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East Side Roundup

North Lake, N Fork Bishop Creek, Inyo County (10/2/21) Steve Arita

Color spotter Steve Arita visited the east side this past weekend and offers this assessment:

  • North Lake, N Fork Bishop Creek, Inyo County (10/2/21) Steve Arita
  • North Lake, N Fork Bishop Creek, Inyo County (10/2/21) Steve Arita
  • North Lake, N Fork Bishop Creek, Inyo County (10/2/21) Steve Arita

North Lake (N Fork Bishop Creek Canyon – Inyo County) remains Near Peak (though that can change momentarily). He found several green sections, though “by the time those colors come out, the areas showing the most color most likely will have shed their leaves.” Steve notes that “while the colors are not as brilliant as last year’s season, North Lake is still beautiful.

Rock Creek Lake, Mono County (10/2/21) Steve Arita

 
Arita found the Rock Creek Lake area (9,705′), though nearly 500′ higher than North Lake (9,225′), to be “still very much ‘lime green'” with “the only bright colors … at the lake itself.” 

  • Aspen, McGee Creek Canyon, Mono County (10/2/21) Steve Arita
  • Rabbitbrush, McGee Creek Canyon, Mono County (10/2/21) Steve Arita
McGee Creek Canyon, Mono County (10/2/21) Steve Arita

At McGee Canyon, Steve hiked three miles to be “rewarded with beautiful fall yellows and even some bright reds.  Most of the colors are in and around the mouth of McGee canyon, although not full peak yet, but very close. Most all other colors along McGee creek are lime green with the exception of a few sections that were bright yellow.  McGee creek and canyon should be beautiful in the next 3-5 days.”

Sunrise, Mono Lake (10/3/21) Steve Arita
  • M. Fork Bishop Creek, below Lake Sabrina (10/2/21) Julie Kirby
  • Aspendell, M. Fork Bishop Creek (10/2/21) Julie Kirby
  • M. Fork Bishop Creek, below Lake Sabrina (10/2/21) Julie Kirby
  • M. Fork Bishop Creek, below Lake Sabrina (10/2/21) Julie Kirby
  • M. Fork Bishop Creek, below Lake Sabrina (10/2/21) Julie Kirby
  • M. Fork Bishop Creek, below Lake Sabrina (10/2/21) Julie Kirby
  • M. Fork Bishop Creek, below Lake Sabrina (10/2/21) Julie Kirby

Julie Kirby’s vibrant images of Bishop Creek Canyon attest to the beauty to be discovered there, though she writes, “while there are patches of yellow, and still greens, there is brown, well past peak, with some diminished foliage, and brown willows. But, it is still worth the drive. “The Day Use parking lot (the first small parking area) is usually spectacular, but is is DONE. … Two people said, yesterday (10/1) at Rock Creek was peak color – -spectacular.”

  • North Lake, N Fork Bishop Creek (10/3/21) Mike Caffey
  • Lake Sabrina, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/3/21) Mike Caffey
  • Sabrina Approach, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/3/21) Mike Caffey
  • Sabrina Approach, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/3/21) Mike Caffey
  • Surveyor’s Meadow, S Fork Bishop Creek (10/3/21) Mike Caffey
  • Weir Pond, S Fork Bishop Creek (10/3/21) Mike Caffey
Monitor Pass (drone) (10/4.21) Don Vilfer

Mike Caffey’s images of Bishop Creek Canyon and Don Vilfer’s aerial of Monitor Pass say one thing … GO NOW!

  • North Lake, N Fork Bishop Creek, Inyo County (9,225′) – Near Peak to Peak (50 – 100%) GO NOW!
  • M Fork Bishop Creek (Inyo County) (9,000′) – Near Peak to Peak (50 – 100%) GO NOW!
  • Rock Creek Lake, Mono County (9,705′) – Near Peak (50 – 75%) Go Now!
  • Upper Rock Creek Rd., Mono County (9,700′) – Patchy (10 – 50%)
  • Lower Rock Creek Rd., Mono County (7,087′) – Just Starting (0 – 10%)
  • McGee Creek Canyon (8,600′) – Patchy (10 – 50%) 
  • Mono Lake (6,378′) – Just Starting (0 – 10%)
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