Early Storm Knocks Color Down the Canyons

EASTERN SIERRA

75% -Past Peak — Bishop Creek. Snow fell at higher elevations in the Sierra past Friday evening, dusting the peaks and continuing through Saturday into the Buttermilks and White Mountains.  Color in the upper Bishop Creek drainage is now past peak.  At North Lake, most aspen at higher elevations are now bare of leaves and much of the yellow has become spotted with brown and black from freezing temperatures.  Those photographers and leaf peepers who ventured out into the storm still got a beautiful show of brightly yellow leaves covered with fresh snow, though winds were knocking off the turned leaves.

A lot of the aspen up the Bishop Creek drainage remain green, “particularly along the road to South Lake” reports Kahlee Brighton on CalPhoto.com, “Some are getting lighter, possibly preparing to change, however, it appears a number of these green trees are losing leaves and may not ever turn color before falling off. Everything looks very dry, so it will largely depend on the weather, especially winds. At mid-level in the canyon, there are a few groves with a rainbow of colorful leaves (green, yellow, orange and red), but also a lot of brown and black-spotted foliage.

15-30% — Aspendell and Intake II. Color is beginning to appear at Aspendell.  Kahlee reports that aspen below the village are “much lighter green and a few are tinged with yellow and orange. Same thing with Intake II.”

Kahlee said she spent Sunday afternoon at Rock Creek, “where it was snowing steadily, with light flurries just above Tom’s Place. It’s still primarily green up to the Sno-Park. After that, it’s a mixed color situation. There are some aspen groves with a combo of green, yellow and orange, but also a LOT of bare trees.

“I drove all the way up to the Mosquito Flat trailhead parking area. It was snowing heavily (thankfully, no wind or ice on the roads). Looked like white-out conditions in the distance. Color at the top was 95% gone. Lots of bare trees. What was left was brown, black and a touch of copper here and there. Looked like winter more than Fall!

“Around Rock Creek Lake, it was virtually deserted, snowing frequently and quite cold. The usually colorful aspens around the perimeter of the lake were losing color and leaves rapidly. Definitely past peak.”

Kahlee predicts that Rock Creek for the rest of autumn probably won’t deliver “the same kind of brilliant color seen in past years. The snow and harsher weather have painted a different kind of Fall landscape, rendering the beauty of this season’s offerings in much more subtle ways.

“This has been an interesting Fall season. Areas that were prime a week ago are done; lower elevations are still predominantly green. Anyone’s guess as to how the color will unfold in the days to come.”  To see Kahlee’s recent images visit http://www.flickr.com/groups/easternsierrafallcolor/.

WESTERN SIERRA

75-100% — CA-190. “krazkim” reports on CalPhoto that a lot of the aspen trees along California highway 190 in the Sequoia National Forest, east of Porterville have brown spots.  At the end of the meadow by Quaking Aspen campground (Sequoia National Forest) many of the trees have lost most of their leaves. Krazkim reported some color in ferns and aspen at Upper Peppermint campground, but a small amount of snow and ice pellets were falling yesterday, which could reduce color.

INLAND EMPIRE

San Gabriel Mountains – Raphael reports on Modern Hiker that he found beautiful displays of big leaf maple along riparian areas of Cooper Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains.  Some of these areas remain closed to fight lingering wildfires.

A Cold Snap Could Trigger Fall Color in the Northern Sierra and Shasta Cascade

NORTHERN SIERRA

15-30% — Plumas County.  The native foliage in Plumas county is presently two weeks from peak.  Often, exotic, ornamental trees lead the show and that’s true near the Beckwourth Ranger Station in Graeagle where the exotics are attracting interest with their bright colors.

Could the leaves be confused in Plumas County?  That’s Annette’s contention.  She works at Gray Eagle Lodge in the Lakes Basin area and has seen other areas of her county changing while her area has seen little change.  More likely, the color has been late to arrive because of the weather.

Until today, the weather has been temperate, but colder weather is arriving including a dusting of snow in the high country.  If the cold snap is limited to nighttime with days remaining warm, ideal conditions would exist to “get the color process going.  The best conditions for fall color are warm days and cold nights.

SHASTA CASCADE

15-30% — Lassen Volcanic National Park.  Shanda from the National Park visitor center reports that willow, serviceberry and currant are beginning to show at Hat Lake.  Shrubs and grasses have also turned.  The national park’s many groves of quaking aspen are still a couple of weeks from peak.

HIGH SIERRA

15-30% — CA-88.  Still a lot of green and lime-green showing, though groves of aspen are beginning to flicker in the Hope Valley (Carson Pass).

