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Carol Leigh
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©Carol Leigh |
FALL
COLOR
IN CALIFORNIA
Note: In lieu of personal thank-yous, I just want to wholeheartedly thank all of you who have been sending me information. I know how much time it takes to write even the shortest report, so I am especially grateful for all the info you've been sending my way and for sharing it with others. This Fall Foliage Hotsheet has been in place since 1996 or 1997, and it never ceases to amaze me how generous you all are with your knowledge and your enthusiasm. This Oregonian (currently pinin' for the eastern Sierra) thanks you kindly. -- Carol Leigh Eastern Sierra - 10/26/09 - Kahlee Brighton writes: Hi Carol -- Here's my latest and likely my final Fall color report for the Eastern Sierra and Yosemite. Once again, I spent this past weekend (October 24-25) on the prowl for Fall color. Saturday, in Yosemite, and Sunday, briefly in the Eastern Sierra and then again in Yosemite. For me, I think I have to call it "the end of the season" as far as Fall color in the Eastern Sierra. Yes, there were a few nice trees here and there, but for the most part, the spectacular color of a week ago is gone. There are far more brown, black and bare trees and what color is left is rapidly disappearing. I checked out Mammoth Lakes including Sherwin Creek, June Lake Loop and Lee Vining creek. I think I shot a total of ten images before deciding to forget going south towards Bishop, and head back over Tioga Pass. For those who will want to look back next year and say, "Gee, when did the Eastern Sierra peak in 2009," I'd say it happened in two parts. The upper part of Bishop Creek (North Lake, South Lake and Lake Sabrina) as well as Rock Lake (at and above the Lake) happened at the end of September (around 25th - 28th). This was followed by a storm that wiped out the color in the high country, while a very green mid-elevation lull persisted until mid-October. Last weekend (from about the 16th to the 20th) was definitely prime time most everywhere (Lundy, Lee Vining, June Lake, lower Rock Creek, Twin Lakes) until the storms and wind wreaked havoc on the leaves. This week, it's definitely done. With respect to Yosemite, the color is in transition. It's at peak, past peak and not yet peaked for various kinds of trees throughout the park. There are a few nice pockets of yellow and orange aspens along 120 - the Tioga Pass Road. One patch is somewhat east of Lukens Lake and another, a few miles west of Olmstead Point where there's a small waterfall that cascades over a number of boulders. There are turnouts near each of these locations. As far as the valley is concerned, the Sugar Maple by the chapel is past peak and has lost probably half of its leaves (no doubt more by today.) The big oak behind the chapel is slightly green, minimally gold and mainly brown with leaves falling rapidly. Meadow grasses, willows and shrubs are gold. Bright yellow and orange aspens climb the walls but are often difficult to capture because of changing canyon light. Some areas with colorful trees just never see the sun. Elsewhere along park roads, Big Leaf Maples are a combo of yellow and brown in most areas with many leaves on the ground, although a very few trees are still greenish yellow. The Cottonwood by the swinging bridge that was glorious a week ago had virtually no leaves on it this week. The road to Mirror Lake has many Big Leaf Maples, but also tons of fallen leaves. Still, lots of great shots to be had if you're a bit creative. (Note: I was able to drive this road to the trailhead because of my disabled parking hangtag, but otherwise, it's over a mile walk/bike ride from the campgrounds and shuttle drop-off beyond Camp Curry.) Similar disabled person access and similar vistas in the Happy Isle area where the trailheads for Vernal and Nevada Falls as well as the Emerald Pool are. In general, the oak trees in and around the park are a puzzlement. Some are still green but many are a mix of yellow, gold and brown. Others are nearly bare. Determining peak for them is about as puzzling as it was trying to figure out the Eastern Sierra during the "green lull." Dogwoods in some areas of Yosemite (especially on the road between Wawona Tunnel and Glacier Point Road are red, others are light yellow, pink and even some red and green on the same tree. Barring storms, I'd say peak for dogwoods could be a week or more away. I have probably made my last long distance Fall color safari for the 2009 season. Slight possibility I'd consider going back to Yosemite, explore the Western Sierra in two weeks to see what happened with the dogwoods. But with thousands of Autumn images to sort through, I'm probably done for the year. Now, it's upward and onward toward wildflower season. Waiting for the El Nino to kick in so I can make my reservations for another Death Valley "bloom of the century." Thanks to all for the wonderful reports! Plumas County - 10/25/09 - Paul Morris writes: Graeagel Area 10/24--10/25. This was a first-time Plumas County sampler trip starting on Hwy 49 at the Auburn Courthouse, pivoting at Graeagle and returning via Hwy 70 through the scenic Feather River Canyon. Very nice country, and sparsely populated and traveled. The County encourages leaf-peeping, putting out a fall color brochure, and maintains an updated color website at: http://www.plumascounty.org/Awesome_Autumn/Awesome%20Autumn%202009/Leaf%20Peeper%20Reports2009.htm Compared with the Eastern Sierra, it takes a little work to find Plumas color but it's there. Best bang for the buck was the road to Frenchman Lake. Sierra Buttes, viewed from Sardine Lake, were also quite spectacular. Came through some nice high mountain valleys/meadows too. Great dinner at the Iron Door in Johnsville (now closed for the season). Sample photos posted at: http://picasaweb.google.com/morzez/Graeagle# Carson Pass, Hope Valley, Lake Tahoe - 10/24/09 - Stephan Dietrich writes: The areas along Hwy 88 from Silver Lake, Carson Pass, into Hope Valley and up Hwy 89 (heading towards Lake Tahoe) are looking great with peak colors and some beyond peak. It appears the 10/13-10/14 storm stripped many of the Quaking Aspen trees along the upper Carson Pass area, but there still are many areas worth seeing. Hope Valley is looking very nice with some spent areas, but many great fall color displays in the northern area in mid-valley and up along Hwy 89. I have posted a few of the images taken from yesterday at: http://photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=935404 I am assuming