Yosemite Valley at Peak
Fern Spring, Yosemite Valley (File Photo) © 2006 John Poimiroo
Color spotters visiting Yosemite Valley have been reporting black oaks at peak, with cottonwoods, bigleaf maple and dogwoods slightly past peak.
The reflections of bright yellow and orange in the near-still Merced River (seen posted on the national park’s Facebook page) have been lovely. Fern spring has been cluttered with fallen bigleaf maple leaves as autumn peaks in the national park.
The National Park Service posted in late October that “Bears eat as many as 10,000 to 20,000 calories every day at this time of year as they fatten up for hibernation. Acorns are probably the best food source right now, but a bear would have to eat several hundred if not a few thousand acorns every day to meet this requirement. Luckily, black oaks are producing lots of acorns this year.” The NPS advises that because oaks are attracting bears, deer and other animals in search of acorns, please be mindful of the speed limit (35 mph in the park) and be observant while driving on park roads.
GO NOW! 75 – 100% – Yosemite Valley (5,000′) – This is likely the last weekend to see fall color at peak in Yosemite Valley, as a storm will arrive on Monday.