Archive for month: September, 2012

15 – 30% – Devastated Area – National Park public information officer Karen Haner reports that aspen along the main park road through the Devastated Area (10 miles east of Manzanita Lake) are approaching 30% yellow, with progress every day.

50 – 75% – Hat Lake – About 60% of the willows near Hat Lake are “in full glory”.

0 – 15% – Manzanita Lake – Willows and aspen at Manzanita Lake (as reported this past weekend) are coloring up.  Karen says “As folks venture throughout the Park on trails at similar elevations, they will find similar changes to aspen and willows.  A new webcam on the Lassen Volcanic NP website (www.nps.gov/lavo) allows leaf peepers to see the change at Manzanita Lake.

0 – 15% – Plumas County – Color spotter Karen Moritz reports northern Sierra nights are becoming much cooler with 5% of forests sparkling with fall color. Non-native trees and shrubs in Quincy have turned, with willow yellow-orange and rabbitbrush bright yellow in the woods. Plumas County shut its visitors bureau this year, so the many services the former Plumas County VB gave to leaf peepers will not happen this autumn.

Legendary service by Suzi Brakken and her “Awesome Autumn” crew included their cleaning windshields of visiting leaf peepers and putting signs in rear windows to identify vehicles that might stop suddenly to view Plumas County’s stunning autumn leaves.  Sadly, that’s all gone, as are the county’s visitor centers that used to promote fall color.

Karen reports, “There are chambers of commerce offices where folks can drop in, but due to budget problems, the only one normally open daily is the one in Graeagle. The Forest Service offices are open as usual, though, and they do a good job of helping visitors.” The Northern and Central Sierra typically follow the Eastern Sierra in their display of color… more reds in Plumas County, more pastel pinks and oranges at Yosemite. Though formal visitor information will no longer be available from Plumas County, keep visiting here and we’ll include any reports and photos received from local color spotters.

One of the beautiful colors to be seen now is the brilliant yellow to gold of rabbitbrush (chrysothamnus).  This shrub blankets the high dessert and alpine reaches of the Eastern Sierra with bold color.  Color spotter Dennis Vance sends these photos of rabbitbrush and native rose hips.

50 – 75% – Seven Pines – West of Independence on the Onion Valley Road (6,440′), the rabbitbrush is “exploding in solid yellow,” Vance reports.  Adjacent Independence Creek is displaying bright red hips of the California Rose (rosa californica) and a hint of pale yellow, rising from the dark ashes of a 2007 fire that devastated this foothill area beneath Kearsarge Peak.

This past Saturday, I headed to Mammoth Lakes in the Eastern Sierra for the Outdoor Writers Association of California fall meeting.  My route crossed Echo Summit (U.S. 50); Luther Pass and Monitor Pass (CA-89); and Devil’s Gate Pass, Conway Summit and Deadman Summit (U.S. 395).

Side trips during the conference took me through Mono and Inyo Counties, along U.S. 395 and over Sherwin Summit to Bishop, then up Bishop Creek Canyon to the Parcher’s Resort at South Lake.  I also joined outdoor writers on a Jeep expedition south of Mammoth Lakes and up Laurel Creek Canyon to 10,300′.

Returning yesterday, I checked the state of color change along U.S. 395 at June Lake and up the Virginia Lakes Canyon.  I then crossed Sonora Pass (CA 108) to the Golden Chain Highway (CA 49) and rode north to El Dorado County.

I came away with an overall impression of what fall color will look like on Saturday, when autumn arrives officially.

My conclusion: The most colorful display (red, orange, yellow, gold, lime, dark green) will occur in the Bishop Creek Canyon (west of Bishop) toward South, North and Sabrina Lakes.  Though, fluttering yellow and lime will be seen in stands of aspen above 9,000′ throughout the Eastern Sierra.

Pockets of nice color can be found below 9,000′, though lower elevations are still two to three weeks away before they approach 50% change.

Here’s what I found:

U.S. 50

0 – 15% – Bracken fern have turned yellow-orange between 2,000 and 3,000′. At 6,000′, quaking aspen are liming with some yellow.  From Strawberry Lodge to Sierra at Tahoe, willows have turned yellow to gold with lots of the drainage plants having turned.

CA – 89/88

0 – 15% – Luther Pass – Quaking aspen lining the edge of Grass Lake are showing the slightest change in color.