that the fall colors will likely last another week or two in these areas - pending weather of course. Thanks again and all the best wishes! Various locations - 10/24/09 - Marjorie Scarborough writes: Last weekend in Lake Tahoe, Hope Valley and Hwy 89 to Hwy 4 was beautiful. Silver Lake should be good this weekend as it was mostly green 10/18. Hope Valley was golden to brown in some areas but others were still green. Viewing should be ok this weekend too. Lake Tahoe was at its peak and some of the nicest yellows we have ever seen. Of course the salmon were spawning in Taylor Creek and this black bear was enjoying it as much or more than we did. Past Sorenson's on Hwy 89 was peak color. Hwy 4 was also peak and probably not so good this weekend after the weather turned windy last Sunday. Looking for big leaf maples this weekend in the North Bay Area. Thanks for keeping this site going. I always count on other fallaholics to keep us informed! Lake Arrowhead (Dogwoods) - 10/23/2009 - jimbo writes: This week we decided to go up to Lake Arrowhead to see if there was anything happening up that way. This area has a lot of dogwoods and they were just starting to turn. Most of the dogwoods are found along the road. This makes for a pleasant drive but there's a dearth of parking on the twisty/turny roads up there. So, photo ops were rather limited. About the only place in the area to be able to get out of the car and take a few pictures was at the Heaps Peak Arboretum. There's a small grove of dogwoods just a few hundred yards from the trailhead. The easiest way to get to the dogwoods is to go to the right from the trailhead (east) . The color of the trees in the grove ranged from a bright red to burgundy. The Heaps Peak Arboretum is just a few miles east of Lake Arrowhead Village on Highway 18. An Adventure Pass is required for parking. Route 88/Route 50 - 10/22/09 - Laurence Rand writes: After a meeting in Sacrament yesterday, October 21, I drove up along Route 88 through Hope Valley. The aspens seemed to be at their peak or near peak. As the sun hit the western slopes, the gold seemed exceptionally bright. The valley floor, too, was rich in fall color. Route 89 just up from the junction with 88 was particularly beautiful with much red and orange as well as gold in the aspens. I was surprise as well by Route 50 between Echo Summit and Placerville, the slope of which were covered in red, orange and bright gold, mixed in among the evergreens. This I did not expect and was delighted even though it was early twilight and the light was receding. The trip was really quite spectacular. Eastern Sierra - 10/20/09 - John Wright wrights: Jim K and I made a trip over to the Eastern Sierra October 18/19.
Eastern Sierra - 10/20/09 - Jan Maguire writes: Here's my report on the Highway 395 area from Monday Oct. 19. I took a peek at Convict Lake early in the morning but there were gale-force winds (have you ever seen 1-foot waves on Convict Lake?) and not much color left. Then I started at Tioga Pass and worked southward. The weatherman was WAY off. The forecast had been clear with winds 5-7. Hmph. I got snowed on and buffeted all over by high winds. But the color was great anyway. I went up Tioga Pass as far as Tioga Lake. Nice snow scenes. Then I went up the Lee Vining Creek campground road to Boulder and Aspen. The campgrounds were closed but the color was worth it. Peaked, with lots of leaves on the ground, but still plenty of prime trees. By the time I got to the June Lake Loop, it was raining. Grant Lake was the best – several nice stands with mixed colors. Next was Mammoth, but it was snowing so I just kept going. McGee Creek was still pretty prime at the lower end, but it's hard to get to the trees. I did end up shooting a lot of the creek with lots and lots of yellow aspen leaves already on the ground. They were so thick, you could make a mistake and step in the creek thinking you were stepping on leaves… My last jaunt was up Rock Creek. Color was good there too at the beginning. I intended to go to the lake, but it started snowing heavily so I turned back. My vote would be especially to go back to the June Lake Loop NOW. Eastern Sierra - 10/19/09 - Jerry and Bessie Reece write:
Southern California - 10/18/09 - Paul Hanson writes: Carol, Just wanted to let you know there is fall color in the southern California mountains now. We were at the aspen grove off of highway 38 (The eastern way into Big Bear Lake) and the colors have peaked (Sunday, October 18th). Lot of oaks have turned along the highway, and the cottonwoods and willows are also all yellow. Hiking up past the grove towards Fish Creek Meadow, the creak was lined with yellow and orange all the way. If you want to visit the grove, just google aspen grove and fish creek to find directions. Eastern Sierra - 10/18/09 - Katja Zuske writes: just came back from a camping trip to Yosemite, followed by some Aspen shooting in the Lee Vining area. What a luck they re-opened Tioga just the day I had to cross over! This is the first time I am contributing to this site so I am not familiar with "the language" but here is what I saw:
Summary: this was a great weekend to shoot in the Lee Vining area! [You did great with "the language," Katja! Thank you. — Carol Leigh] Yosemite - 10/18/09 - Inge Fernau writes: It was a spur of the moment decision to drive to Yosemite on Saturday 10/17. Yosemite Valley has some good color right now. The sugar pine maple is amazing and has colors of deep orange and leaves turning red (....and there is still a hint of lime green). To me a must see. It appears that most of the big leaf maples have tuned bright yellow, but a few leaves are already brown. Some of the dogwoods in Curry Village have turned and show of a colorful yellow and one is already red. I saw a few more colorful trees, but for most part the dogwoods in the valley just starting to turn and the best is yet to come. The Elm tree in Cooks meadow looked brown and the black oaks just started to turn here. The same is for the oaks in the El Capitan meadow, they are just starting. I did see a few black oaks with yellow leaves as well as brown ones. To kill time during the harsh light hours I drove hwy 41 all the way to Wawona and the color of the trees in the 1990 burn area past Wawona Tunnel View--awesome with all the reds. I found most of the color around the Wawona campground and the creek (Alder Creek?). There is some color along Glacier Point Road, but with all the construction there is no space to pull out, so I enjoyed the colors. The dogwoods between the Crane Flat entrance station and the Merced