http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2017-10-25 15:04:502017-10-26 16:00:11Plumas - About to Fall
After visiting Yosemite Valley this past weekend, David Olden wrote, “I can’t see any reason to wait.” He added, “Go now. Just do it.”
He found “most of the valley floor to be 75% to past peak, with small areas still in the 50-75% range. Low elevation dogwoods mostly yellow with some green and red just starting. (higher elevation dogwoods are peaking or gone).”
Olden reported that black oak on the valley floor are “in full glory as well as the bigleaf maple. Most meadows are showing golden grasses and even the ferns are showing their more subtle Fall yellow.”
Yosemite Valley (4,000′) – Peak to Past Peak – You Almost Missed It. GO NOW! JUST DO IT!
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Piru Creek Crossing, Los Padres National Forest (10/21/17) Naresh Satyan
Black oak, Los Padres National Forest (10/21/17) Naresh Satyan
Black oak are about to peak in the Los Padres National Forest (north of the San Fernando Valley in Ventura County), Naresh Satyan reports.
His party spent a few days hiking Alamo Mountain (Gold Hill Rd. southwest of Gorman, off I-5, via Hungry Valley SVRA) to find blooming rabbitbrush painting lower elevations of the SVRA.
Naresh wrote that continuing along Gold Hill Rd., “a nice patch of color is seen at the Piru creek crossing. Higher up, between 5000′ and 7000′, black oaks are at peak amidst a mixed-pine forest.”
Now, that’s the quick guide. However, Naresh wrote that, for the most part, “one has to go looking for color,” as the black oaks are not seen in all locations.
Piru Creek, Los Padres National Forest (10/21/17) Naresh Satyan
However, he did see rattlesnakes, condors (the area borders the Sespe Condor Sanctuary – a 53,000-acre wildlife refuge in the Topatopa Mountains, in northeastern Ventura County), peregrine falcons, lots of hawks, quail, and smaller birds.
Unseen, but evident from their scat and tracks were “deer, bear, and mountain lions.” Naresh concluded they were likely hidden from view due to it being hunting season.
A word of caution: When fall color spotting in areas where hunting is common, avoid wearing camouflage clothing. Instead, a blaze orange item or bright clothing is advised (humans see it, but hunted animals do not).
Alamo Mountain (7,380′), Los Padres National Forest – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Piru Creek, Los Padres National Forest (10/21/17) Naresh Satyan
Black oak, Los Padres National Forest (10/21/17) Naresh Satyan
Black oak, mixed pine forest, Los Padres National Forest (10/23/17) Naresh Satyan
It seems so appropriate to close out today’s postings with a couple of parting shots from Bishop Creek, and even more that they are bronze toned.
As, Bishop Creek is definitely Past Peak from top to bottom. The real action in Inyo County has moved to lower elevations: Pine Creek, Round Valley, Bishop, Buckley Ponds, Rawson Ponds, Big Pine and south.
Mark Harding could resist a last look at Bishop Creek today, which we now share.
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S. Fork Eel River, Redwood Highway (10/24/17) Max Forster
Bigleaf maple, Prairie Creek Redwoods SP (10/24/17) Max Forster
Bigleaf maple, Mill Creek, Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP (10/24/17) Max Forster
North Coast color spotter Max Forster estimates the Redwood Highway has another couple of weeks of peak color.
There’s a good reason there are so many state parks and a national park in the North Coast region, as it is full of wonderful foliage to see.
Here’s what Max found:
Humboldt Redwoods State Park – Peak (75-100%) – Avenue of The Giants will be seeing peak conditions throughout this week as bigleaf maple and creeping poison oak put on their display. The drive along US 101 in Mendocino County from just north of Willits into southern Humboldt County is also looking spectacular. GO NOW!
Redwood National Park & Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park – Peak (75-100%) – Bigleaf maple are at peak while most of the vine maple are just starting to turn. Best places to see color will be along Drury Parkway near the Big Tree parking area, Prairie Creek Trail from the visitor center to the Zig Zag #2 Trail and the road to Lost Man Creek. Roosevelt elk are still very active, at the tail end of the seasonal rut. Outside of the bulls protecting their herds of females, you can find groups of rejected bachelors, nursing battle wounds and damaged egos. GO NOW!
El Viejo, Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP (10/24/17) Max Forster
Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Park – Peak (75-100%) – Bigleaf maple along Mill Creek are at peak. The forest understory of vine maple, salmonberry, thimbleberry and cascara along Howland Hill Road will be peaking this week, making the drive through the heart of the park even more spectacular than usual. GO NOW!
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2017-10-23 21:53:142017-10-24 10:42:34Two Weeks Left on the Redwood Highway
Peak has moved up US 395 to Bridgeport, the Antelope Valley, Topaz Lake and the West Carson River.
Color spotter Jeff Hemming found little pockets of it around Bridgeport on Saturday, beside Little Walker Rd., lining Topaz Lake and beside CA-4 along the West Carson River.
US 395, North Mono County – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
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Trees are Just Starting to turn color in Chico, but it’ll be paradise when the Esplanade (seen above) is peaking. Then, it is one of the most fall-tastic boulevards in California.
What makes Chico’s Esplanade so exceptional is its blend of vibrant Chinese pistache and landmark Valley Oak that drape the roadway with fluorescent red, yellow, orange and lime leaves.
A trip to Butte County (northern California – CA-99) to see Chico’s peak fall colors is a favorite excursion of ours.
We make a point to stop at the Sierra Nevada brewery for lunch, visit its gift shop, tour one of Chico’s art galleries (they’re known for great galleries), then drive up the Esplanade, continuing north past peaking walnut orchards along CA-99 to Vina and the Abbey of New Clairvaux where an inspiring gothic vaulted interior from an 800-year-old monastery has been restored. It will all be peaking in two to three weeks.