0 – 15% – Hope Valley – Several stands of quaking aspen have turned yellow near the Sorenson’s Resort, though peak appears to be two weeks away.

0 – 15% – Monitor Pass – There is some lime showing among the several stands of aspen along the pass, but very little yellow yet showing.

U.S. 395

0 – 15% – Conway Summit – Groves of aspen to the west of the highway, approaching the summit are liming and tinged with yellow and gold, particularly at sunset.

 

15 – 30% – Virginia Lakes Canyon (9,200′) – Aspen not near water are showing signs of stress.  Paul McFarland of Friends of the Inyo, a non-profit cooperative association that helps public agencies protect the Eastern Sierra, commented that he believes the previous dry winter has parched some trees and will lead to disappointing color in areas not near water sources.  That phenomenon was seen in select stands of aspen, where leaves appeared desicated or spotted.  However, most of the trees appear healthy, with their leaves green and shiny.

15 – 30% – Lundy Canyon – Color spotter Janet Fullwood reports color starting to appear in Lundy Canyon.  It is similar to Virginia Lakes Canyon.

However, leaves on aspen near water sources are deeply green and appear healthy.  Color spotter Carolyn Webb of the Virginia Lakes Resort believes it’s too early to tell whether the show will match previous years, though there’s still plenty of time for the trees to color up.

The weather at Virginia Lakes has been ideal for fishing and should continue through the weekend.  Plan on the best color appearing in the next two weeks.

0 – 15% – June Lakes Basin – Too early.  Plan for color to be near peaking in two to three weeks.  In the meantime, the fishing is great!

0 – 15% – Mammoth Lakes Basin – Too early.  Plan for color to be near peaking in two to three weeks.  More great fishing here and nearby.

0 – 15% – U.S. 395 – The upper reaches of the Hilton Creek drainage (south of Mammoth Lakes) seen from U.S. 395 are aglow with orange, yellow and lime aspen.

15 – 30% – Laurel Lakes Canyon – Lots of lime and yellow are beginning to show among the aspen lining Laurel Creek.  This is a rock and boulder strewn Jeep road that should be driven only with a 4WD vehicle.  Only a couple of turnouts exist, so it’s a long drive uphill to get to one, once you pass the color.

CA 168

15 – 30% – Bishop Creek Canyon – Dogtrekker.com editor Janet Fullwood (who won two photography awards at the Outdoor Writers conference) provided the following photograph taken in Bishop Creek Canyon.  This area is prime to be full of color this weekend and for the next couple of weeks.

U.S. 395

0 – 15% – Whitney Portal Road – Color spotter Dennis Vance sends this photo taken last Sunday at the  Mount Whitney Portal trail at Big Horn Sheep Meadow as well as Out Post Camp.  He saw a ” shade of yellow appearing on the willows within the meadow at 10,300′.

CA – 108

15 – 30% – Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center – An impressive stand of quaking aspen is beginning to glow.

30 – 50% – Leavitt Meadows Pack Station – A spectacular stand of quaking aspen is seen on the eastern side of Sonora Pass at the Leavitt Meadows Pack Station.

0 – 15% – Sonora Pass (8,000′) – Clusters of robust aspen are seen at 8,000′, a dried out stand of aspen is found at 9,000′.

0 – 15 – Stanislaus National Forest – California is one of the few fall color destinations where wildflowers continue to bloom as trees turn color.  This is seen at the entrance to the Eureka Valley Campground where a mullein grandmother plant and Yosemite aster bloom near stands of Fremont Cottenwoods with their distinctive tear drop shaped lime to yellow leaves.  Black oak are still three weeks away from showing their deep orange color.

CA 49

0 – 15% – The only gold to be found along Hwy 49 is in the Gold Country’s stream beds, as cottonwood, maple and oaks are still dressed in green.

Shasta Cascade

0 – 15% – Sarah, a color spotter in the Shasta Cascade reports it’s still too early to see much change throughout the region, though expect ground plants in Lassen Volcanic National Park to turn color, first.

Find of the day: “The Big Cheese” sandwich served at Tahlula’s Restaurant in Sonora… a grilled combo of bacon, mac ‘n’ cheese, chedder, mozarella and parmesan.  It’s worth the drive, even if there’s little fall color yet to be seen along Hwy 49.