Grove are in full fall color spectrum yellow, lime green, orange and red. Also there are a lot of yellow trees in the talus slopes below Sentinel Rock. Other areas with color are at the junction of hwy 140 & 120 and across from the Cascade Falls. Some color can be found along the Merced River Canyon outside of Yosemite. Various locations - 10/17/09 - Pete Yamagata writes: October 17, 2009 Taking a Northern Sierra loop today, Saturday, I found the current fall colors to be about peak. Motoring up past Placerville, there are decorative trees turning nice red. I took the cutoff Mormon-Emigrant Road and noted a very few red dogwood and many bright yellow maples and oaks. Coming then to Highway 88, I headed east to find clumps of aspen turned nicely yellow. Past Caples Lake, the display was alright, with some color. The snow on the peaks made an added extra this time of year. Down to Hope Valley, I’d give it a 6 or 7 out of ten. The reds weren’t all that vibrant at my usual stops, and there were some dead leaves. Very few of the aspen were bare-leafed, with fine displays of gold and lime. Sorenson’s needs a day or few more, but I found it fine for bright stands of gold. The nature trail at the Lake Tahoe USFS Taylor Creek Visitor Center held some excellent turned stands of aspen and various shrubs, with chinquapin and willow turned also. The spawning red Kokanee salmon were doing well, with many people enjoying the sights of them. A surprise was U.S. 50 from Meyers back to Placerville. With spotty aspen, red maples and yellow oaks or maples dotted the burn area quite profusely a few miles up from Riverton. It was dusk as I passed by, with poor ops for pullouts, but with someone shooting out the car side window you might get a nice record shot. Luther Pass had a few aspen, and I’d say the colors should be fine for a few more days to come. The past week’s storm caused very little leaf loss, and I’d say the time for the peak is about now. This is about the latest peak that I have seen, by the way. Carol, if you wish to provide a link to PETE’S THOUSAND PEAKS website at http://www.petesthousandpeaks.com I should have a few photos up by midnight this Saturday eve (the 17th). Thanks for your great website and your efforts despite your being so busy! Southern California - Ice House Canyon, Mt. Baldy Village - 10/17/09 - Jimbo writes: The big leaf maples have peaked on the Icehouse Canyon Trail. The most scenic section of the trail follows the creek for about about a mile and a half. If you plan on going any further than that you'll need to pick-up a wilderness permit at the forest ranger station in the village of Mt. Baldy. Besides the maples, there's some interesting forest service cabins along the creek. Floods, fires and an avalanche destroyed quite a number of cabins during the 20th century. However, the stone chimneys and foundations have remained intact. This makes for some interesting "ruins" that are intermixed with new growth forest. From Claremont, take Mt. Baldy Road to Mt. Baldy village. The Icehouse Canyon Trail is 1.5 miles north of Mt. Baldy village. Turn right at Icehouse Canyon Road. It will dead-end at the parking area (Adventure Pass required). Eastern Sierra - 10/16/09 - Ann Turner writes: Who knows if these brief notes will be relevant after the big storm of 10/13, but for what it's worth, we saw some color around Aspendell, the lower stretches of Upper Rock Creek Road, and the far end of Convict Lake. Better colors were found at the McGee Creek trailhead and the stretch of the June Lake loop between Silver and Grant Lakes. Driving home on the 13th just before the brunt of the storm hit, we noted some color over Conway Summit. The western slopes of Monitor Pass and Highway 88 to Woodfords was near peak. Eastern Sierra - 10/16/09 - Inge Fernau writes: This one is a little late, I had send it to be posted on the hotsheet, but I believe Carol is travelling: I have one more Eastern Sierra Fall Colors report and this one is for 10/10:
I hear June Lake Loop and Lee Vining Canyon are coming into color. Hope Valley - 10/15/09 - Dan Suzio writes: I was in Hope Valley on Sunday the 11th -- all the aspens were still green, but the cottonwoods at Snowshoe campground are brilliant yellow. Eastern Sierra - 10/15/09 - Alan Barlow writes: Hi Carol. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to contribute until now. Believe it or not we were moving to the E. Sierras? Do you know where Swall Meadows is; between Bishop and Mammoth? We are loving it so far. How have you been? Anything new in your future? I’m always surprised by the amount of teaching you do. -- Alan Barlow Report:: There is still a LOT of snow on the peaks from the recent storm; looks like 9000’ and above as of this morning. This morning, June Lakes is still not fully colored, though I estimate 60-80%, and I’m really surprised that there are few burnt or missing leaves since we have had some really weird weather and wind over the past week. Barring any un-forecasted freezing I expect the June Lake loop to be good this weekend. Trees at the 7000 foot level along US 395 are somewhere around 50-80%. Lower Rock Creek (down from 395) is beginning to look good; maybe 30%. Round Valley is beginning to change nicely, but is still a little early. Carson Pass, Hope Valley, Lake Tahoe - 10/14/09 - Stephan Dietrich writes: Thank you for continuing your website. You are doing an awesome job and service! As always, it is great seeing participation from others, reading updates, reports, various links and such. I have not seen much reporting on the Carson Pass, Hope Valley and Lake Tahoe areas, so I thought I'd provide an update: 10/12/09 - CARSON PASS, HOPE VALLEY and LAKE TAHOE: Drove up to Carson Pass, Hope Valley and Lake Tahoe on 10/12/09 before the storm. The Quaking Aspens along Hwy 88 from Silver Lake to Carson Pass are still mainly fading green to mixed yellow transitions. There are small patches of color (some yellow, lemon-lime and orange) here-and-there, but not a full meadow display as of yet. Hope Valley is essentially the same. Lake Tahoe is starting to change as well. Drove into the Fallen Leaf Lake and Taylor Creek area to find the same - not quite peak as of yet, but on its way. Here's pretty much the colors that have been seen: http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=9900211&size=lg All in all, IF the leaves survive the rain, snow and wind gusts this recent storm (10/13 and 10/14) is delivering, there likely will be improved color by the weekend (10/17 and 10/18) and peak likely next week - if not the next. An interesting year to say the