California Fall Color

Dude, autumn happens here, too.

In time for the fall election, the state capital city of Sacramento gets the votes of color spotters Amy King and Nicole Coburn, as popping with campaign-winning color.

75 – 100% – Sacramento - The City of Trees is aflame in red, orange and yellow with a display of fall color that is strong enough to stop political ads dead in their tracks.

Here’s a proposition… go now to see the urban forest of our state capital at its prime.  Great places to see color: Capitol Park, Land Park and the Fabulous 40s (residential areas along avenues 40 through 49 in midtown Sacramento).

Location: Sacramento, Calif.
Temperature: 57.2 °F
Humidity: 80%
Dew point: 51.8 °F
Wind speed: n/a
Wind direction: n/a
Cloud cover: n/a

75 – 100% – Urban Forests - Northern California’s urban forests have been peaking this past week with majestic London planetree and ancient Chinese pistache spreading colored branches across Land Park in Sacramento.  The San Francisco Bay Area is dressed with red, yellow, gold and orange in time for Thanksgiving Day reunions.  Though holiday lights will soon overtake this natural show in the northstate, Southern California has more color to show through December.

75-100% – Urban Forests - Urban areas throughout California are glowing colorfully in time for Thanksgiving Day.  Mild weather has contributed to keeping leaves and berries on the trees.  The colorful show has now descended among exotic trees to below 1,000 ft in elevation with Chinese pistache showing flame red, crabapples yellow to orange-red, Sycamores varying from chartreuse to burnt sienna, and plums radiating burgundy red.  Look for the color to continue through Thanksgiving week in the Sierra Foothills, Sacramento, Fresno and San Francisco Bay Area.

Color spotter and travel writer Barbara Steinberg saw this gingko tree on P Street in Sacramento this past Saturday.  She was so determined to get a shot of this colorful specimen that she returned with her camera the next day to take this shot.  Bravo for your persistence, Barbara!

30 – 50% – Butte County

Butte County’s trees are changing fast now.  The vibrant reds are out and the luscious golds are starting to pop.  The leaves are still on the trees and the color change is at 30%, more in the higher elevations of the Paradise/Magalia area.  Colors will intensify with the cold weather.

15 – 30% – Whiskeytown National Recreation Area

Based on reports from park rangers, the area around Whiskeytown Lake NRA isn’t showing significant color change; it is still about 15%.  The Chinese pistachios are showing a little color in the visitor center parking lot but others, like the liquid amber, are not showing any color.  With consistent cold weather, colors should start to change more quickly.

75 – 100% – Burney Falls State Park

There have been lots of changes in the trees up at Burney Falls in the last couple of weeks.  A California State Park ranger there reported the forest to be peaking with colors just beginning to fade.

75 – 100% – Lassen Volcanic National Park

Colors are at peak in the national park.  Cottonwoods & willows are in full color at Manzanita Lake with buff to yellow, but this past week’s storm did eliminate some of the color at Hat Creek.

Past Peak – Lassen National Forest

There is noticeable change throughout the forest.  Colors have peaked with many trees past peak, though there is still beautiful and dramatic color in protected areas such as Bogard Campground.

75 – 100% Modoc National Forest

The Warner Mountains are in 60-80% color change.  The aspens are a beautiful yellow.

Past Peak – Siskiyou County

The colors are past peak, although there is still some beautiful color in the town of Mt. Shasta.

75 – 100% – Trinity County

Many aspen, apple, pear & mulberry are showing their red and yellow fall colors.  To see the best color take the loop from Highway 3 to Trinity Dam Blvd, past Trinity & Lewiston Lakes & south to Highway 299.

75-100% – Plumas County

Abundant fall colors are at 100% in Plumas County with lots of variety!  Plumas County at the northern Sierra Nevada is always a good choice for varied color.

50 – 75% – Yosemite Valley

Rob Bohning provides this lovely photograph of dogwood glowing rose in Yosemite Valley.  Rob says the dogwood are at about 50% of color.  Yosemite Valley often shows the best fall color in late October to early November, although the sugar maple by the chapel turns first.  This year’s display was a bit muted, Rob suggested, again hinting that the show is running late this year… a phenomenon seen across California in 2010.

15-30% – Sacramento

Travel writer Barbara Steinberg says the cooling hint of fall has taken hold of her city with beautfiful color now beginning to appear in its urban forest.

15 – 30% – Sierra Foothills (West Slope)

Latrobe Road (El Dorado County) has the first flecks of yellow.  As you head along CA-49, CA-16 and CA-124, the color is just beginning to appear

Sacramento-based travel writer Barbara Steinberg comments to us this past week…

“I must say this really has been the most colorful Sacramento autumn I can recall. I guess the lack of rain and storms has kept the leaves on the trees…downtown Sacramento, Midtown, and surrounding neighborhoods are just beautiful. And a recent visit to Fairfield and Suisun Valley was much the same. The walnuts are green and yellow…vineyards are still showing their colors and clusters of grapes.  Still…I do wish it would rain.”