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Cardinal Gold

Cardinal Village, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/15/22) Gary Young

Red is the color usually associated with “cardinal,” but Bishop color spotter Gary Young tells us the groves behind Cardinal Village in Bishop Creek Canyon have now turned to gold.

Living in Bishop, Gary is blessed with golden opportunities to photograph great color. Earlier this autumn, he drove up the canyon at day’s end when glorious color was unexpected to capture one of the two best images of fire in the sky shown on this site, this season.

That was a fortuitous bit of scouting that became golden. Though, even Gary would say the current peak at Cardinal Village’s was predictable. That location had been reported as Just Starting for weeks. So, it was inevitable that the aspen would eventually turn. Cardinal Village is now gilded and Aspendell is sure to follow.

Major creds to Gary for making his own luck, anticipating peak and venturing into the forest at just the golden moment.

Cardinal Village, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/15/22) Gary Young
Cardinal Village, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/15/22) Gary Young
  • Cardinal Village (8,550′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW!
  • Aspendell (8,400′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now.
  • Intake II (8,000′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW!
  • Big Trees Campground (7,800′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now.
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Virginia On Fire

Virginia Lakes Rd, Mono County (10/15/220 Curtis Kautzer

Virginia Lakes was rated past peak last week. That didn’t stop Curtis Kautzer from exploring and finding an aspen grove halfway up the road that is on fire.

“It’s hard to miss,” Curtis reports, as there are “tons of peeps there.”

Virginia Lakes Rd, Mono County (10/15/220 Curtis Kautzer
  • Virginia Lakes Rd (8,800′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW!
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Goin’ to the Chapel

Lake Mamie, Mammoth Lakes Basin (10/14/22) Angie Plaisted

This is a good time to be in Mammoth Lakes which has been experiencing clear skies and warm days making for great fall color spotting in the Eastern Sierra. The Lakes Basin is at peak with color spotters making novenas to the Twin Lakes, Lakes Mary, Mamie, George, Horseshoe and the Twin Falls Overlook. 

Angie Plaisted was there yesterday and photographed a copse of trees at Lake Mamie, and later, the forest chapel, an outdoor location where weddings often occur. It occurs to me that the copse of trees ought to be called the forest chapel, as they have spiritual beauty.

In the autumn light, willows and aspen near Lakes Basin shores glow as if lit by clerestory windows.

Lower Twin Lakes, Mammoth Lakes Basin (10/14/22) Angie Plaisted

Average temperatures are predicted to decline steadily this week, though skies are expected to remain clear. This means that while the Lakes Basin will move past peak in coming days, areas near Mammoth Lakes (Convict Lake, June Lake, Parker Lake) should be beautiful.

Brothers and sisters, yes, it’s time to visit the chapel of fall color … Mammoth Lakes.

Meadow flora, Mammoth Lakes Basin (10/14/22) Angie Plaisted
  • Mammoth Lakes Basin (8,996′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW!
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Lundy At Last!

Beaver Ponds, Lundy Canyon (10/12/22) Mark Harding

Lundy Canyon (northwest of Mono Lake) is now peaking and prime to be hiked. It is one of the best fall color hikes in California, if not the best.

What makes it so good is that it has it all .. gorgeous color, wildlife, decaying cabins, lakes and ponds, waterfalls (3) and breathtaking views throughout. Modern Hiker describes it as a 3.9 mile hike that takes 3 hours to do and has a 800′ gain.  We describe it as pure joy.

If you have never hiked Lundy Canyon, now’s the time, as it is now Hike of the Week.

 

Beaver Ponds, Lundy Canyon (10/12/22) Mark Harding
  • Lundy Lake (7,881) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now.
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Peeling The Onion

Onion Valley (10/12/22) Mark Harding

Photographers have been peeling layers off of Onion Valley this autumn. First Soyoung Kim hiked beyond it to Kearsarge Pass. Now, Mark Harding shows a wriggling strip of color climbing Independence Creek.