Mono County: Upper Rock Creek, June Mountain, Virginia Lakes Peaking

Eastern Sierra Fall Color Guide

FREE online at www.monocounty.org

CLICK HERE for the Eastern Sierra Fall Color Guide (seen at left).

Sarah McCahill recommends a hike into the high country to see the best fall color.  There’s lots of it to be seen if you’re willing to take a beautiful hike.  She reports the latest from Mono County:

30-50% — Crowley Lake.  Lots of bright yellow.  Should be close to peaking in a week to two.  Plenty of color to see and photograph.

0-15% — Lower Rock Creek Canyon.  Still green, though showing some signs of yellow.  Exit US 395 at Tom’s Place.

75-100% — Upper Rock Creek Canyon.  Upper Rock Creek Canyon is speckled with yellow, orange and red leading up to and around Rock Creek Lake.  Some stands are better than others.

50-75% — McGee Creek Upper Canyon.  Bring your hiking boots and a camera to see lots of yellow, orange and some red.  10 miles south of Mammoth Lakes off US 395.

30-50% — McGee Creek Lower Canyon.  Still mostly green with yellow and orange starting to show.  Wind hit some of the trees, but still good.

30-50% — Convict Lake.  This inkwell of a lake is lined with trees whose color reflects beautifully in the lake.

50 – 75% — Sherwin Mountains.  Lots of orange and yellow at higher elevations, descending to yellow-green at 7,000′.

10-15% — Mammoth Lakes Basin.  The jewel-like lakes in the town of Mammoth Lakes are just starting to turn yellow.

75-100% — June Mountain Ski Area.  Patches of orange decorate the upper slopes of June Mountain Ski Area.

50-75% — Parker Bench.  Full of bright orange color.

15-30% — Carson Peak.  Light green to yellow.

0-15% — June Lake Loop.  This drive offers one of the best places to see fall color from your car in the Eastern Sierra.  You pass a necklace of lakes that reflect the trees beautifully.  Right now, it’s still lime-green, with a little yellow starting to show.

15-30% — Lundy Canyon.  Light green to yellow aspens flickering.

75-100% — Virginia Lakes.  Lots of yellow, orange and red aspen and gold cottonwood are coloring the canyon.  Wind has knocked leaves from some trees.  Bring along your fishing rod.

15-30% — Conway Summit (Bridgeport) — Some yellow and hints of orange, though still mostly limey green.  Give it a week.

0-15% — Walker River Valley — Mostly green with hints of yellow.

Full Peak Above 9,000′

Fall color at higher elevations in the Eastern Sierra is peaking right now, with the overall display being exceptional.

Jared Smith of The Parchers Resort at South Lake in Inyo County reports that the majority of aspen below 8500’ still have a lot of green going on, but those above that elevation are glowing yellow, orange, red and auburn.

A big wind came through this past Tuesday night, but did not knock many of the leaves from the trees. Jared opined that “if the leaves can withstand Tuesday night’s wind and cold snap (17 degrees at Parchers – brrrrr!) there’s still a lot of great color.” So far, this has been an awesome year for fall color viewing. Here are the most recent reports:

EASTERN SIERRA

75-100% – South Lake (9,768’). Jared continues that the aspen at South Lake are ablaze, especially the groves at Boiler Cove, the Rock Slide on the west shore, and the patch in the back of the lake near the Long Lake inlet. The area did not experience the 80mph winds that had been forecast so a lot of the aspens were spared.

75-100% – Weir Pond (9,592’). This lovely pond is absolute at its best right now, according to Jared who reports the aspen surrounding the pond are showing brilliant color. We have lost a good number of aspen in the grove climbing up the hill to the west but the view at Weir is still breathtaking!

North Lake (9/29/09)

North Lake (9/29/09)

75-100% – Parchers Camp (9,260’). Who better to report about Parcher’s than Jared Smith who says the view from his porch at Parchers “is nothing short of spectacular right now. There is still a mix of green to go along with the yellows, oranges and reds, but it really doesn’t get much better than it is right now. We had some seriously cold weather at the camp last night but only time will tell if it was cold enough to kill off the color. As I write this report it is 18 degrees but the color is hanging tough at present.”

North Lake Road (9/29/09)

North Lake Road (9/29/09)

75-100% – North Lake (9,255’). Again, Jared reports (what are we going to do when his elevation is past peak?!) “The hillside above North Lake is brilliant right now. In some places the aspens have turned to a bright orange/red and it almost looks like the mountain is on fire, awesome stuff! I was also excited to find that arguably my favorite place in the canyon to take pictures, the North Lake Road, went from mostly green to bright yellow and orange in just a week. This is one of those places where even novice photographers can capture an image worth hanging on the wall. I would rate both the lake and road at nearly 100% if its fall scenic glory.”

