Fall Color Road Trip
Of all the contributors to this site, color spotter Philip Reedy of Davis makes some of the longest, most varied and interesting road trips in search of fall color and fly fishing.
Phil is a college chemistry teacher and, on the side, photographs covers for fly fishing publications. So he, as do many readers of this site, combines interests in science, reporting and the visual arts.
These are people who work both sides of their brains. My kinda people.
On his most recent road trip (Oct. 9-12), Phil crossed Carson Pass on his way to the Eastern Sierra. Though his images are now not useful for planning trips to see peak, they are lovely reflections of what was.
The Hope Valley was suffocating under a pall of smoke from the Caples fire when he began the trip, capturing images of peak color lightly muted by particulates.
He continued past Woodfords and through Markleeville on CA-89, crossing Monitor Pass, all of which are now at Peak.
His objective was Bishop Creek Canyon. North Lake was nearing the end of its peak. It had lingered for weeks, then burst forth reflecting red, orange, yellow and lime all at once upon its still waters. Philip caught the end of it, much later than we’ve seen in past years.
The purpose of his trip was to capture possible fly fishing images for future covers. As Phil wrote in OWAC Outdoors, the bimonthly newsletter of the Outdoor Writers Association of California, “In my experience, the background of the photo is the most important aspect of a successful fly fishing photo. To assure that I always have a scenic background, I search for them, noting scenes that would make a nice landscape photo, perhaps with a waterfall, snow-capped peak or rushing river. Then, when the light and color are right, I return to those spots and stage a model in the scene I’d pre-visualized.”
That’s what Phil did on this trip … he took pictures at locations he’d pre-visualized would make good cover photos.
The complication with that approach, this autumn, is that fall color has not appeared with the same timing as previous years. Parchers Resort, which was past peak on Oct. 11 last year, is at peak now and the June Lakes Loop, which was at peak back then, is still Patchy and in some areas stripped due to aspen blight.
But then, no road trip turns out as you imagined it. There are always disappointments and new discoveries along the way.
Boca Panorama
Logan Alexander used a Moto Z3 camera phone in panorama mode to create this image of Boca Reservoir and score a First Report for this location. Aspen are at peak.
Boca Reservoir is on the Little Truckee River, 27 miles southwest of Reno near I-80.
- Boca Reservoir (5,614′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Powered Again
The California Fall Color Map is powered again. Lots of added red, orange, yellow and a few brown. Avoid the brown-out. GO NOW!
Lake Camanche Nets Color
With a reputation for “Monster” fish, Lake Camanche between Ione and Valley Springs, northeast of Stockton, is known for going big.
The record catfish caught there weighed 27.6 pounds, large mouth bass bent the scale at 18.17 pounds, a trout came in at 19.42 pounds and its record crappie weighed 3.16 pounds.
As a fly fisherman, I don’t think I could have landed any of them. Though landing fall color is far easier.
The lakeshore literally glows with warm colors in October, as seen in Terry Willard’s photographs of native wetland grasses, Fremont cottonwood and exotic trees.
- Lake Camanche (135’) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Year to Year
Kurt Lawson realized he was at the exact spot, at the exact time (within a minute) a year later and took a comparison photograph to share with us.
He wrote, “What a difference! You can see how this year is running late compared to last. Last year was a dream. This year, the clouds stayed away.”
As posted on Oct. 11, Elliot McGucken was able to photograph clouds that day, but not until the afternoon. Kurt’s comparison photograph was taken at 7:08 a.m.
Going to Church
Color spotters Robert Kermen and Laura Jean found inspiration and saw the light as they traveled through Nevada City and Ft. Jones this week.
Kermen was driving along CA-20 when he began to notice quite a bit of color mostly from alder, bigleaf maple and dogwood.
He wrote, “The stretch between Grass Valley and I-80 has always fascinated me with its mix of hardwood and deciduous trees.“
Exiting I-80 at Bowman Lake, he visited the headwaters of Bear River and one of his favorite falls to find that bigleaf maple leaves had littered the area.