Hiking out of Onion Valley is considered to be epic. Modern Hiker describes the hike from Onion Valley to Mount Whitney as a long hike that allows the hiker to experience some of the best high country in both Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, avoiding the brutal climb from Whitney Portal.

Most readers of California Fall Color are not out for as big a hike as the one from Onion Valley affords, though the drive up to Onion Valley Campground is one that introduces an alpine experience without the effort. And, the twisting ascent to the campground (top picture) is the sort of narrow, fragile climb experienced classically in the Alps by struggling cyclists. It is a vicarious layer to be peeled from this onion.

Independence Creek, Onion Valley (10/12/22) Mark Harding
  • Onion Valley (9,600′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW!
  • Big Pine Creek (7,660′) – Past Peak, You Missed It.
  • Whitney Portal (8,374′) – Past Peak, You Missed it.
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Mountain Blue

Mountain Bluebird, Lobdell Lake Rd (10/10/22) Mark Harding

This Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) sure found the right spot to observe fall color in Mono County. Mark Harding spotted it atop a bare perch along Lobdell Lake Rd.

Mountain bluebirds prefer high elevations and open woodlands. They migrate in late fall. So, this snowbird might eventually fly over the Sierra to the foothills or down through Nevada to Arizona once the berries are off the bush. 

Mark Harding spotted it while spotting fall color along the road and at nearby Molybdenite Creek. Also spotting the thrush was a Red Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). Red Tailed Hawks prefer squirrels for dinner, but a bluebird is also on the menu.

Numerous reports of spectacular peak color have prompted us to declare Sonora Pass and Lobdell Lake Rd as Drive of the Week. Mark’s photographs reinforce that decision.

Molybdenite Creek (10/10/22) Mark Harding
Red Tailed Hawk, Lobdell Creek Rd (10/10/22) Mark Harding
  • Lobdell Lake Rd (8,600′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW!
  • Molybdenite Creek (7,865′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW!
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Over The Top

Lobdell Lake Rd (10/8/22) Jeff Simpson

Fall color is over the top at many Mono County locations, including its passes: Monitor, Sonora and Tioga, but don’t delay. Peak has now dropped to between 8,000 and 8,500′.

Drive of the Week is the Sonora Pass to Lobdell Lake and return. Lobdell Lake Rd is the best it’s been seen in recent years. AWD is recommended. Include a sunset visit to the east side of Sonora Pass.

Peak of the Week is Lundy Canyon. Though now Near Peak, it should be fabulously colored in coming days.

Conway Summit (10/11/22) Patrick Griley
McGee Canyon (10/8/22) Jeffrey Lu
June Lake Loop (10/12/22) Jeff Simpson
Bodie Hills (10/7/22) Jeff Simpson
Swager Creek (10/6/22) Jeff Simpson

ROCK CREEK CANYON

  • Upper Rock Creek Road (9,600′) – Past Peak, You Missed It.
  • Middle Rock Creek Road (8,500′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW!
  • Lower Rock Creek Road (7,500′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now.

CROWLEY LAKE/MCGEE CREEK, CONVICT LAKE

  • Crowley Community (6,949′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now. – Closer to 50% in town, but brilliant up the hill.
  • McGee Creek Canyon (8,600′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW! – There is a mix of color in McGee Creek Canyon, with Peak at the campground near US 395 and a blend of Peak and Past Peak groves all the way to the top.
  • Convict Lake (7,850′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now. – It’s perfect at the back left corner of the lake, while still green in some sections. Should be perfect for the coming 10 to 14 days.

JUNE LAKE LOOP

  • June Lake Loop (7,654′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now. – The June Lake Loop just topped 50% and still has many green areas, plus peaking stands. Colors are best near the June Mountain parking area, Silver Lake and Rush Creek.

BENTON & 120 EAST 

  • Sagehen Summit (8,139’) – Past Peak, You Missed It.