North Lake Road (9/16/09)

North Lake Road (9/16/09)

Check out the before and after comparison shots of the North Lake poplar road to see how the color has changed from in the past two weeks.

75-100% – Lake Sabrina (9,150’). Typical of Lake Sabrina, it is delivering some of the best views in the canyon. Just like with South Lake, according to Jared, the forecasted winds could have stripped the glowing aspens bare and ended the photographic party here in no time. Thankfully Rick Apted, operator of the cafe and marina at the lake, only saw gusts to 41 mph and the majority of the aspens were spared. We are starting to see some of the trees past their peak but there are plenty that are still increasing in color.

Sabrina Camp (9/29/09)

Sabrina Camp (9/29/09)

75-100% – Sabrina Camp Groves (9,000). Jared comments that the aspens below Sabrina Camp that had offered such brilliant colors over the last few weeks are “now past peak and rapidly losing their leaves. Thankfully, the majority of trees at the campground and just above it are making up for that loss in a big way.”

75 – 100% – Lake Sabrina Approach (9,100’). Jared says the approach to Lake Sabrina just before the dam is another of his favorite shots in the canyon. It is now peaking later than occurred last year but with some exquisite color. There is still quite a bit of green mixed in with the red, yellow and orange so Jared says he’s hopeful the Lake Sabrina Approach will “stay good for a bit longer – mother nature is the boss, though, so who knows. I rated this in the 75-100% range but it is probably on the lower end of that scale with all the green that is left.”

75 – 100% – Willow Camp (9,065’). Jared writes, “Willow Camp is lit up presently, with most of the trees displaying brilliant color. There is still some green mixed in so if the weather cooperates we’ve got another week of good viewing here. The row of trees that lines the creek from the camp down to the Tyee bridge is looking fantastic right now, as is the approach coming up canyon towards Willow. Gorgeous!” Check out the comparison shots to see how it has changed in the past three weeks.

75 – 100% – Table Mountain Group Campground (8,845’). Aspen above and below Table Mountain Campground are as beautiful as Jared has ever seen them. He writes, “It seems to me that there is a bit more red and orange this year, a very good thing in my opinion. I would consider these areas to be very close to 100% of their peak. Surprisingly these groves are moving a bit slower than some of the other areas so hopefully the best of the color will stick around for another week or so.”

15-30% – Famous Mist Falls on South Fork Bishop Creek. Mist Falls remains very green, though Jared remarks, “a bit of yellow, and even a little orange, are starting to join the party. We’re still a ways off from the best of this areas color but it could start coming on fast in the next week, at least I hope so.”

Cardinal Mine South (9/29/09)

Cardinal Mine South (9/29/09)

50-75% – Cardinal Mine Area. Aspen by Cardinal Lodge are still “green as green can be but above the lodge and all the way up the hillside to the east of the Cardinal Mine towards Cardinal Pinnacle the aspens are looking fantastic. There are some really great shots available both looking up and down the canyon,” Jared reports.

Cardinal Pinnacle (9/29/09)

Cardinal Pinnacle (9/29/09)

0-15% Miscellaneous. Jared Smith reports that these areas have “tremendous concentrations of aspen which have almost no color yet: Aspendell, Big Trees Camgpround, the grove above Four Jeffrey, Intake 2, Intake 4 and the groves above Forks Camgpround are all in the 0-15% range present. Look for these areas to start to pop in the next few weeks if the weather holds up.”

30-50% — McGee Creek Canyon. Sarah McCahill in Mono County reports that she hiked up McGee Creek near Mammoth Lakes this week and “Wow, was it beautiful!” Photos she took show the transitional character of mixed aspen and cottonwoods in the canyon with lots of green evolving to yellow and gold. She says that at this elevation there’s still a lot of green. Some aspen groves are colored from 75 – 100% gold while others seem not to changing at all (0-25%).

GOLD COUNTRY

0-15% — CA-49 (El Dorado and Amador Counties). Just like panning for gold, it takes a bit of effort to find gold leaves in the Gold Country, right now. At 800′, sumac trees along CA-49, between El Dorado and Plymouth (El Dorado and Amador Counties), are beginning to flare bright yellow. A few black oak are flickering yellow-orange and flashes of red can be seen among the poison oak near the Cosumnes River. Although individual examples of fall splendor can be seen in the Gold Country, the Mother Lode region will not be fully colored until mid to late October.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Sacramento Bee columnist Rick Kushman describing Bishop Creek in the Eastern Sierra as, “a thousand-foot, Day-Glo waterfall of orange, yellow, gold and bright green.”

Photography copyright 2009 Jared Smith