least. Another storm is presently predicted to come in next Monday and Tuesday (10/19 and 10/20) with temps dropping. We shall see. It's still a beautiful relaxing drive and there is always something to see, discover and amazing food at Sorensen's Resort, Markleeville or whatever favorite place you might know or find. I will provide update when I go up later in the week. Thanks again and all the best wishes! Sonoma County - 10/13/09 - Charlene Burge writes: I drove around a bit yesterday before the rain came in, though it must have been already raining at higher elevations because while I shot photos of yellow leaves at the lower end of Sugarloaf State Park, the creek started running. In general, fall is definitely affecting the vineyards of Sonoma County. A very non-scientific observation -- the vines with yellow leaves already had the grapes picked, the green vines (in general) did not. I heard on the news that the green grapes were most sensitive to the weather coming in and were being picked first. So does that mean that the green grape plants change color first? I don't know...but I found it an interesting observation. I drove along Lakeville Highway on Saturday and the vineyards in that area were further along, colorwise, than what I saw yesterday along Highway 12 between Santa Rosa and Sonoma. Along 12 the color season is just starting, with most vines just hinting of the reds and yellows to come. Domestic orchards are beginning to change color along 12 too. I haven't been up to Plumas Co yet, but here's a link for their website: http://www.plumascounty.org/Awesome_Autumn/Awesome%20Autumn%202009/Leaf%20Peeper%20Reports2009.htm Color in Graeagle? Paul Morris writes: Anyone know of the prospects for good fall color (in a normal year) in the Graeagle/Feather River area? Eastern Sierra - 10/13/09 - "amccondochie" writes: Camped up in Lee Vining Canyon over the weekend and after traveling to Lundy Canyon and June Lake Loop, I can confirm that things are behind this year. Funnily enough, Lee Vining Canyon (which is often last to turn), in the Lower Lee Vining Campground area is actually showing quite nicely. Upper canyon doesn't look so good quite yet. Not much to speak of in Lundy, although the day use areas aren't too bad as mentioned before. There are spots between Grant and Silver Lake which are nice now, with colors changing pretty quickly. Of course, having said all this, they are expecting a chance of snow on Tues. and heavy rain on tues. night into part of wed. with winds over 60 miles an hour. Tioga Pass is supposed to close and then re-open for wknd. If there is anything left for next weekend, it could be spectacular with snowy peaks and beautiful colors-but that is a BIG if! Good luck. Eastern Sierra - 10/12/09 - Steve Tronick writes: We visited Virginia Lakes, Lundy Canyon, Mammoth Lakes, Sherwin Creek, Convict Lake & Rock Creek Lake. The weather was fabulous, the scenery breathtaking as alway, but the leaves didn't leave us awestruck. There's not much to add to the previous reports, but Sherwin Creek offers a nice display, mostly yellows with some orange at the higher elevations. We also stopped by the South Tufas at Mono Lake for the sunset on Sat. nite and were dismayed by how many people with cameras (not photographers!) were trampling the tufas! Thanks so much to the other contributors and to you for this fabulous website. Looking forward to wildflower season! Eastern Sierra - 10/12/09 - Kahlee Brighton writes: Hi Carol -- Since my 10/8 report, I had another three days of glorious color in the Eastern Sierra (10/9 - 10/11), capped off with a last minute decision to check out Yosemite Valley on Sunday afternoon. As you know, I'm rarely accused of being at a loss for words, and ordinarily, I'd have a lot of really detailed info to post about what I saw and where, road conditions, etc. But I'm completely exhausted, so you and your readers are getting the "Reader's Digest" condensed version of my latest, and perhaps last report of the Sierra Fall color season: SIERRA NEVADA - PLACES WITH THE BEST FALL COLOR AS OF 10/11:
If any of the above places get snow, it's anyone's guess as to whether or not the color will survive. If the storm, as predicted, is warm, tropical-based moisture, lower elevations might not get as much snow. That would be good in terms of next weekend's color possibilities. Regardless of snow storm or no storm, it has been an interesting year, if you're looking for perfect leaves and prime color, at this point, don't waste time at Virginia Lakes, Lundy Lake, high elevations at Bishop Creek, Rock Creek, etc. There are still great photo opps at these locations, but you'll need to stretch your creativity to find them. That's it kids. I'm home now and looking forward to reliving my entire adventure through the thousands of images I shot. I'll probably be posting them here for weeks: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kahlee/ What an amazing journey! (And if the storm doesn't end it all this week, I might have to trek up there again this next weekend. I admit it, I'm obsessed. Must run off to my Fall Color Anonymous Meeting...) June Lake - 10/12/09 - Chris A. writes: As of Sunday 10/11, June Lake is starting to show decent color along the main road. I'd say that lime green still predominates, but there are a fair number of Aspens that appear to be near peak. I saw quite a difference in color around Silver Lake between Saturday and Sunday. This week should be the peak for the Silver Lake area. June Lake itself, there was almost no color to speak off. Things are still pretty green there. Grant Lake, I saw some strands that were at peak or just past, but a lot that seemed to go from green to brown. The colors weren't too great there though if you shoot with the back lighting of the sun, you can get them to pop a bit. I'd say the best shot on the June Lake Loop will be this next week around the Silver Lake area as well as the road between Silver Lake and the town of June Lake. Note, there is supposed to be a storm blowing through soon so I don't know how that will effect the color. Day temps are comfortable and sunny, in the upper 50s and low 60s. Night time drops to right around freezing. Bishop has quite a bit of color. I took some great pictures of trees at peak that were backlit by the sun over the Sierras. It was very beautiful on the 395 just north or Bishop. Hope Valley - 10/11/09 - Mike P. writes: As of this afternoon, Oct. 11, Sorensens trees are just starting to turn color. Up in Hope Valley, it's mostly green with about 20% of the trees starting to turn. Maybe, after the cooler weather and rain/snow predicted on Tuesday and Wednesday, more color will show. Various locations - 10/11/09 - Michael DeArmond writes: 10-10-09Toured Hope Valley, Blue Lakes, Markleville, Luther Pass, Fallen Leaf Lake and not quite yet for turning of the leaves. With this upcoming storm, we may see full blown colors over snow by next weekend. Eastern Sierra - 10/10/09 - Inge Fernau writes: I have one more Eastern Sierra Fall Colors report and this one is for 10/10:
