First Report: Hat Creek Meadow Peaks
Hat Creek Meadow, Lassen Volcanic National Park (9/25/16) Shanda Ochs
Hat Creek Meadow, Lassen Volcanic National Park (9/25/16) Shanda Ochs
Manzanita Lake, Lassen Volcanic National Park (9/24/16) Shanda Ochs
Mountain Alder, Lassen Volcanic National Park (9/24/16) Shanda Ochs
Lassen Volcanic National Park color spotter Shanda Ochs recommends visiting Hat Creek meadow, where grasses and willows carpet it with “beautiful rusty orange, gold and yellow foliage.”
Meadow grasses provide an early show that doesn’t last long. Shanda believes the display at Hat Creek will wane, as leaves turn with approaching colder temperatures.
At Manzanita Lake, near the northwest entrance to Lassen Volcanic, lime-colored willow, alder and cottonwood ring the lake.
Hat Creek Meadow, Lassen Volcanic National Park (6,500′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Manzanita Lake, Lassen Volcanic National Park (5,900′) – Just Starting (0-10%)
Lots of pine bark beetle damage in Lassen, apparently.
We’ll ask Shanda Ochs or Karen Haner at Lassen VNP what the status of beetle infestation is. This is a major problem in the Southern Sierra, with over 60 million trees killed by the bugs. Fortunately, they aren’t hitting the deciduous trees as hard as they are to the conifers.
where exactly is Hat Creek Meadow? I dont seem to find it on any maps.
I would like to take my 90 year old mother for a nice day trip out of Sacramento to see the fall colors around Hat Creek. I am looking for suggestions for something visible from a paved road and a car as she doesnt walk very well.
It is on the Fall Color Map on this site, at the north end of Lassen Volcanic NP. That will be a long drive for a 90 year old in a day… 4 hours there and back. You might find it easier to drive to the Hope Valley (CA-88 – Carson Pass), which is only two hours from Sacramento. Though several areas in the Hope Valley have peaked, there still is good color. I suggest driving to the Hope Valley first, then lunch/picnic at South Lake Tahoe, perhaps a stop at Camp Richardson and return by Hwy 50. It’s still a long drive, but breaking the trip up with a stop for lunch makes it easier.