LEE VINING / LUNDY

  • Tioga Pass (9,943′) – PEAK to Past Peak, Go Now, you almost missed it.
  • Lee Vining Canyon (6,781′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now. – Just topped 50% and will continue to improve through the weekend.
  • Lundy Lake & Canyon (7,858′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now. – Still green near the campground, but brilliant higher up and around the lake. Lundy is Peak of the Week.

BRIDGEPORT / VIRGINIA LAKES / DUNDERBERG / SUMMERS

  • Twin Lakes (7,000′) – Patchy (10-50%) – Approaching Near Peak.
  • Bodie Hills (9,419′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW! – Last call for the upper elevations.
  • Virginia Lakes (9,819’) – PEAK to Past Peak, Go Now, you almost missed it. – This is last call for the Virginia Lakes. There are green areas up the road, but at the lake and beyond, it’s peaking or now past peak.
  • Conway Summit (8,143) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW! – You’ll see everything at Conway Summit, from deep orange groves to past peak. It’s a gorgeous mix of textures.
  • Summers Meadow (7,200′) PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW! –  Peaking colors from the road to the top of the mountain with sections of red and crimson.

LOBDELL / SONORA PASS/ WALKER / COLEVILLE / TOPAZ 

  • Lobdell Lake Road (9,274′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now. – Great groves with color while other sections are still very green. Drive of the Week is Sonora Pass to Lobdell Lake Road.
  • Sonora Pass (9,623′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW! – Full peak, but won’t last much longer.
  • Monitor Pass (8,314′) – PEAK (75-100%) GO NOW! –  The groves just east of the pass are the best seen there in years. 
  • West Walker River, Walker, Coleville and Topaz (5,200′) – Patchy (10-50%) – Still not ready. Should be Near Peak in two weeks.
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I Heart Sabrina

Sabrina's Heart, Lake Sabrina, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/11/22) Angie Plaisted

Little seen or known to most visitors to Lake Sabrina is that a heart of Quaking aspen grows along the hillside to the right (north slope) and behind the store at the lake. You have to be on the south slope looking across the lake, as Angie Plaisted was, to see it.

Angie scores a First Report for being the first color spotter to capture an image of Sabrina’s heart. She accomplished this first at one of the most photographed fall color locations in California.

Fall color is largely Past Peak at Lake Sabrina, but it’s still not without its beauty, as her cell phone images show.

The Hidden Heart, Lake Sabrina, M Fork Bishop Creek (10/11/22) Angie Plaisted
  • Lake Sabrina (9,150′) – PEAK to Past Peak, you almost missed it.
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Kearsarge Pass

Kearsarge Pass (10/10/22) Soyoung Kim

Kearsarge Pass lies on the Sierra Crest at 11,709′ beyond Onion Valley (9,600’). Because Onion Valley usually has disappointing fall color, few collor spotters venture past it in search of autumn brilliance. Soyoung Kim was an exception, posting a First Report for Kearsarge Pass and making it Hike of the Week.

The pass (named after a nearby mine which was named in honor of USS Kearsarge which defeated CSS Alabama during the American Civil War) is a favorite hiking route that travels from Onion Valley in the Eastern Sierra, west to Kings Canyon National Park.

The Onion Valley is at 9,600′ though she found an Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja naja) still blooming at a high elevation. The wildflowers grow up to timberline, attracting hummingbirds to its tasty nectar, so wrote old friends Lynn and Jim Wilson in their guide, Wildflowers of Yosemite.

Indian Paintbrush, Kearsarge Pass (10/10/22) Soyoung Kim
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Bishop Wears White

S Fork Bishop Creek (10/10/22) Betsy Forsyth

Bishop Creek Canyon wore white today as snow, hail and rain wet the canyon. With temperatures in the high 30s, nothing stuck. But, anytime a storm passes, peak color is lost.

 A good deal of that occurred today, but it did not end the development of fall color in the canyon. A lot of peak color remains, particularly on groves that were Near Peak, Patchy or Just Starting. The most telling image in the below package is that of Willow Camp. Compare that to the same view in the report “On The Road Again” posted on 10/9. It shows Willow Camp’s trees loaded with peak leaves.

