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Giving Thanks and Looking Back at 2023

On this Thanksgiving Day, californiafallcolor.com is thankful for this year’s color spotters who are the heart and soul of making this website happen. In a year of transition to new ownership, we appreciate your patience, understanding and encouragement as we navigated the busy world of fall color in California.

For 2023 they are as follows:

Philip Reedy, Samantha Lindberg, Angie Plaisted, Michael Beatley, Jeff Simpson, Betsy Forsyth, Peter Asco, John Poimiroo, Dakota Snider, Liz Grans, Alicia Vennos, Lucas Yan, Amanda Carlson, Robin Roberts, Jim Adams, Jennifer Natale, Michelle Pontoni, Michelle English, Jeff Titcomb, Jake Edwards, Rodgersl Duncan, Gary Hromada, Peter Robbins, Clayton Peoples, Shanda Ochs, Dave Pabinquit, Hanna Summers, Risa Wyatt, Brandon Downey, Gary Skipper II, Ruth Hartman, Bob Blesse, Christopher Adkins, Gary Young, Lance Pifer, Vishal Mishra, Tom Pitts, Tim Vandehey, Zhibin Guan, Betty Bishop, Karen Kleven, Beth Reid, Jim Van Matre, Ellie Hinrichs, Matt Snoozle, Sharon Jiang.

If somehow we missed you, please know it wasn’t intentional. We are truly indebted to every contributor.

As the new Publisher and Editor of the site, I did not fully understand the full breadth of what the site’s Founder, John Poimiroo, had created until I dove in this year. The level of passion and excitement for fall color in the Golden State is extreme and beautiful. It was more than I could have ever imagined, which just goes to show we have something pretty special here.

The amount of content we received this year was astounding and I often had difficulties keeping up with postings. However, just as I would be on the brink of frustration that I wasn’t doing the site justice, one of you would send an encouraging word or comment and I’d be off and running again.

Again, I appreciate everyone’s patience as I learned the ropes and found my groove. I’ll only get better from here!

Special thanks are expressed to Inyo County Tourism, Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, Mono County Tourism, Destination Plumas County and Roadsurfer for underwriting California Fall Color, and to the many reporters and media who carried our reports and gave attention to what we have shown about California’s fall color.

Our deepest thanks go to the more than 68,000 readers who read, followed, reacted to and commented here and on our social media pages. You are still, after all, the reason we do this.

Special thanks to my newborn son, Will. Your entrance into this world gave me the time and the opportunity to work on this site, and the adventure became a bonding experience for us. And to my husband and daughter for putting up with me as I took on a new endeavor that took time away from them.

The photographs selected for this year’s video represent the Best of the Week photos from this year’s weekly reports. They demonstrate some of the finest photography of 2023. To be considered for the video, photos must be high resolution (300 dpi), not watermarked, and submitted within one week of capturing them.

A special thanks to my good friend, Dakota Snider, for putting together this year’s video. You are an all-around good human and I thank you for your friendship.

And of course, I would be remiss not to thank the man who created this site and has mentored me through this first season. I will forever be indebted to the talented Mr. John Poimiroo for passing on his passion project to me.

While autumn doesn’t end today, we begin to dial back reports and will post less frequently. We’ve also stopped sending weekly updates to meteorologists, travel and outdoor writers.

So, enjoy your Thanksgiving Day and plan an Orange Friday of fall color spotting, tomorrow.

California – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – In our hearts, California is always at its best. We’ll see you next autumn, dude.

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Looking Back at Autumns Past

On Thanksgiving Day, California Fall Color posts its message of thanks and video review of autumn 2023. It will be the twelfth annual “California Fall Color Looks Back” video.

Although CaliforniaFallColor.com went live in 2009, it wasn’t until 2012 that our first video review was posted. In advance of seeing “California Fall Color Looks Back at 2023,” here are videos from autumns past.

Each of the photographs selected for these videos is representative of what happened that autumn, the extent and diversity of fall color seen across the state, and some of the finest photographs taken that year.

