NBC believes seeing California Fall Color is “Worth The Trip.” The network’s LA, Bay Area, San Diego and Sacramento stations have been regular followers of CaliforniaFallColor.com and several just posted the above review on their websites.
Thanks NBC’s California affiliates for being such great supporters of CaliforniaFallColor!
Dogwood, Round Valley Canyon (9/19/17) Jeff Luke Titcomb
For our first report from the Shasta Cascade, color spotter Jeff Luke Titcomb sends these snaps of dogwood and Virginia creepers beginning to show color in the Round Valley Canyon and Taylorsville areas of Plumas County.
Plumas County (3,432′) – Just Starting (0 – 10%) – Look for spots of turning color in Round Valley and near Taylorsville.
Rock Creek (9/19/17) Josh Wray
Josh Wray of @VisitMammoth made us laugh today with his report that fall color in the Lakes Basin is still so minimal that it’s probably not worth a trip just to see it, though… the fishing is GREAT!
Rock Creek (9/19/17) Josh Wray
Rock Creek (9/19/17) Josh Wray
Fall Color Hiker (9/19/17) Josh Wray
That about sums up the lower elevations in the Eastern Sierra, though color has moved into the Patchy range near 9,000′.
Now, while the Lakes Basin might be better for fishing, the hike Josh and his best friends took showed that light jackets are required… a good sign for fall color futures.
Here’s Josh’s entire report:
Mammoth Lakes Basin (8,500′) – Just Starting (0-10%) – There are a few places where the color is changing but it’s so minimal that I would not recommend making a special trip up there specific to fall color viewing. That being said the fishing is GREAT up there right now.
Lake George (9,000′) – Just Starting
Mammoth Rock (9,100′) – Just Starting (0-10%) -– Some of the hillside is starting to change, but again no big color shifts. We should see this spot and the rest in the area drastically change after this cold snap.
Laurel Meadow (9,000′) – Just Starting (0-10%) – About half way up Laurel Meadow, the high-clearance 4×4 road is starting to show color shifts. It’s still in its early stages, but because it’s above 9,000′, next week there’ll be more to report in a week. CLICK HERE for Instagram shots taken by Emily Summers on 9/19/17.
Rock Creek (9,000′) – Patchy (10-50%) – Upper Rock Creek is the go-to spot in Mono County for anyone looking for “early” fall color. Of course, “early” is relative, as Rock Creek is late compared to where it was in recent years. There are lots of light-green trees, some yellow and even splashes of orange and red among the aspen. In a week this location will be all-time!
Quaking Aspen, Virginia Lakes (9/19/17) Jeff Simpson
Jeff Simpson tells us that the aspen in Mono County “seem a little reluctant to let go of summer.” Like other areas of the Eastern High Sierra, peak color is delayed about a week.
“There is some lovely color beginning along the upper section of Rock Creek Road, Virginia Lakes Road, Lobdell Lake Road and Sagehen Summit. For hikers, there is some great color about 2 miles up McGee Canyon Trail above the first creek crossing. These locations will be the first to show color and will be perfect in the next 5-7 days,” Jeff reports.
And, while the trees are slow in turning color, lots of wildflowers are still blooming near 10,000′, particularly along creek beds in the Saddlebag Lake/Sawmill Campground area.
Virginia Lakes (9/19/17) Jeff Simpson
Sagehen Meadow (9/20/17) Alicia Vennos
Rock Creek Lake (9/19/17) Alicia Vennos
Virginia Lakes (9,819’) – 10-50% Patchy – The leaves are just starting to turn lime green with the exception of a few early achievers like this grove located near the parking lot of Big Virginia Lake. (And yes, that’s still snow on the mountain from last winter!) For more adventurous leaf peepers with AWD or 4WD vehicles, take the Dunderberg Meadow Road to Sinnamon Meadows and Green Creek for additional aspen groves and views of Conway Summit.
Sagehen Summit (8,139’) – 10-50% Patchy – Sagehen Summit is the closest to a “Go Now” designation in Mono County. Sagehen Meadow is showing a mixture of greens, yellows and oranges with nearby Johnny Meadow equally as close. This will be your best shot at peak colors over the next week.
Upper Rock Creek (9,600’) – 10-50% Patchy – Color is just starting to show up around Rock Creek lake but should be really getting pretty early next week. Take the Mosquito Flats trail, Hilton & Davis Lakes Trail or Tamarack Bench Trail into higher elevations for more color.
Lobdell Lake Rd. (9/19/17) Jeff Simpson
Lobdell Lake Road (8,600”) – 10-50% Patchy – Lobdell Lake Road was just getting started on Tuesday with mostly green and lime green foliage. Plan to see the colors here in about 10 days! Note: Burcham Flat Road to Lobdell lake Road are dirt roads – AWD or 4WD vehicles are recommended.
