Archive for category: Eastern Sierra

As Southern California color spotter Kathy Jonokuchi returned from the Eastern Sierra following a recent getaway, storm clouds were gathering as a Frémont cottonwood stood guard among the jumble of rocks that form the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine.

She snapped a picture of it with her camera phone, worrying that it might not be good enough to make the big screen, but this is just the kind of scene that John Ford would have captured in one of his westerns.

A lone tree stands resolutely against the elements, not ready to give up its autumn gold to the dark forces of winter. A last holdout, faithful to the end.

• Alabama Hills, Inyo County – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, You Almost Missed It.

If you head up the canyons near Bishop, you’ll be disappointed. The color’s not there. Stay in the Owens Valley and you’ll find it, beguiling, warm and embracing.

Here’s what Josh and Chardonnay McPherson discovered on a visit to the Owens Valley.

• A red and orange caboose complements trees in a Bishop front yard;
• Lower Rock Creek Rd. is now the only place you’ll find peak color along the famous fall color route that climbs to 10,400′;
• Signature cottonwood lift apricot-colored limbs toward azure skies beside naturally reflective canals;
• A bath house that opened in 1920 is surrounded by gilded garlands; and
• A church established in 1896 seems a timeless tribute to the faithful people of Big Pine.

There you have it. Beguiling, warm and embracing, just like the good folk of the Owens Valley.

• Owens Valley (4,000′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!

Weather and time-weary, these survivors of the smoky apocalypse that has finally lifted from the Eastern Sierra still carry golden and russett leaves that vary between Near Peak and Past Peak.

Clayton Peoples reports from Twin Lakes near Bridgeport that fall color varies from Near Peak to Past Peak, with patches of green.

He continues that Lower Lundy Canyon remains “lovely, though as one proceeds further up the trail, it is Past Peak. Specifically, areas below Lundy Lake (e.g. the campground) remain at Peak.”

Clayton reported a mix of Peak and Past Peak beyond the first beaver pond, with Past Peak from the second beaver pond up the trail. Ever the fall color optimist, he described Lundy as “still worth a trip.”

We’d say, however, that Clayton’s enthusiasm will only be shared until Halloween night, as whatever leaves remain are sure to drop soon thereafter like a pumpkin off the shoulders of the Headless Horseman.

Along the June Lake Loop, there’s both joy and disappointment. Joy has settled in as skies have cleared and the air quality is perfect. There’s also a bit of joy to be seen along the Loop, with a mixture of green and gold, but disappointing are many brown and stripped trees. The northern portion of the “Loop” tends to be better’n the southern portion.

While you will find bright Peak aspen lighting points along the Loop, Past Peak always hovers nearby like the decaying victims of the zombie apocalypse. So, we advise this is the last week to enjoy fall color in June Lake. The horror.

• Twin Lakes, Bridgeport (7,000′) – Near Peak to Peak (50-100%) GO NOW!
• Conway Summit, US 395 (8,143′) – Past Peak, You Missed It.
• Lundy Canyon (7,858′) – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, You Almost Missed It.
• June Lake Loop (7,654′) – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, You Almost Missed It.

If there’s a benefit to the haze that has smothered the Eastern Sierra this autumn, it is that it has transformed Bishop’s Buckley Ponds to golden ponds, as seen in Gary Young’s photographs.

Patchy color is transitioning to Near Peak there, as cottonwood, rabbitbrush, cattails and willows are similarly gilded.

Water fowl and raptors offer entertaining distractions to a Buckley Ponds visit. Location of Buckley Ponds is found on the California Fall Color Map (at right).

Two days earlier, Wally Tran found the following glimpses of final color along South Lake Road in Bishop Creek Canyon. The color has definitely dropped out of the canyon to lower elevations, though the images remain beautiful, as seen in Mark Harding’s images taken today.

• Buckley Ponds, Bishop (4,150′) – Patchy to Near Peak (10-75%) – Go Now.
• Bishop Creek Canyon (below 8,000′) – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, You Almost Missed It.

Poor June Lake. It’s such a spectacular fall color location … one of the most dramatic in California. Last year it never got off. This year, though the color has been good, smoke has suffocated the views and generated photographs smothered with pathos.

Now, it appears June Lake has peaked before the air has cleared.

The comparison between when Adarsh Dattani was there a week ago and Bruce Wendler’s iPhone XR snaps taken yesterday show the frustrating persistence of the Creek Fire’s haze and a gradual fall of leaves.

Bruce wrote that along the June Lake Loop, “leaves were dropping fast, making the creeks spinning with leaves.”

In contrast, the air is clear up Lundy Canyon and though the trees are dropping color, a lot remains to enjoy on the hike along Mill Creek.

Heading down US 395, Convict Lake is at peak, but also streaked with smoke.

And, as a sign of changing fortunes, cottonwood surrounding Bishop are now from high Patchy to Near Peak, in some places their color complements a soiled sky.

• Lundy Canyon (7,858′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
• June Lake Loop (7,654′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
• Convict Lake (7,850′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
• Bishop (4,150′) – Patchy to Near Peak (10-75%) Go Now.