A Painter’s Palette of Peak
Green Valley Lake, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Big Bear Lake, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Big Bear, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Big Bear, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Big Bear, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Green Valley Lake, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Green Valley Lake, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Green Valley Lake, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Green Valley Lake, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Rim of the World, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Rim of the World, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Black oak, Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Grass Valley Lake, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Aspen, Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Aspen, Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Lake Gregory, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
Lake Gregory, San Bernardino Mountains (10/14/18) Alena Nicholas
A painter’s palette of lime, yellow, orange and red is daubing the San Bernardino Mountains with vibrant Peak color.
From Big Bear, down to Lake Gregory, successive bursts of bigleaf maple, Frémont cottonwood, quaking aspen and black oak are exploding like fireworks over Big Bear Lake.
San Bernardino Mountains color spotter Alena Nicholas estimates Peak color will continue for a week to two, unless high winds hit again.
Nicholas said that several now peaking trees were “wind chaffed” from the most recent storm. Though, colder nighttime temperatures are helping to intensify the display.
Despite the cooler weather, Alena noticed that boaters, anglers, hikers and mountain bikers are still out enjoying the outdoors.
The San Bernardino Mountains’ famous Rim of the World drive is just beginning to lighten. “It was nice to see the iconic cloud cover down below,” Alena said, adding that in a week to two, an evening drive along it will provide an irresistible blend of fall color and sunset light. 
- Green Valley Lake (7,200′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
- Big Bear (6,752′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
- Lake Arrowhead (5,174′) – Near Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
- Grass Valley Lake (5,058′) – Peak a(75-100%) GO NOW!
- Lake Gregory (4,554′) – Patchy (10-50%)