Serviceberries at Big Bear
Big Bear Lake (9/27/20) Trent Vierra 
Serviceberry bush, Big Bear Lake (9/27/20) Trent Vierra
Surrounding the town of Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains, the national forest is officially closed, but a forest closure does not mean the trees stop what they do naturally.
Fall color is Patchy (10-50%) at Big Bear Lake, though serviceberry bushes, as local color spotter Trent Vierra found, are Near Peak.
Serviceberry bush, Big Bear Lake (9/27/20) Trent Vierra 
Big Bear Lake (9/27/20) Trent Vierra 
Black oak, Big Bear Lake (9/27/20) Trent Vierra
Trent took these from the forest hillside behind his cabin in the Moonridge area. He admits that his “little hillside seems to be much farther along than other areas, probably due to it being north-facing. The serviceberry bushes on the hillside, which are pictured, are very golden, while the one by our deck is more green. Black oak, also pictured, on the hillside are about 40% changed into their beautiful autumn russet color.
“Elsewhere around town, the bigleaf maple and some cottonwood are starting to turn, about 40% or less as well. On the drive up the 330, some willows and ferns are beginning to change and there are cool, shaded pockets, especially after the dam on the way into town, where there is some really great golden color in the deciduous ground cover,” Trent posted in a very thorough and appreciated report.
Serviceberry (Amelanchier), deciduous shrubs within the rose family, have beautifully delicate blossoms in springtime and the Autumn Brilliance variety is rich with deep orange and red in fall. The shrub needs little care or attention, though occasional pruning will accentuate its form and remove dead, crossing or dry stems.
- Big Bear Lake (6,752′) – Patchy (10-50%)
Do you think the foliage will be good the weekend of 10/17 or will it likely be past peak?
Nanci,
You’ve posed an impossible question to answer. If you mean will there still be peak color to see at Big Bear, probably not, but unquestionably there will be peak color to see somewhere in the San Bernardino Mountains, as long as the national forest reopens. Presently, it is closed.
Here’s how to use this site as a research tool. First, search by when you plan to visit using the Search by Month/Year tool on the right side of the page. Then go to the place where color was peaking on the day you plan to visit. It will probably be good that day, as fall color is often consistent in California within a week.