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Seasons Come and Seasons Go

The Sparkle Parade in Quincy brings a different kind of color to Plumas County. (file photo) Plumas County

Plumas County has enjoyed the awe of Mother Nature this fall with stunning colors from vibrant yellows to scarlets and purples. Now the area is beginning to enjoy the change from golden colors to leaves wafting in the breeze and falling to the ground in preparation for the area’s winter wonderland.

Lots of holiday preparation is going on in the rural towns starting with finding the perfect Christmas tree. Cutting permits for $10 at:

Plumas County tree cutting permits 

Lassen County tree cutting permits

On November 24 join the community of Chester for a tree lighting ceremony, the opening of the ice-skating rink and the annual Merchant’s Night Out. Streets are filled with shoppers enjoying the warmth of bonfires in front of all the stores while having a bite to eat and a holiday libation.

On December 2, the 52nd annual Sparkle in Quincy is reminiscent of a country Christmas with lighted parade, live music and shopping. Learn about more events here.

Finding the perfect Christmas Tree in Plumas County (file photo) Plumas County
Ice skating begins next week in Chester (file photo) Plumas County
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Davis Double Take

Evening light creates a special ambiance on these fall colors (11/13/23) Philip Reedy

Color spotter Philip Reedy found a unique, fall color vantage point while wandering around his neighborhood this week. Fabulous light and fall color made for two different, but beautiful images from the same exact location. It just goes to show that fall color is best captured when you get up early or stay out late, and in this case, both!

  • Davis (52′) – NEAR PEAK (50-75%) Go Now.
And morning light from the same spot has a distinctly different but still beautiful feel (11/14/23) Philip Reedy
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Annular Solar Eclipse 2023

Path of annular solar eclipse, courtesy NASA

The annular solar eclipse in North America begins in Oregon at 9:13 am (PDT) today and ends in Texas at 12:03 pm (CDT) before traveling out of the country.

During the annular solar eclipse, the moon will pass between the sun and Earth, casting a shadow on the planet. A “ring of fire” is created when the moon only partially covers the sun’s disk, leaving a sliver of sunlight around the moon, according to space.com. 

To find out more about how to watch the solar eclipse, check out this great interactive map from NASA.

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Lakes Basin Loveliness

Lake George in the Mammoth Lakes Basin (9/23/23) Angie Plaisted

Color spotter Angie Plaisted may have already submitted the best email subject line of the season with her weekend report on “George’s Beautiful Backside.”

Angie participated in the Mammoth Lakes Basin Cleanup on Saturday and couldn’t help but notice colors starting to change on the backside of Lake George, one of several lakes you can access by car in the area.

“A few lovely red and yellow colors are popping on the backside of Lake George,” she says. “Past experience is that the colors on the backside change, then disappear quickly.”

It is just another one of the many great little pockets of color that California has to offer.

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Tiptoeing Toward Fall

Tioga Pass grasses, (9/18/23), Samantha Lindberg

With just a few more days until the official start of fall, things seem to be lining up nicely for a good color display. Cold nighttime temperatures are on the horizon and colors are slowly progressing.

In Mammoth Lakes color spotter Samantha Lindberg has noticed the bushes in the area working hard to garner attention.

“One of the standout features of this year’s fall season is the early onset of color change in the area’s bushes,” she says. “While the bushes are leading the way, it’s important to note that the overall fall color progression is still in its early stages.”

Tioga Pass (Just starting 0-10%) Elevation: 9,500’

Surrounding grasses near the Tioga Pass area have undergone a magical transformation, with blades of grass turning into golden strands. Around the area, you’ll notice the start of vibrant foliage of the bushes and shrubs that will eventually erupt into a symphony of yellows and oranges.

Mammoth Lakes Basin – Twin Lakes (Just starting 0-10%) Elevation: 8,563′

The aspen trees are mostly lime in color, but with a few yellow patches.

Mammoth Lakes Basin (9/19/23), Samantha Lindberg

As we await the full fall glory, it is a good time to remind ourselves how to recreate responsibly while we are out leaf peeping this year.

Please remember to Leave No Trace.

