Entries by John Poimiroo

Hike of the Week: Doane Valley Nature Trail

Modern Hiker’s Scott Turner recommends the Lower Doane Valley Loop/Weir Trail as an easy three-mile hike on San Diego County’s Mt. Palomar in the Cleveland National Forest.  The trail has brief episodes of climbing (300-400′), but is otherwise smooth, well-traveled, easy to follow and travels past some fine black oaks with bold gold and orange […]

,

Peak of the Week: Valyermo

Valyermo (Peak 75-100%) — Usually, we find Frank McDonough reporting from the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, but this past weekend he traveled to Valyermo, a tiny community in the San Gabriel mountains.  He writes, “I was amazed at the intensity of the Fall color. It’s easily 70-80% there.” Valyermo has not been […]

,

Santa Cruz Nearly Past Peak

Santa Cruz (Peak 75-100%) — Color spotter Anson Davalos was “soaking up the nice waves and weather” this past weekend in Santa Cruz, while noting that landscaped trees are nearly past peak there, with Chinese pistache, sweet gum, pepper and autumn blaze maple providing hot spots of orange-red, yellow, and auburn. GO NOW!

,

LA County Arboretum Near Peak

Southern California is not often thought of as having much fall color, though its mountains have a reasonably long show, its urban forests can have beautiful color (when the Santa Anas don’t blow) and each year we can count on the LA County Arboretum & Botanic Garden to be the final celebrity to walk autumn’s red carpet. […]