McGee Creek Canyon (8,600’) – 10-50% Patchy – For hikers, there is some great color about 2 miles up McGee Canyon Trail above the first creek crossing. Leaves around the campground and US 395 are still green.
Eastern Sierra Fall Color Map (2017)
CLICK HERE for a .pdf of the new California’s Eastern Sierra Fall Color Map for Inyo and Mono Counties.
Quaking Aspen, Hope Valley (9/15/17) Phillip Reedy
Dan Clark, editor of TasteCaliforniaTravel.com called this week to talk fall color. Dan’s blog combines “what’s great in wine, beer, fine dining, places to stay and places to visit” across California.
Over the years, we’ve traded news about exploring California, and Dan was preparing for autumn.
Today, he published an article about CaliforniaFallColor.com and what makes our autumn so special. To read it and more from TasteCaliforniaTravel, CLICK HERE.
Groves Above Cardinal Village, Bishop Creek (10/2/16) Daniel Stas
Want to combine your fall color spotting with a special event? Here’s a list of upcoming events near Bishop (US 395) and what areas are likely to be peaking.
Fourth Week of September
Fall Color is predicted to be patchy to near peak up Bishop Creek Canyon
First Week of October
Fall Color is predicted to be near peak to peaking up Bishop Creek Canyon
Second Week of October
Fall color is predicted to be past peak at the highest elevations of Bishop Creek Canyon, though near peak to peaking at lower elevations.
Third Week of October
Fall color is predicted to be past peak in Bishop Creek Canyon, though peaking in the Round Valley to Pine Creek.
Fourth Week of October
Fall Color is predicted to be peaking in and around Bishop (Buckley Ponds and Rawson Ponds).
First Week of November
Fall Color is predicted to be peaking to past peak in and around Bishop.
Quaking aspen, Hope Valley (9/15/17) Phillip Reedy
With just four days to go before the Autumnal Equinox, anxious readers have been asking, “What’s happening!?” So, we reached out to our network of color spotters and received these reports.
Bishop Creek Canyon – Just Starting to Patchy – Jared Smith of the Parcher’s Resort says it’s been “very odd weather wise” all summer. He said unseasonably warm August temperatures have delayed the emergence of fall color high up in Bishop Creek Canyon, west of Bishop (Inyo County). However, Jared says, “there’s been a marked difference in the past four days, since we began waking up to frost on the ground.” Still, the aspen are “super spotty,” though changing rapidly. Jared plans to provide a more extended report this week. So, stay tuned.
For those of you who’ve never had the delight of staying at Parcher’s, it’s at 9,200′ in elevation and surrounded by great fly fishing and aspen forests. The resort has so few cabins that it’s often difficult getting one, but here’s an insider tip… reserve a cabin there anytime after Mule Days (a Bishop tradition over the Memorial Day Weekend) during the first two weeks of June and you’ll be treated to a beautiful, uncrowded time of year. The fishing is out of this world, as is the welcome by Parcher’s knowledgeable staff. And, you’ll be able to see the aspen dressed in their freshest green.
Quaking Aspen, Hope Valley (9/15/17) Phillip Reedy
Hope Valley – Just Starting – Phillip Reedy found these jewels carried downstream in the Hope Valley. Phil cautions that it’s still to early to see much color, but if you’ll be there, look down to find colorful harbingers of what’s coming.
North Coast – Just Starting – Max Forster reports that bigleaf maple are beginning their show of gold and bright yellow along spots along the Redwood Highway (US 101).
Mendocino County – Just Starting – Koleen Hamblin reports that autumn marks the arrival of Mendocino County’s coveted candy cap, chanterelle, porcini and hedgehog mushrooms. Mendocino County is a hotspot of mushroom hunting with 3,000 varieties sprouting there, 500 of which are edible. CLICK HERE for a link to fungi foraging sites, tours, walks, rides, botanical gardens and cooking classes… all happening in Mendocino County during autumn. This is such a fun fall outing, that we plan a followup report on it.
Colorado – Patchy – North Coast color spotter Walt Gabler said a mid September drive through Colorado found lots of patchy yellow in the aspen. What’s happening in the Rockies is what should be happening in the Sierra, were it not for the hot August we experienced.
Lassen Volcanic National Park – Just Starting – Darrell Sano found lots of still-green aspen along the road to Butte Lake inside Lassen Volcanic National Park. The same was happening in Chico and along state highways 36, 44, 89, 128, 299, as he criss-crossed northern California.
