Mono County Glows!
Mon ,03/10/2011
Scarlet Gilia and aspen leaves - 10/1/2011 - © 2011 Alicia Vennos
Fall color has arrived officially in Mono County (home to Rock Creek, Convict Lake, Mammoth Lakes, June Lake, Mono Lake, Lee Vining Canyon, Lundy Canyon, Virginia Lakes, Twin Lakes and Bridgeport).
Alicia Vennos send in this report and photos taken over the weekend. An early winter storm is just arriving, but we predict it won’t have much effect on the fall color, other than to dust high mountain peaks with snow, making for even more spectacular photographs and fall color views along the Eastern Sierra.
15-30% – Rock Creek -Half-way between Bishop and Mammoth, “Rock Creek is leading the charge with aspen about 5 miles up Rock Creek Road deep yellows, oranges and reds. The hiking
Aspen at Rock Creek Lake (10/1/2011) © 2011 Alicia Vennos
trail from East Fork to Rock Creek Lake is highly recommended!
Lundy Falls (10/1/2011) © 2011 Alicia Vennos
Lundy Canyon (10/1/2011) © 2011 Alicia Vennos
0-15% – Lundy Canyon – Lundy is just begun to turn, with rich gold and some orange. Along the Lundy Canyon hiking trail, the waterfalls are still amazingly full for October, and wildflowers continue to bloom, standing out against yellow aspen leaves – a rare photo opportunity.
Mono County Near Lundy Canyon (10/1/2011) © 2011 Alicia Vennos
15-30% — June Lake Loop is beginning to shift from yellow-green to orange.
30-50% – Parker Bench - Above June Lake, Parker Bench is showing a stunning blend of orange, red and yellow.
15 – 30% – U.S. 395 (Mono County) - Many of the aspen-lined creek beds (above Crowley, Laurel Canyon, just south of Mammoth and north of Lee Vining) along U.S. 395 are streaking the mountainside orange, red and yellow. Locals predict colder temperatures now arriving from an Alaskan storm, forecast to arrive on Wednesday, may hasten the fall color peak throughout the region, though it’s been our experience that storms only affect currently changed leaves, not those that haven’t turned. That means there’s lots of color yet to show throughout Mono County and the storm otherwise won’t reduce the color much.
30-50% – Virginia Lakes – High winds knocked turned leaves off the aspen surrounding Little Virginia Lake on Monday, color spotter Carolyn Webb reports. However, there’s still lots of color to be appear or be seen in the Virginia Lakes area. Carolyn writes, “Aspen are quite beautiful up and down the Virginia Lakes road to about 1 mile from the resort. At nearby Conway Summit, “aspen in protected areas are still yellow with some gold going into rusts.”