South of Lake Tahoe - 10/11/09 - Mike writes: Thanks so much for the site. Took a run yesterday looking for fall color south of Lake Tahoe and found either green or brown. I specifically looked at HW 88 over Carson Pass, Caples Lake, and Hope Valley, Hw 89 past Markllville over Monitor Pass, and finally back around to Luther Pass/Echo summit. No color. Maybe another week. San Bernardino Aspen Grove Trail - 10/10/09 - Jimbo writes: A tiny aspen grove in the San Bernardino mountains was showing some color this week. Since it only covers around an acre, it's more a curiosity than a great photographic opportunity. It's the more accessible of the two aspen groves that exist in the LA metro area. The groves are on Highway 38 about halfway between Yucaipa and Big Bear Lake. Stop at the Mill Creek Ranger station to get a day-hike wilderness permit (required to visit the groves). You'll also need an Adventure Pass to park at the trailhead. Continue up Highway 38 and turn right at the entrance road to Heart Bar Campground (1N02). 1N02 is a maintained dirt road. Continue on 1N02, passing Heart Bar Campground entrance, to a junction in 1.2 miles. Go right, up lN05 to the signed Aspen Grove Trail parking area, 2.6 miles from Highway 38. 1N05 has got a few lumpy spots here and there, but is doable in a passenger car that has some decent clearance. We made it with no problems with a Nissan Maxima. However, I wouln't recommend trying 1N05 in something like a Toyota Prius or a Honda Civic. Various locations - 10/6-11/09 - Duncan Carter writes: Fall colors trip. October 6 – en route Tonopah NV via Tioga Pass (Sonora Pass closed). Nothing of note. October 7 – via Cedar City UT to Bryce UT. Some yellows and reds along Utah Route 14, along with snow flurries. October 8 – via Utah Route 12 to Torrey UT. Numerous black oaks in full color on a lengthy gravel bypass road. Thousands of bare aspens, roadsides covered with green aspen leaves. Good golden color in a few areas protected from wind. October 9 – via Cedar Breaks to St. George UT. Good yellows and golds north of Cedar Breaks. October 10 – via Death Valley to Bishop CA, with the ubiquitous rabbit brush in full bloom. October 11 – via Tioga Pass to Mariposa CA, with side trips to Bishop Creek lakes, Rock Creek Lake, McGee Lake. At the higher elevations, many bare aspens, some aspens with yellow, gold, and copper leaves, many aspens showing dull, pale green leaves, and a few with black spots. At Bishop Creek, North Lake color gone; Sabrina Lake showing little; South Lake with some color, but Aspendell all green. McGee better than Bishop Creek or Rock Creek. At lower levels, many aspens still with shiny dark green (but somewhat small) leaves. Overall, not a good year so far, with windstorms causing damage in UT and CA. Eastern Sierra - 10/7/09 - Kahlee Brighton writes: Hi Carol -- Here's the scoop for Wednesday, October 7th. I'm in Mammoth today, so I decided to explore around town, the lakes, minaret summit, etc. Very disappointing. What color show may have been here earlier is definitely over and the majority of remaining green trees are either dried and going straight to brown and black.
Bottom line: IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR GOOD FALL COLOR, YOU CAN PROBABLY FORGET ABOUT THE MAMMOTH LAKES AREA THIS YEAR. Only exception may be the Sherwin Creek area this weekend. Looks like it still might have potential. That's it for today's report. [Kahlee, I love you. Your reports are fantastic. And I'm sure I speak for hundreds of others who are using this site. -- Carol Leigh] Hope Valley - 10/7/09 - Dale Walton writes: The last posting for Hope Valley was October 1st and it was mostly green with a little color here and there. I have relied on your postings for the last three years to determine when to plan my trip. Your postings have been mostly on the mark. If not this weekend (10th and 11th), my guess is that the following weekend might be good for color. This will be my fifth consecutive year of photographing Hope Valley and I never tire of the experience. And, of course, there is lunch at Sorensen’s that only makes the trip even better. Thanks for all your postings over the years! Eastern Sierra - 10/7/09 - Kahlee Brighton writes: Hi Carol -- This is a hastily prepared report on current Eastern Sierra Fall color conditions for yesterday, 10-6. I traveled from Bishop north. Except for Mammoth, I visited most every location up to Dunderberg Meadow (skipped driving into the meadow because of post-storm road conditions).
Gotta run, so forgive typos. Hopefully, everyone will get the idea of conditions regardless! ;-) Eastern Sierra - 10/5/09 - Kahlee Brighton writes: Hi Carol -- Here is today's Fall color report for Monday, 10/5 from the Eastern Sierra:
That's it for today's report. Headed north tomorrow. Thanks again for all the reports. Eastern Sierra: June Lake Loop - 10/5/09 - Matthew Pacheco writes: I love your website. Thank you so much for sharing this information. My report. I drove up the 395 from Los Angeles on Saturday, leaving early enough so that I could catch the sunset/moon rise at Mono Lake, which was spectacular by the way. But as far as fall color goes. Along the 395, past bishop, I saw mostly greens and lime greens with patches of yellow. Enough patches to adventure out and get some great fall photo’s. I drove the June Lake loop on Sunday morning 09-04-2009. Lots of lime greens and yellows, occasional oranges. Overall I found some photo opertunities, in between the ocasional white out snow conditions, but I wasn’t really TOTALLY WOWed YET if ya know what I mean…. I’m really looking forward to the coming weekends! See u out there! Dress warm J Eastern Sierra - 10/4/09 - Cinda MacKinnon writes: This Autumn report" is sorta like your wildflower reports. No good news though. I was up in MOno County (Sonora PAss vis Bridegport and the various lakes to MAmmoth) and the leaves had not changed yet - but just starting. MAybe with the cold weather they are doing their thing now however. Eastern Sierra - 10/5/09 - Ramsey Samara writes: Hi Carol, We drove up and down the eastside on 10/3 and 10/4.