Weaverville – Just Starting – Darrell reports that this scenic and historic town survived this past summer’s wildfires, though stretches of twisted metal and the burnt out remains of homes and cars left by the fire provide a surrealistic landscape through which to pass. Weaverville’s bigleaf maple and black oak are still standing by the Trinity River, so the color should be dramatic against the ashen landscape.
Lake/Napa/Sonoma Vineyards – Just Starting – Darrell tasted a little wine country, returning via Clear Lake to Pope Valley, seeing the lushly green vines along highway 29 and the Silverado Trail loaded with fruit.
Berkeley Hills – Just Starting to Patchy – The exotics are speckled with saturated eye candy in the Berkeley Hills says SF Bay Area color spotter Darrell Sano. He sends these shots taken while wandering the Berkeley Hills, yesterday. Now, that’s a happy wanderer.
Berkeley Hills (9/17/17) Darrell Sano
Berkeley Hills (9/17/17) Darrell Sano
Sunflower Helianthus SP, Berkeley Hills (9/17/17) Darrell Sano
Luculia Gratissima, Berkeley Hills (9/17/17) Darrell Sano
Dogwood, Berkeley Hills (9/17/17) Darrell Sano
Japanese Maple, UC Berkeley campus (9/17/17) Darrell Sano
Bear Creek (11/1/15) Robert Kermen
Over 75 volunteer “color spotters” (our term for contributors) submit photographs and reports to CaliforniaFallColor.com each autumn.
To be one of them is very easy. Email photos within a few days of when they were taken* to editor@californiafallcolor.com. Include the photographer’s name, date the photo was taken and the location where the photo was taken.
If you know the foliage seen in the photo (particularly if it is unusual or wouldn’t be evident to us), please describe it (e.g., bigleaf maple, black oak, silver willow, etc.).
Photos should be** high resolution, particularly if you’d like them considered as one of the best photos of the week. The week’s best photos are (with photographer’s permission) sent to major broadcast and print media and they won’t accept any photo less sized than 300 dpi. Photographers are credited and get valuable recognition/exposure.
Reports should include: % of color change (Just Starting, Patchy, Near Peak, Peak or Past Peak) at the location, the name of the location, roads (e.g., take Rock Creek Rd. east from US 395), date visited and any helpful information (e.g., “The trail is steep for the first 500′. but then levels out for the two mile hike to the lake. A grove of peaking aspen is found at the western side the lake trail.”).
Reports and photos can also be posted CaliforniaFallColor’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Though, emailing photos and reports is the best way to get them on this site.
Thank you and happy wandering!
* Historic photos, like Robert Kermen’s shot of Bear Creek (seen above), are published – on occasion – days or even years after they were taken, but only to illustrate an article that is not time-sensitive. Fall color reports only use photos taken during the previous week, in order to present what can be seen at that location.
** Please don’t hesitate sending a photograph just because it isn’t 300 dpi. Pictures taken with mobile devices often get included in our reports.
Hot rod, hot color, hot photo at Bishop Creek (10/2/16) Daniel Stas
In the second of our new series of driving tours, here are recommended drives near Bishop. Again, these are based on historic peak.
Bishop Creek Canyon – Peak Color: from the last week of Sept. to the first week of Oct., though areas of peak color can be enjoyed from mid Sept. to mid Oct. From downtown Bishop (US 395), take W. Line St. (CA 168) toward the Sierra Nevada. Bishop Creek Canyon has three main fall color areas: South Lake, North Lake and Sabrina Lake. For your safety, please pull off to the side of the road and park at lots, campgrounds and turnouts. Foliage: Quaking aspen, willows.
Round Valley to Pine Creek – Peak Color: early October. Take US 395 north from Bishop to Pine Creek Rd. at Mesa. Travel west through Round Valley, passing cadmium yellow rabbitbrush. Golden cottonwood glow along Pine Creek. Continue up Pine Creek Canyon to groves of aspen growing beside Gable and Pine creeks.
Buckley Ponds and Rawson Ponds, Bishop – Peak Color: Mid Oct. to early Nov. Take E. Line St./Polenta Rd. east toward Airport Rd., then south to Shober Ln, then east to the Buckley ponds. Clusters of landmark cottonwoods and colorful grasses grow along the edges of the ponds. The Rawson Ponds are near the Owens River between E. Line and Warm Springs Rd.
Reports just received (text and email) from Inyo County indicate that fall color is moving from just starting to patchy at the highest elevations in Bishop Creek Canyon.
No photos have been supplied, but expect to see spotty splashes of yellow among otherwise green to lime aspen above 9,000′.
Locals anticipate it moving quickly from patchy to near peak next week.
Bishop Creek Canyon (8,000′ – 9,768′) – Just Starting to Patchy – Splashes of yellow are emerging above 9,000′