Color spotter Michelle Pontoni ventured south of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory this week to find vineyards and shoot some late afternoon color to share with everyone.
From interstate 580 in Livermore, take South Vasco Rd to Tesla, she said. Going left on Tesla and right on Greenville Rd. take you past rows and rows of colorful vineyards beyond white fences.
“In the distance, the rolling hills are striped with alternating golds, reds, greens, and yellows. Signs along the way announce several wineries open for tasting.”
Livermore Valley – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Lots to love in Livermore (11/8/23) Michelle Pontoni
The last bits of color look brilliant against fresh snow in Mammoth Lakes (11/7/23) Angie Plaisted
Fresh snow and the very last bits of color made for some beautiful photos in Mammoth Lakes on Nov. 7.
It is a transitional time in the mountains and while the fall color has passed peak, there are still signs of the season winding down, such as bear tracks in color spotter Angie Plaisted’s driveway!
The bears and the fall colors are about to close out the season. Make plans to visit this area in 2024.
You know fall isn't quite finished when the bears are still out. (11/7/23) Angie Plaisted
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00Lara Kaylorhttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngLara Kaylor2023-11-08 13:35:312023-11-08 13:42:49Fall Fades Into Winter in Mono
Winter arrived in the High Sierra yesterday morning.
A dusting of snow frosted spent maple and aspen leaves at North Lake Tahoe. The area was already past peak, though the light snow made it official. You missed it.
On Interstate 80, orange black oak cover the hillsides between Dutch Flat and Alta. Black oak are peaking between 3,000 and 5,000′ throughout the western Sierra. Yosemite is glorious with them.
Peak color has now descended to the Sierra foothills and is filling the Central Valley with warm joy.
Philip Reedy stayed close to home this week and found color around his neighborhood in Davis.
“As a counterpoint to my recent 500-mile color trips to the mountains, today I took my grandson on a five-block tour of our neighborhood, where the trees have suddenly burst into color,” Reedy explained. “As my recent trips have made clear, the mountains are pretty much done for this year, but the valley is just coming into its own.”
The grandeur of Yosemite in the fall does not disappoint (11/5/23) Angie Plaisted
Yosemite is magical any time of year but especially as fall fades into winter, as color spotter Angie Plaisted discovered this week.
“Yosemite never disappoints, but yesterday was just incredible,” she said. “It was the most beautiful I’ve ever seen it, and we hit some areas I’ve never been to.”
The area is currently peaking and you should GO NOW to experience this national park gem at a special time of year.
Yosemite shines in the fall (11/5/23) Angie Plaisted
Fall colors are peaking around Yosemite (11/5/23) Angie Plaisted
Fall is the perfect time to explore Yosemite (11/5/23) Angie Plaisted
Fall foliage is peaking in Yosemite (11/5/23) Angie Plaisted
Jim Van Matre visited Big Bear last weekend and reports that it is definitely past peak.
“There are still some colors, mostly on the south shore,” he said. These photos are from the Bluff Lake area on county road 2N10. Around the neighborhoods of Big Bear there are a lot of colorful planted exotic trees, but most of the native trees are fading.
Make plans to visit this location in 2024 for more fall foliage opportunities.
Some color on the south shore (11/5/23) Jim Van Matre
Fall in Saratoga and Woodside (11/4/23) Vishal Mishra
Color spotter Vishal Mishra was excited to share that fall is slowly but surely picking up in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Mishra visited Saratoga and Woodside on Nov. 4 and reported the following: “Happy to share that, I finally have some colors picking up from the San Francisco Bay Area. We have not been lucky yet with the rain but it seems we can expect cooler temperatures in the coming days, so I am hoping for a fantastic fall foliage this year.”
Keep an eye on the Bay Area for upcoming GO NOW conditions.
Fall Saratoga and Woodside (11/4/23) Vishal Mishra
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00Lara Kaylorhttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngLara Kaylor2023-11-06 22:05:302023-11-06 22:05:53Down By the Bay
Color spotter Philip Reedy has done it again, going the extra mile to capture fabulous fall color photos.
“Last week I toured parts of Siskiyou County along the Upper Sac,” Reedy said. “This week my buddy John and I did another nearly 500-mile day east of Redding.”
The friends drove from Davis to Redding, then headed northeast along Highway 299 as far as Lake Britton. From there they spent some time at Lassen NP before heading back home.
“Our first stop along 299 was the very beautiful Potem Falls, about 40 miles from Redding and at a fairly low elevation of 1200 ft.,” Reedy said. “There are some very nice colors right now, mainly big leaf maples. Most of the Indian Rhubarb is still green and will hopefully turn in the next couple of weeks.”
From there they headed on to Burney Falls and Lake Britton.
“There are a lot of nice colors along 299 between the town of Montgomery Creek and Burney, with many of the mountainsides covered in colorful oak trees,” Reedy said. “Burney Falls is definitely past peak, so unless you just want to view the falls, don’t expect much in the way of color. Lake Britton still has a bit of color along the shore, but it is also fading fast and probably isn’t worth a long drive.”
They finished up at Lassen NP and Manzanita Lake where there was very little color left, just a few trees and grasses still wearing a bit of yellow and gold.
“I was there a year ago and the park was covered in nearly two feet of snow, but nothing yet this year,” he said. “Like Highway 299, Highway 44 has a lot of nice colors once you get to lower elevations on the road to Redding.”
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00Lara Kaylorhttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngLara Kaylor2023-11-05 22:44:332023-11-05 22:44:51Shasta County Steals the Show
We heard from color spotter Michelle Pontoni over the weekend when she spotted “exciting color” in Arcata. You should GO NOW! to this area.
She found it along both sides of West End Road and when she turned left onto Warren Creek Road.
As you approach the Warren Creek Trestle you are surrounded by huge trees of golds and yellows.
“Passing under the trestle takes us back to remembering the Annie & Mary Railroad in the ‘50’s when the foliage was sparse aside the same trestle,” she said of the area’s history.
Pontoni also warned against getting too distracted by the colors as you drive.
“Pay attention to the road as you take in the color. It is narrow and curvy. Watch for bicycles. “
Warren Creek Trestle and Mad River beyond (circa 1955) from Facebook North Coast Railroad History, unknown photographer - all credit to them!
On Friday, November 3 color spotter Hanna Summers came across some untraditional, but still stunning colors in Alviso, the southern most part of the San Francisco Bay.
“Not your traditional fall colors, but I could not help but share the beauty at the southern most part of the SF Bay that I saw in Alviso today,” she said. “The pickleweed was turning beautiful shades of red as were some of the other plants (iceplants and thistles)… not to mention the beautiful hues of orange, pink, and red in the water itself from the salt loving microbes!”
Fall is fall to us here and any color changes count in our book!
Colorful views in Alviso, SF Bay (11/3/23) Hanna Summers
Salt loving microbes join in the fall color fun in Alviso (11/3/23) Hanna Summers
Beautiful colors and views in Alviso (11/3/23) Hanna Summers
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00Lara Kaylorhttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngLara Kaylor2023-11-05 22:01:422023-11-05 22:05:06Untraditional in the South Bay