“At an elevation of approximately 5000 feet, it appeared the big leaf maple were peaking while the dogwood was just starting. While hiking the Sierra Discovery Trail, which follows Bear River, he noticed that most of the big leaf maple were infected with “fungal tar spot disease.”
Upon reaching Grass Valley, he was struck by the beauty of St Canice Catholic Church and maples that surround it.
Laura Jean was similarly inspired, driving CA-3 through Siskiyou County. The towns of Ft. Jones and Etna and environs are at peak and “vivid.”
- CA-20, Bowman Lake to Nevada City – Near Peak (50-75% GO NOW!
- CA-3, Scott Valley, Ft. Jones to Etna – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Paso Robles – Pass of the Oaks
Paso Robles, on the Central Coast, is named for its oaks, which are mostly Live Oaks (evergreen). Of its many oaks, only Valley Oak is deciduous.
There is color to be found on the Central Coast, when you look for Fremont cottonwood, bigleaf maple, box elder, California sycamore, creek dogwood, California ash, vineyards, willows and poison oak.
Though, CaliforniaFallColor.com receives few reports from the Central Coast, because the region’s mild climate doesn’t encourage the development of deciduous plants. Those that are native there, also grow in colder areas of California.
Central Coast color spotter Mark Harding sends back these images taken in Templeton and Paso, proving that fall color does appear along the coast.
- Paso Robles (732’) – Patchy (10-50%)
Over 120 Years of Beauty
Grover Cleveland likely was President of the United States when this maple was planted near Taylorsville.
Today, it is a beautiful reminder of the 1890s.
Yesterday, after visiting Bucks Lake, Plumas County color spotter Michael Beatley drove west from Quincy towards Greenville and the Indian Valley. Shortly before the turn off to Taylorsville, at Dixie Canyon Rd., he pulled over, to enjoy the brilliant orange color of the tree.
He was on his way to Youngs market in Taylorsville, which Michael describes as serving the “best hamburgers in Northern California … honestly.”
Now, having traveled widely in search of California fall color, I’d nominate the Walker Burger in Walker (US 395) as having the best burger, but then I haven’t yet tasted the Youngs burger.
I suppose the debate can only be settled by driving to Taylorsville to see the tree for myself and have a burger.
- Taylorsville (3,547’) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
- Bucks Lake (5,167’) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
McGucken: North Lake
Elliot McGucken has the ability to go back to the same place and find a new perspective, a new perfection.
Of all the photographs received here, his seem to happen at the perfect moment, on the perfect day, from a perfect perspective not shared by him or others previously.
In these photographs, water texture is part of their success. The slight rippling on the surface of North Lake provides a dimension that is both noticeable and compelling.
Timing is a big part of taking photographs such as these. No matter how many times this site urges readers to GO NOW!, some wait, thinking it will get better in a day or two, that somehow the moment is already gone or they will be too early.
I believe Elliot, among us, is he who understands what’s being written, then has the patience and awareness to stand and wait for the perfect moment, when such beauty reveals itself. McGucken makes his moments from what nature provides.
These are not “golden hour” shots, but he has made golden moments for us from what he has patience to capture, from a new perspective, a new perfection.
Golden Rain
A golden rain has been falling in the Eastern Sierra and color spotter Steve Shinn was there to capture it.
He writes that, “North Lake (Bishop Creek Canyon) is about peaked out and after the wild winds, ‘who knows?’ Still, there are lots of green leaves that are hangin in there, waiting for the gold. Sabrina is similar and getting blasted.”
On Tuesday (Oct. 8), there were very few leaves on the ground, but by 3 p.m. the winds had come up and “golden rain was starting up.”
As we have reported repeatedly, many groves are still Just Starting or Patchy. That means they have green, lime or yellow-lime leaves that will not drop because of wind.
That means peak color will continue to appear in coming weeks.