but this was the autumn to get to know all of Mono County. We hope you took that opportunity, as many of our readers did.
So, where can peak color still be found? Head to the Antelope Valley (the towns of Walker, Coleville and Topaz) to see some of California’s tallest cottonwood crested yellow, or to Lee Vining Canyon for towering aspen still carrying bright leaves, to the community of Crowley where people live among the aspen and cottonwood or to Tom’s Place to watch yellow leaves fluttering outside the window as you eat a slice of one of their famous pies.
A little peak to past peak color can also be found at Twin Lakes (see above), in places along the June Lake Loop, at the Convict Lake Campground (a good place to camp amidst the last fall color).
Most of all, enjoy the last weekend of peak fall color in Mono County as thereafter, YOU MISSED IT.
- Mono County – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT.
Back in the Saddle, Once More
I so love this photograph. I just don’t love why I keep posting it.
For the second time in a week, CaliforniaFallColor.com collapsed. The first time – I’m told by the techs – was because of a server failure. Then, they found malware, despite efforts to protect the site from such hooligans.
36 hours later, the site collapsed again. This last time lasted 35 hours (this repetition is getting tiresome), as a previous server had hijacked the site, causing it to have to go through re-propagating onto the correct server.
I can just hear the techies out there groaning at my explanations. I’m a journalist, not an IT, so I suppose what I’m explaining here is just more “fake news,” but that’s how I understand it. Ah, well.
The good news is that CaliforniaFallColor.com is back in the saddle, once more.
Bishop Creek Was Waxing Gibbous
I wish we could say that Bishop Creek is “waxing” (getting bigger), but only the gibbous (oddly shaped) moon over it was last weekend.
This photograph is of the waxing gibbous moon, shot by Roger Zhang before North Lake turned Past Peak.
Roger writes that he enjoys “gibbous and full moon photography … how bright moonlight gently and naturally lights up and enriches the colors of the landscape.”
A useful aid to shooting moonlit photography is the app “Sky Guide.”