Patrick Ranch, Durham (10/21/17) Danie Schwartz
Black oak, Paradise Lake (10/22/17) Cindy Lee Hoover
In nearby Durham (south of Chico – First Report), orchards arch roadways with changing color. This one is next to the Patrick Ranch on Midway Rd. Large walnut trees provide green, gold, yellow and rust colors at peak.
However, once you reach Paradise north of Chico (Yes, there is such a town), you’ll find the black oak to be at the high end of patchy. Bigleaf maple, vine maple, California buckeye, California ash, Northern California black walnut and miner’s dogwood all provide seasonal color at this elevation.
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Black cottonwood and Frémont cottonwood growing across the Round Valley northwest of Bishop are now peaking, reports Michael Morris.
Lee Foster and I visited this area a month ago and reported then that it would be spectacular at peak. Morris’ photographs confirm that prediction. This, quite likely, is the best show of peaking cottonwood in California.
If you’re in Bishop this week, we recommend that you set aside a little time to drive Pine Creek Rd. from Round Valley up into Pine Creek Canyon to see a mind-boggling ribbon of orange and gold cottonwood at peak beside Pine Creek.
Big Pine, US 395 (10/22/17) Michael Morris
Big Pine, south of Bishop is also at peak with cottonwood brightening the northern Owens Valley.
The show should continue to improve over this and next week in Big Pine, Bishop, at Buckley Ponds, in Round Valley and up Pine Creek Canyon.
In southern Inyo County, color spotter Mark Harding found Whitney Portal to be Past Peak with color now down to the campground, six miles west of Lone Pine.
Round Valley (4,692′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Big Pine (3,989′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Whitney Portal – Past Peak – You Missed It.
Whitney Portal Rd., Campground (10/22/17) Mark Harding
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Alena Nicholas spent Saturday exploring the lakes and trails that spur off from the Rim of the World Scenic Byway in the San Bernardino Mountains.
Lake Arrowhead (10/21/17) Alena Nicholas
Lake Gregory 10/21/17) Alena Nicholas
Black oak at Lake Arrowhead, Grass Valley Lake, Lake Gregory and nearby areas are at full peak speckling the forest with bold splashes of orange.
The San Bernardino range’s bigleaf maple, dogwood and aspen are now past peak, though observant spotters can find “color in pockets from Lake Arrowhead down to Crestline.”
Exotic maples, sycamore and liquidambar are also providing bright color in planted neighborhoods.
Big Bear Lake has peak color among its oaks, as well. Though, the aspen and dogwood are past peak. Here are some upcoming events at Big Bear:
Oct. 28 – Spartan Race
Nov. 3 & 4 – Big Bear Comedy Festival
Elsewhere in Southern California, Ryan Lumb reported that he had anticipated seeing Peak color on Mt. San Gorgonio (11,503′), but was disappointed to find it mostly Past Peak. And, Walnut color spotter Del Hossain had a frustrating trip to the Eastern Sierra, visiting locations that had already been reported here as being Past Peak.
Advice to readers: check this site the week before you travel to see reports from places you’ll be visiting. If the latest report for the location is peak color, by the time you travel it may be past peak. Peak color lasts only from a week to a few minutes at any given location, depending upon conditions (wind, rain, snow, overcast).
Always look at the date the photograph was taken. As, what you are seeing happened often days before. What you might see now or in a few more days will be very different than what’s shown in any photo. So, get there as fast as you can whenever we report “GO NOW!”
If there’s no report from the location you plan to visit, check locations at similar elevations near where you plan to visit. As, it’s likely the color at that latitude and elevation will similar.
Finally, if you don’t like what you’re seeing at a given location (because it’s almost Past Peak), then don’t go there. Instead, considertraveling somewhere else that’s shown nearing peak or having just peaked, as it will provide the best viewing experience.
We are grateful to Ryan and Del for their reports, as they will surely help others avoid missing the best color.
This is likely the last week of great color above 3,000′ in Southern California, as reports are now descending to locations in the valleys and basins of the southland.
Rim of the World, San Bernardino Mountains (5,174′) – Peak (75-100%) – GO NOW!
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Feather River Scenic Byway (10/21/17) Jeff Luke Titcomb
Feather River Scenic Byway (10/21/17) Jeff Luke Titcomb
Feather River Scenic Byway (10/21/17) Jeff Luke Titcomb
Indian Summer is the “spell of warm weather after the first frost.”
This American expression was first recorded in 1778 in a letter written to England, though its origins are uncertain.
Some attribute it to having come from areas inhabited by Native-Americans or because Indians were the first to describe it.
Beaver pond, Frenchman’s Lake (10/21/17) Parrish Todd
Packer Lake, Plumas County (10/22/17) Parrish Todd
Regardless of how it got coined, it is a pleasant period of warm weather following an early frost. That is happening now in the Shasta Cascade, where last week snow fell (see below). This week, temperatures are in the 70s and Peak color – appropriately – is being seen in the Indian Valley of Plumas County (northern Sierra).
Local color spotter Jeff Luke Titcomb writes that color is at peak, though that it will – like an Indian summer – soon be gone. Black oak dominate with deep orange leaves contrasting with their black limbs.
Yellow, chartreuse and red pop out at points along CA-89 and CA-70 on the route north, leaving the Sierra and entering the lower cascades at Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Indian Valley, CA-89 – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Manzanita Lake, Lassen Volcanic National Park (10/20/17) Larry Robbins
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