There are seven principles to this concept. We’ve adapted them to fit fall color viewing and photography. They include:

  • Plan Ahead – by planning, you reduce the chance you might harm the environment you visit; bring the proper equipment to capture the scene sustainably;
  • Travel on Durable Surfaces – walk on established trails; use established roads; be cautious not to create new ones or damage the environment;
  • Dispose of Waste Properly – carry a litter bag and put all trash into it and it into a trash container; recycle recyclables;
  • Leave What You Find – every leaf, branch, stone has a purpose; treasure them by leaving them behind; do not prune foliage for a better picture;
  • Minimize Campfire Impacts – Consider fire conditions before starting a fire, only start one when permitted, use only sustainable fuels, use existing fire rings, mind your fire, never leave it smoldering, put it out completely with water and dispose of ashes properly.
  • Respect Wildlife – keep your distance; never approach closer than they are comfortable; do not feed or pick up wildlife; travel quietly (except if necessary to warn animals); 
  • Be Considerate – do not trespass; respect private property; fly drones only where permitted, never over private property; should a drone crash on private property do not retrieve it without permission of the land owner;

To these seven principles, we add these ethical standards of nature and wildlife photography:

  • Limit post processing to: cropping, color and white balance correction, and adjusting contrast, highlights, shadows, vibrance, sharpening and sizing;
  • Do not stage photographs;
  • Do not create composite images;
  • Shoot what exists in reality, as you envision it;
  • Employ caution when using filters; acceptable are polarizing, split neutral density, star and black and white filters (red, orange, yellow and green) when used appropriately, but warming, cooling, sunset and rainbow filters insert unnatural elements;
  • Express your vision, not someone else’s.
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Lovely Light Over Labor Day

Hues of Fall, Santa Monica Mountains, Senderos Canyon, Bel Air (9/3/23), Peter Asco

With Labor Day Weekend now behind us, fall is just a handful of sunsets away, as Peter Asco explains.

“On this sunset just before Labor Day,  as I observe the angle of the sun’s rays, it’s golden hues, my skin refreshed by sporadic cool air waves, I know summer is ending, and I rejoice, certain fall has begun and Harvest Season is around the bend. Happy Labor Day.”

An Honor for an Honor

The air is beginning to tingle as fall approaches. I am honored to spend this year’s season with you, dear reader, and can’t wait to share color-spotting news.

When the opportunity arose last year to take over the site from John Poimiroo, I jumped at the chance. He has created a trustworthy and notable site, which was once again honored as the Best Outdoor Internet Site for 2023 by the Outdoor Writers Association of California (OWAC) in its recent award cycle. Additionally, Poimiroo received a third place award for the featured photo here titled, Red Lake Creek Cabin, Hope Valley.

I hope to continue to provide meaningful information to readers this year, in addition to providing a platform for our notable contributors. Please reach out to me at editor@californiafallcolor.com with questions or just to say hello.

The Next Chapter

Lara Kaylor, Editor and Publisher, CaliforniaFallColor.com

On January 1, California Fall Color begins its next chapter. Editing and publishing the blog from then forward will be Lara Kaylor.

Kaylor serves as Director of Content, Communications & PR at Mammoth Lakes Tourism, in addition to being a freelance writer whose work has been published in multiple outlets, including: Backpacker, SKI, Bicycling, Sierra Heritage and Snowshoe magazines. Recently, her reflections appeared in a guest post on California Fall Color. Though, she has closely followed this site, for several years.

Lara earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature at the University of California, Berkeley and brings journalistic talents to the site.  She was a news reporter for more than a decade for these Sierra Nevada news outlets: the Mammoth Times, Sierra Wave and The Sheet.

She is a true outdoorswoman who loves exploring the outdoors in many forms with hiking, camping and cycling being her favorites.
 
When she’s not outside you’ll find Lara curled up with a good book and a latte, in the kitchen trying a new baking recipe or being a mom who loves sharing her passion for the outdoors with her young family.
 
Beginning next year Lara becomes California Fall Color’s second editor and publisher.