Fortunately, the storm was a one-day affair and no precipitation is predicted through the coming week.

As seen in Betsy Forsyth’s photographs, cloud cover can act like an overhead softbox that diffuses light, eliminates shadows and enhances color. Though, such light lacks the ability to stimulate intensity and vibrance as seen on a clear day when leaves are backlit with daylight.

One aspect of California Fall Color not found elsewhere is that our wildflower blooming season often extends into autumn and it’s possible to see blue, pink and red wildflowers near the warm oranges, reds and yellows of autumn leaves. So keep your eye open for such a coincidence when hiking trails in the Eastern Sierra, as Betsy did on today’s exploration.

North Lake Rd, N Fork Bishop Creek (10/10/22) Betsy Forsyth

UPDATED 10/11

Southern Inyo County

  • Whitney Portal (8,375′) – Past Peak, You Missed it.
  • Onion Valley (9,600′) – PEAK (75 – 100%) GO NOW!
  • Big Pine Creek (7,660′) – Patchy (10-50%)
  • Big Pine (3,989′) – Just Starting (0-10%)

Bishop Creek Canyon

Bishop Creek Canyon evolved quickly since this past weekend. All areas above 9,000′ (with the exception of North Lake Rd) are now Past Peak. Peak is now at 8,500′ with the Mist Falls (S Fork Bishop Creek) at its glorious best.

There is a huge grove of Patchy (green and yellow) aspen near Mountain Glen Camp that will continue to develop over the coming week. As will be reported next, Intake II is wonderful – a Near Peak poetic mix of forest green, lime, yellow, orange and red. This is certainly a GO NOW situation for Bishop Creek Canyon, as it all could be gone within a week.

South Fork, Bishop Creek

  • South Lake (9,768′)  Past Peak, You Missed it.
  • Weir Pond (9,650′) – Past Peak, You Missed it.
  • Parcher’s Resort (9,260′)  Past Peak, You Missed it.
  • Willow Campground (9,000′)  Past Peak, You Missed it.
  • Surveyor’s Meadow (8,975′) – PEAK to Past Peak, Go Now, You almost missed it.
  • Table Mountain Camp (8,900′) – PEAK to Past Peak, Go Now, You almost missed it.
  • Mountain Glen Camp (8,850′) – PEAK (75 – 100%) GO NOW!
  • Mist Falls and the Groves Above Bishop Creek Lodge (8,350′) – PEAK (75 – 100%) GO NOW!
  • Four Jeffrey (8,000′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now.

Middle Fork, Bishop Creek

  • Lake Sabrina (9,150′) – PEAK to Past Peak, Go Now, you almost missed it.
  • Sabrina Approach (9,100′) – PEAK (75 – 100%) GO NOW!
  • Sabrina Campground (9,000′) – PEAK (75 – 100%) GO NOW!
  • Groves Above Cardinal Village (8,550′) – PEAK (75 – 100%) GO NOW!
  • Aspendell (8,400′) – Patchy (10-50%)
  • Intake II (8,000′) Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now.
  • Big Trees Campground (7,800′) Patchy (10-50%)

North Fork, Bishop Creek

  • North Lake (9,225′) – Past Peak, You Missed it.
  • North Lake Rd (9,000′) – PEAK to Past Peak, Go Now, You almost missed it. 

Bishop

Towering cottonwood are now crested with gilding in the midday light throughout the Owens and Round Valleys.

  • Bishop (4,150′) – Just Starting (0-10%)
  • Buckley Ponds (4,150′) – Just Starting (0-10%)
  • Rawson Ponds (4,150′) – Just Starting (0-10%)
  • Owens Valley (4,000′) – Just Starting (0-10%)

Northern Inyo County

  • Lower Rock Creek Rd ((7,087′) – Patchy (10-50%)
  • Round Valley (4,692′) – Patchy (10-50%)
  • Lower Pine Creek Canyon (7,000′) – Patchy (10-50%)
  • Pine Creek Pack Station (7,.400′) – Near Peak (50-75%) Go Now.