Eastern Sierra - 10/5/09 - Kahlee Brighton writes: Hi Carol -- Here's my report for the Eastern Sierra -- Sunday, October 4th: BISHOP CREEK DRAINAGE AREA -- A mild storm system rolled through last night (10/3) and a fairly significant dusting of snow covered the tops of the Sierra this morning. It continued to snow continued well into the afternoon at higher elevations with flurries down into the Buttermilks. The White Mountains also received significant snowfall throughout the day. The brilliant color that covered the Bishop Creek canyons and lake basins last weekend is about 80-90% done at the higher elevations. A few colorful trees remain in protected areas, but most aspens are bare or brown/black spotted, and other colorful foliage has turned brown because of freezing temps. The North Lake tunnel area was lovely this morning in the snow, but with windy conditions, it won't last much longer -- if it even survived today. There are still many aspens that are 100% green throughout the area, particularly along the road to South Lake. Some are getting lighter, possibly preparing to change, however, it appears a number of these green trees are losing leaves and may not ever turn color before falling off. Everything looks very dry, so it will largely depend on the weather, especially winds. At mid-level in the canyon, there are a few groves with a rainbow of colorful leaves (green, yellow, orange and red), but also a lot of brown and black-spotted foliage. Aspendell is finally starting to turn. Trees below the village are much lighter green and a few are tinged with yellow and orange. Same thing with Intake II. ROCK CREEK -- I spent the afternoon on 10/4 at Rock Creek. It was snowing steadily, with light flurries starting just above Tom's Place. It's still primarily green up to the Sno-Park. After that, it's a mixed color situation. There are some aspen groves with a combo of green, yellow and orange, but also a LOT of bare trees. I drove all the way up to the Mosquito Flat trailhead parking area. It was snowing heavily (thankfully, no wind or ice on the roads). Looked like white-out conditions in the distance. Color at the top was 95% gone. Lots of bare trees. What was left was brown, black and a touch of copper here and there. Looked like winter more than Fall! Around Rock Creek Lake, it was virtually deserted, snowing frequently and quite cold. The usually colorful aspens around the perimeter of the lake were losing color and leaves rapidly. Definitely past peak. If you want to explore Rock Creek during the rest of this autumn season, don't expect to see the same kind of brilliant color seen in past years. The snow and harsher weather have painted a different kind of Fall landscape, rendering the beauty of this season's offerings in much more subtle ways. This has been an interesting Fall season. Areas that were prime a week ago are done; lower elevations are still predominantly green. Anyone's guess as to how the color will unfold in the days to come. Recent images of Eastern Sierra Fall color are posted here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/easternsierrafallcolor/ Thanks so much for all of the reports everyone. Quaking Aspen area of Highway 190, Tulare County - 10/5/09 - "krazkim" writes: A lot of the aspen trees have brown spots already; many of the trees at the end of the meadow by QA have lost most of their leaves. There was some color in ferns and a few aspen at Upper Peppermint Campground, but there was a small amount of snow and ice pellets falling on 10/4/09 while we were there and it was cold. It's supposed to warm up again later in the week; I'm not sure how that will affect the trees. Various areas - 10/2/09 - John Poimiroo writes: Here's the latest report from Mono County (Eastern Sierra)
Eastern Sierra - 10/2/09 - Pete Yamagata writes: October 1st, 2009. Inge is pretty right. I was cruising 395 yesterday (October 1st, Thursday), and saw very little color. The major groves next to the highway are 90-95% green. Ditto with Monitor and Carson Passes. There were some high groves at about 10,000 feet elevation that have turned quite nicely, with one seen from Conway Summit fully red. You can find individual trees that have turned, but that'll take some hunting. This is no early fall. I have seen full color in late September going back a few decades, but we seem to have a late peak. I'd give it till about Columbus Day weekend before I go up there again. They do change fast, within about 5 days, though. [And hi back to you, Pete! -- CL] Yosemite/Lee Vining - 10/1/09 - Tom Brichta writes: was in Yosemite yesterday, and Lee Vining today. Yosemite has no color at all. Lee Vining was little to no color. Will be heading down to Bishop tomorrow. Eastern Sierra - 10/1/09 - Inge Fernau writes: Here is my report for 9/29 & 9/30 Hwy 88 western slopes green. Hope Valley Some nice colors by the cabins, but still a lot of green. Some areas in Hope Valley have small yellow patches. Hwy 88/89 between the turn-off and Sorensen’s some nice colors, but the resort is still mostly green. The Carson River Valley is green/lime green. Monitor Pass From the junction of Hwy 4 to the top of the pass mostly lime green and a few bare trees. Top of the pass mostly green with some yellow. A little bit further east a mix of lime green, yellow and orange and again some bare trees. Conway Summit The big groves are still green, with a few Aspens showing some change. The groves on the slopes are a mix of lime green, yellow and orange. Virginia Lakes Road At the Jordan basin the trees are yellow, orange, lime green, brown and bare. By the creek there is a mix of lime green, green, yellow and some orange. Drove only as far as the heliport and the slopes with the Dunderberg Peak showing in the background are a mix of lime green, yellow and orange. June Lake Loop The Parker Mountain side is a mix of orange, yellow and lime green. The Aspens along Grant Lake are still mostly green with small yellow patches. The grove at Aerie Crag is mostly lime green. Hwy 158 between Grant Lake and Silver Lake are green/lime green. Silver Lake has mostly green trees with a few yellow patches. I saw20some trees that have gone from green to black leaves. The trees at June Lake are lime green, yellow and some have already brown leaves. Along US 395 south The Mammoth Creek area looks mostly green. The Aspen “River” coming down from Laurel Canyon has some orange, but is mostly green/lime green. The Aspens at Sherwin Creek are lime green and yellow as well as orange higher up. Day temps along US 395 stayed around 50F on 9/30. McGee Creek Canyon There was some fierce wind on Tuesday ripping off green leaves. The trees by the bridge are green. The Aspens by the campground are still green; color by the trail parking lot is mostly green with some trees showing change. A view into the canyon showed yellow, orange and green. Not sure how the leaves survived the dusting of snow and the wind. Bishop Creek Canyon On 9/29 at 7:30AM it was very very windy at Lake Sabrina and some of the groves looked bare. Along the South Lake Road between Willow