Full Peak Above 8,500′

If you have longed to see full peak up Bishop Creek Canyon in the Eastern Sierra, but have missed it in the past, this is the week.  GO NOW! Color Spotter Jared Smith of Parchers Resort reports “It is absolutely go-time for fall color chasers in the upper reaches of the Bishop Creek Canyon,” with some areas slightly past peak and many areas at peak.

Scenes like the following, taken at North Lake this past weekend by photographer Kimberly Kofala, will not last long in areas where color has changed, should strong winds arrive as predicted.

Overall Conditions Above 8,500′ Elevation – Peak (75 – 100%) GO NOW! Jared is rating all of the upper reaches of Bishop Creek Canyon at peak, due to a rapidly accellerating show of color.  Roadside aspen are just now yellowing, while red, orange and yellow hues are dominating the canyon walls to the east and west of South Lake Road and along Hwy 168 at higher elevations.  A concern is that the forecast calls for three straight days of wind with a chance of rain and snow showers, so urgency is recommended.  Of course, Jared notes that cooler temperatures will intensify color down the canyon, which could make next week “a real treat if the higher aspen can withstand the short cold snap in the forecast.”  Our recommendation is not to wait, but to GO NOW! Overall Conditions Below 8,500′ Elevation – Patchy (10 – 50%) The good news is that if you can’t go now, lower elevations are still mostly patchy with small yellow patches and bright lime green hues being prevalent.  With cooler weather ahead, Jared says he wouldn’t be surprised if the better views below 8,500′ start to really pop and develop brilliant color.

Peak (75 – 100% – Go Now!) – Weir Pond (9,650′) The hillside to the west of the pond is fully turned now with a few aspens giving up for the season. The aspen on the west side of the pond have really progressed quickly making for some exceptional reflection shots with green grass contrasted with gorgeous yellow, orange and touches of red. The view from the outlet is stunning with a great view of the Sierra Crest and the grass-lined pond below with color on either side of the small lake. There is still some green yet to turn, especially along the road, though Jared supposes that the next week will be the best of the best for this location, weather permitting.

Near Peak (75 – 100% – Go Now!) – Parchers Camp (9,260′) Parchers Camp is probably closer to the 75% mark with some lower-lying aspen yet to turn, but the hillsides surrounding the resort are on fire to both the east & west. The color here at the resort tends to stick around a while so he’s hoping to get at least another week of good color at Parchers Resort if Mother Nature can behave herself, a tall order in late September and early October. Fingers crossed.

Near Peak (50 – 75%) – Willow Campground  (9,000′) There is still enough green along the road and in the campground to keep this location at the near peak level but things are moving quickly with select trees showing nothing but green last week  now showing peak color. Especially brilliant are the trees on the right hand side of South Lake Road just past the campground with a nice dark granite backdrop behind them.

Near Peak (50 – 75% – Go Now!) – Sabrina Campground (9,000′) The aspen along Hwy 168 are at peak color with lots of red and orange to go along with yellow and some green from the pine. Inside the campground however things are not quite there yet. There is a lot of yellow near the entrance to the campground and some red/orange hues on the hwy side of the campground but there is still quite a bit of green yet to turn along the middle fork of Bishop Creek. Let’s hope the wind, which can be especially strong here, doesn’t strip the friendly aspens of their foliage too early.

Peak (75 – 100% – Go Now!) – Table Mountain Camp (8,900′) Jared’s favorite views from this area are on the canyon walls above and around the campground, both of which are as brilliant as they’re likely to get this season. Still quite a bit of greenery within the campground but it’s changing incredibly fast. This is certainly a “GO NOW!” spot.

Peak (75 – 100% – Go Now!) – Surveyors Meadow (8975ft) Some green is still hanging tough along the road but most of the aspen in this area have turned. One of the better areas in the canyon to spot some orange and red, the mountain to the west of South Lake Road and the trees along the creek are especially brilliant.

Peak (75 – 100% – Go Now!) – Lake Sabrina (9,150′) Color towards the back of the lake near the main inlet is going off in a big way right now with lots of orange to go along with yellow, some patchy red and a bit of green. The east shore, especially the aspen lining the high mark of the reservoir are also showing some orange and red. Jared hopes the color sticks around a bit here but this location is the most susceptible to wind so he’ll have to wait and see. Thankfully, just below the dam there is plenty of color yet to change and the slow moving stream and pond below the lake can be nearly as spectacular as the reservoir when the color pops.

Peak (75 – 100% – Go Now!) – North Lake (9,255′) Jared reports the North Lake area was a difficult area to grade with some significant green lining the famed road just past the lake and along the shoreline of the lake, but the vast majority of the fall color is here now with the hillside directly above the lake, the road approaching the lake, and the campground really looking spectacular. Some red, orange and yellow all found here. The outlet creek is a great place to view North Lake. GO NOW!

Patchy (10 – 50%) – Steiny Loop above Mt. Glen Camp (8,600′) It’s safe to say that about half of the color has started to go between Mt. Glen campground and the end of the Steiny Loop below Table Mt. Camp, possibly a touch more, but with the amount of green dominating the hillside at and below the campground, I’m still calling this patchy. The roadside aspen are really starting to turn making for a most scenic drive up canyon. More to come from this area.

Patchy (10 – 50%) – Mist Falls and the groves above Bishop Creek Lodge (8,350′) The color at the falls is a bit of the ordinary this year as just a few trees turned and are now losing their leaves while the vast majority of the color isn’t showing at all yet, just some lime green. This is a really good thing as regardless of what weather we see this weekend, this area should maintain its leaves allowing for the transformation to continue in the coming weeks.

Just Starting (0 – 10%) – Aspendell (8,400′) Pretty much the same report as last week although the lime green hue is lightening somewhat. Very few yellow branches within this small community as of now.

Peak – (75 – 100% – Go now!) – Groves above Cardinal Village (8,550) The color above Cardinal Village is in full effect with yellow painting the mountain from Cardinal Peak down to the mine. There is still quite a bit of green at Cardinal Village and below to Aspendell so I would expect more good stuff to come from this beautiful area.

Just Starting – (0 – 10%) – Four Jeffries Not much change this week, which again is probably a good thing with the weather coming. The more green we have, the safer we are in expecting good fall color well into October.

Just Starting – (10 – 50%) – Intake II Some nice color developing below the spillway at the Intake and some decent yellow on the mountain east of the lake, but the aspen surrounding the lake itself remain primarily green, although lightening somewhat over the past week. Just Starting – (0 – 10%) – Big Trees Campground A few early-bird trees are starting to go but barely any color here yet. This is another late blooming color location which hopefully will pop come October. [weatherlayer country=”United States” city=”Bishop”]