Bishop Creek Canyon at Full Peak – GO NOW!

Surveyor’s Meadow, Bishop Creek Canyon (9/26/13) Krisdina Karady

Now is the optimal time to travel US 395 to Bishop and tour the Bishop Creek Canyon.  Almost all areas of the canyon are at full peak.  Peak color will continue at lower elevations in coming weeks, but not much longer at higher elevations.  Photos are showing that wind is beginning to brush turned leaves from trees, so GO NOW!

Jared Smith provides this report from Parcher’s Resort in the Bishop Creek Canyon.

GO NOW! – 75 – 100% – Overall Conditions above 8,500 ft  – The higher reaches of the canyon is going off right now with many areas peaking, some areas nearing peak and a few of the highest areas past peak. There is still a fair amount of green along the roadside between Mt. Glen Campground and Willow Camp but the aspen everywhere else is showing big time color. We did have some serious wind this week along with a little snow which stripped a few exposed groves but the majority of the color survives and is going strong.

GO NOW! – 30 – 50% – Overall Conditions below 8,500 ft – Quite a bit of color showing between Bishop Creek Lodge and Table Mountain Camp but there still a whole lot of green showing as well. Below the lodge the green is beginning to turn to a bright lime but very little yellow is showing. On the middle fork, Aspendell and Cardinal Lodge are lightening quite a bit but most of the brilliant color is above Aspendell.

Location Specific Reports

GO NOW! – 75-100% – South Lake Rd above Mt. Glen Camp (8,600 ft) – Most of this stretch is nearing or at peak color with the green remaining mostly along the road. The next 7 days will likely be the best bet for these groves.

30 – 50% – Mountain Glen Campground (8,400 ft) – Quite a bit of color developing here but the best is definitely yet to come. This area is closer to 30% than 50% color.

30 – 50% – Mist Falls and the groves above Bishop Creek Lodge (8,350 ft) – This area is certainly changing but is progressing slower than many of the other areas, good news for those planning to visit over the next two to three weeks. The majority of the yellow is just above or to the right of the waterfall.

GO NOW! – 50 – 75% – Groves above Cardinal Village & Aspendell    (8,550 ft) – The groves above Cardinal Village are fully turned and look spectacular with the crest in the backdrop. The lower lying aspen around Cardinal Village and Aspendell still contain a lot of green but most have started to turn from a dark green to a bright lime green.

GO NOW! – 75 – 100% – Sabrina Campground (9,000 ft) – Tons of color popping here still. Along the road there is still quite a bit of red, orange and yellow. The campground is turning now as well.

0-15%% – Forks, Four Jeffries, Big Trees & Bishop Park Camgrounds (8,000 ft – 8,300 ft) – No yellow to speak of in these areas but the aspen are certainly turning to lime green in most of these areas. These areas tend to peak quite a bit later than the higher reaches of the canyon so look for these areas to start looking their best around the end of the month or early October depending on the weather.

GO NOW! – 50 – 75% – Table Mountain Camp (8,900 ft) – There has been quite a transformation here over the past week with much of this grove going from lime green to hues of orange, yellow and red in just a few days. There are still some beautiful lime green aspens mixed in with the brilliant fall color making for a great contrast of colors.

GO NOW! – Peak Color – Surveyors Meadow (8,975 ft) – This area is currently in full peak color. Some of the highest aspens were stripped due to wind this week but the majority of the aspen are absolutely brilliant right now including the trees along the road and along the stream. It’s unclear how long this area will hold onto the peak color but we’re hoping at least a week more. Some really cool red hues are showing on the hillside just above the meadow looking towards the Tyee Lakes Ridge.

GO NOW! – 50 – 75% – Willow Campground (9,100 ft) – The color along the road is finally starting to pop while the grove on the mountain above the camp and to the south of the campground are fully turned. Plenty of green still left here which brings the overall rating down to the current mark.

Parcher’s Camp (9/26/13) Krisdina Karady

GO NOW! – 75 – 100% – Parchers Camp – While some green persists on the resort grounds, hills all around are lit up with yellow, orange and a tad bit of red. The wind did strip one grove clean but the majority of the aspen survived.

GO NOW! – 75 – 100% – Weir Pond (9,700 ft) – The grove above the pond was mostly stripped by the wind but there is still color there. Having said that, the aspen all around the pond and along the road are really popping and look amazing. There is still some color left to turn but it’s pretty dang close to peak color here.

Sabrina Approach, Bishop Creek Canyon (9/26/13) Krisdina Karady

GO NOW! – 75 – 100% – Lake Sabrina (9,150 ft) – The aspen at the lake have actually peaked or are at peak while the groves just below the dam are looking super bright and quite stunning. The slow moving creek below the dam provides excellent reflections of the color during parts of the day.

North Lake Road, Bishop Creek Canyon (9/26/13) Krisdina Karady

GO NOW! – Peak Color – North Lake (9,255 ft) – North Lake consists of varied elevations and groves which pop at different times making this a difficult area to rate. The grove above the lake have already peaked and some of the grove has been stripped by the wind. However, the aspen surrounding the lake, below the lake and along the road are in full peak color and look amazing. Still some green left to turn along the dirt road section before the pack outfit turnoff so it should be great for a while yet.

30 – 50% – Intake II  (8,100 ft) – The groves above the lake have fully turned and the groves on the far side of the lake along the shoreline are starting to turn quite nice. The aspen in the campground and on the west shore are still quite green with just a little yellow turning.

Pine Creek Canyon, Inyo County (9/23/13) Bart Godett

Pine Creek Canyon – Good Depiction of 15 – 30% Change (9/23/13) Bart Godett

Pine Creek Canyon, Inyo County (9/23/13) Bart Godett

15 – 30% – Pine Creek Canyon (7,000 ft) – Color spotter Bart Godett sends photos of orange and yellow appearing in Pine Creek Canyon at Upper Mine and near lower Morgan Lake, north of Bishop.  This is the first report we’ve received from Pine Creek.  Thanks, Bart! If you spot color in an area not seen on this site, take a picture and send it with a report to editor(at)californiafallcolor.com.