camp the trees are yellow/orange and bare, there is still some green mixed in. The slopes above Weir Pond are mostly bare. The area around Table Mountain is at peak with some bare trees and still some green ones. The big grove past Aspendell is half bare and the trees around Cardinal Village are still mostly lime green with a small patch of yellow/orange. There is still a lot of color along the middle fork, but also some trees with black leaves. There was light snow above 8700 feet and the temps had dropped to 42F by 5PM. North Lake road had a lot of red, yellow and orange. I went back on 9/30 to see what damage the wind/snow had done. At 8AM the skies were blue and the temp at North Lake was 22F. To my delight the damage from the day before was not as bad as I feared. The grove behind the lake is about 1/3 bare and the rest is yellow/orange and green. The slopes above are brow/orange and bare. There is a lot of red and yellow along the road as well as a little green. The trees below the Lake Sabrina dam are coming into color; they are orange, yellow and green. I did see more brown/black leaves around the higher elevations at Bishop Creek and it appeared to me as the sun started to hit the yellow/red leaves they were turning brown. I left the area around noon and the temps stayed below 30F, so I am not sure if more trees turned brown. The lower elevations such as around the Bishop Creek Lodge, before Aspendell and Intake II are still mostly green. The small Aspens on the slopes above Intake II are orange, yellow and bare. Eastern Sierra - 9/30/09 - Stan Burman writes: I just drove east across Yosemite today and went to Las Vegas via Tonopah, Nevada. Color in Lee Vining Canyon wasn't too exciting. But based on observations last week - as late as Sunday, September 27 - the lakes above Bishop should be great right now. Sabrina, North, and South Lakes specifically. North Lake should be killer at sunrise. Sonora Pass - 9/29/09 - Tom Kidd writes: Hi Carol, hope you and your camera have recovered from your trip. I drove from Merced to Sonora Pass yesterday. Here are a couple of images, both at 8000+ feet. http://tomkiddphoto.com/Visgallery/displayimage.php?album=10&pos=18 is an abberation -- the most advanced color I saw. Just east of the crest. http://tomkiddphoto.com/Visgallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=2&pos=1 is more representative -- maybe a week or more from peak, depending on weather. This is west of the crest. Ebbetts Pass - 9/28/09 - Dick James writes: I went over Ebbetts Pass (State Route 4) eastbound yesterday and returned westbound Today. The fall foliage along Silver Creek is about 50-50, with less along the Carson East Fork south of Markleeville. Still nothing worthwhile yet. At Scossia Cow Camp the leaves are still dark green. The leaves were best in the aspen grove just north of Kinney Reservoir, but still nothing photoworthy. It was very windy over Ebbetts Pass today, and is supposed to get worse overnight. It could knock a lot of leaves off. They're calling for winds over 70 mph over the Sierra ridges and have declared a Red Flag Warning basically north of Markleeville overnight. Eastern Sierra - 9/28/09 - Scott Mathews writes: This past weekend 9-25 to 9-27 I ventured to The South Lake, Sabrina Lake and North Lake area to view and photograph the fall colors. Upper elevations in all three areas were at 80% or more color. From what I hear this week is supposed to get much colder and therefore the lower elevations along South lake Rd. and Aspendell should turn. Eastern Sierra - 9/27/09 - Graham Owen writes: I spent the past two days visiting numerous locations in the Sierra, from Twin Lakes south to the Bishop drainage. Surprisingly, the best color is south, in the Bishop area. To the north, everything is mostly green, with some splashes of color high on the slopes. Some nice color above Conway Summit near Virginia Lakes, but nothing in comparison to the bishop area. Here’s a link to some photos taken on September 25 & 26… http://www.grahamowengallery.com/photography/fall-colors/sierra-fall-colors-9-26-09.html Thanks, for all that you do for us nature lovers, Hope Valley - 9/27/09 - Jens Peermann writes: Here's some info about Hope Valley. Last weekend most of the valley was still solid green but some areas along the Blue Lakes Road and near Pickett's Junction looked like they will peak soon. A sample shot is here: http://www.naturescapes.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=163343&p=1625142#p1625142 Eastern Sierra - 9/26/09 - Kahlee Brighton writes: Hi Carol -- I'm in the Eastern Sierra this weekend, so here's my report for today, Saturday, September 25th: Greetings all -- Fall is coming to the Owens Valley, but truly spectacular color is, as of now, limited to the Bishop Creek area at higher elevations. I spent today at North Lake, Lake Sabrina and South Lake. Holy Moly! It was gorgeous out there!!! Here's the summary: NORTH LAKE - Swarming with photographers in the a.m. Afternoon colors were vivid and shadows fascinating. Lighting is very harsh at mid-day as there was not a cloud in the sky. Many of the aspens on the slope on the north side of the lake are past peak and have turned reddish brown. There is plenty of red, orange, yellow and green. The tunnel area is like a green and yellow 50/50 bar. The North Lake area -- especially on the slopes is definitely close to or at peak. Some trees have gone brown or are brown-spotted. Given the weather forecast for gusty winds and cold starting late Monday into Tuesday, I'd say tomorrow or Monday may be your best bet for spectacular color. SOUTH LAKE - The road to South Lake is lined with oranges, reds, greens, yellows and photography workshops. Sans people, the scenery is simply spectacular, but as with North Lake, may go past peak quickly when the weather front kicks in. LAKE SABRINA - Sabrina is in third place of these three locations, but still, plenty of color and some bright red aspens for those who can hike across the dam and around the lake. OTHER BISHOP CREEK LOCATIONS Intake 2 is very green as are the lower elevations of South Fork of Bishop Creek, Aspendell (almost totally green), etc. In summary, the high alpine locations will be done in short order, but for those of you planning to come up this week or next, the color is just starting at lower elevations. BTW, the consensus of those who traveled up to Bridgeport, Virginia Lakes, Lundy Lakes, June Lake Loop, etc., is that's everything is still green. Too early for prime time. But with the cold windy weather expected, anything can happen. Various locations - 9/25/09 - Tom Kidd and Jeff Conrad write: A friend sent me this link. It's an on-going summary of fall color along Hwy 395 from Tahoe to Bishop by Dave Henry, in the Sacramento Bee. http://www.sacbee.com/leaves/ Eastern Sierra - 9/24/09 - Inge Fernau writes: My first Eastern Sierra Fall Color report for 9/23. Most of the small Aspens when driving down the steep part of the Tioga Pass have turned already. Lee Vining Canyon, still green/lime green. Barely a few Aspen started to show color. The Parker Bench as seen from US 395 has one patch of orange and the rest still looks green. Bishop Creek Canyon: Up to Aspendell, mostly lime green with the mountain sides above Intake II looking yellow with a little green. The big grove behind Aspendell has the smaller Aspen looking mostly yellow/orange with a few green trees; the taller Aspens are still green. From here all the way up to Lake Sabrina, 60% of the Aspen are yellow, orange and some red. The rest is still green. Here is some bad news; I did see some trees with brown leaves already mixed in (by the small bridge past the Sabrina campground). Lake Sabrina is about 75% turned. The sun lit up the trees in sparkling yellow and orange. Some green ones still on the slopes. In my opinion the colors at the lake approach peak fast. The Aspens along the North Lake Road are about 50/50. With yellow, orange and red colors. The “tree tunnel” has one side green, the other side yellow. The big Aspen grove behind the lake is about half yellow with some orange and half green. The slopes up the mountain are mostly a reddish orange with some green. Some of the Aspen close to the outlet by20the lake are already red and some trees have brown leaves and don’t look very good. The colors by the first day use parking lot are, in my opinion, at peak. The South Lake Road from the Forks campground to the Mountain Glenn campground is mostly green with a hint of yellow here and there. Between this campground and Parchers Resort the color is coming in nicely and the Aspen trees are about 60% turned. Lots of yellow and orange, however the trees around the Table Mountain group camp are still mostly green. The slopes in this area have brilliant colors already, especially the small Aspen shrubs. There is still green in this section. 75% of the Aspens between Parchers and the South Lake parking lot are yellow and orange. Rock Creek Lake Road between US 395 and the snow park area are mostly green with a few colors along the slopes. Starting at the snow park area the color is yellow, red and some green about 50/50. From the Pack Station to the Mosquito Flat trailhead parking the color is at 80%. A lot of the trees are already yellow, with some orange and red. Some of the trees have lost their leaves or have brown leaves mixed into them. I posted images on flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ifernau/sets/72157622447203786/ Eastern Sierra - 9/24/09 - Floris van Breugel writes: A little late, but last weekend I was up in the Eastern Sierra and some of the fall color is coming along very nicely. Up at North Lake, and along Bishop Creek, some of the aspens have turned a beautiful orangey red. Mostly the smaller tortured ones have started changing, and the bigger trees were almost all a healthy green still. The aspens on the far end of North Lake were lightening in color, but not yellow by any stretch yet. The rabbit brush is in full bloom throughout Owen's Valley. In the backcountry there's some lovely autumn reds forming as ground cover between 10,000 and 11,000 feet. Some photos of the aspens near north lake: http://artinnature.wordpress.com/ More links - Kahlee Brighton writes: Hi Carol -- Thanks so much for posting links to other sources for info on Fall Color in California. Yours is still be best, but these links often provide on-sight information for specific areas and have photos, etc., to show the progress of the color change. Here are two more. The first is Lake Sabrina Boat Landing. http://www.lakesabrinaboatlanding.com/ (Sometimes the Fall color info is under "Changing Scenery"; other times it's on the Home page or under the "Fishing Report." It's worth digging to get the info and see the photos they post.) Another one is Parchers Resort in Bishop Creek Canyon http://www.parchersresort.net/FallColors.htm They just posted their first update, but not photos from this year as yet. Hope this info is helpful. Link to fall color info in the eastern Sierra: http://www.onehorsestudio.com/weblog/ Eastern Sierra - 9/14/09 - Kahlee Brighton writes: Hi Carol -- Here's another update on Fall color. With respect to the Eastern Sierra, latest reports indicate that more color is appearing at higher elevations. Willows and smaller aspens are turning gold around Mosquito Flat above Rock Creek Lake. Aspens north of Lee Vining are also lightening in color. Rabbit Brush is in peak bloom in various locations, adding its golden beauty to the overall sense of impending Autumn. Things are still pretty green overall, but no question, Fall is in the air throughout the Eastern Sierra. With respect to Southern California, I'm so surprised to see more trees turning yellow. This morning, I noticed liquidambar with touches of gold -- even orange and red -- in several areas. Ivy and a few other noted autumnal delights were also changing. This is VERY early for Southern California. Maybe we're in for an early Fall and that predicted El Nino -- all of which might bode well for a good Spring wildflower bloom. (Always thinking ahead photographically!) Happy leaf peeping to all! ;-) Link to photos at Rock Creek 9/12/09 http://www.flickr.com/photos/sierra_impressions/sets/72157622352395340/ Eastern Sierra - 9/9/09 - Kahlee Brighton writes: There's gold in them thar hills! Several photos were posted on Flickr today showing signs of early fall color in the Eastern Sierra above 10,000 ft and in Rock Creek. These images were both shot on September 6th. Gold is definitely starting to show on the aspens climbing the canyon walls in Rock Creek. Still plenty of green in places, but it will be interesting to see what happens weather-wise to delay or speed up this process. Thanks, Carol! Eastern Sierra - 9/8/09 - Kahlee Brighton offers the first report of the season: Hi Carol -- Hard to believe it's that time of year already. Seems like I was just shooting wildflowers the other day. Even so, signs of Autumn have started in Southern California. I found a group of Sycamores turning yellow and gold right next to Claim Jumper in Northridge! Not exactly landscape photogenic, but the leaves were lovely. Noticed a few other trees going gold in various Valley neighborhoods. I've also had a couple of pals tell me that the Eastern Sierra aspens are lightening up, just starting to turn gold above 10,000 ft. On August 31, Lake Sabrina Fishing Report posted a photo of a rogue gold aspen among the still-green groves along the South Fork, Bishop Creek Canyon. Still too early to tell when the Eastern Sierra will get really serious, but I know a lot of folks are heading that way towards the end of September, beginning of October. For anyone who's a Flickr member, I've started a new group there called Eastern Sierra Fall Color http://www.flickr.com/groups/easternsierrafallcolor/ Images from earlier years are already up with more to come as this year's show begins. As always, thank you so much for your hotsheet and for your followers' reports. This info is always so helpful in locating what's happening and where. All material copyrighted © by the individual authors and may not be reproduced without their permission. |
