Temporary New Look

CaliforniaFallColor.com apologizes to our readers for the recurring Internal Server Errors, which have kept users from seeing the site, off and on.

We’ve been working hard to find the cause of the problem and suspect it may be our graphical theme.

So, for the next few days the familiar black and orange theme of the site will be removed and replaced with another look in order to see if that could be what’s creating the problem.

We hope to have our theme colors back up, as soon as possible. In the meantime, keep looking for fall color!

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Giving Thanks and Looking Back at 2014

Remembering Lake Sabrina at Peak (10/1/14) Jared Smith

Remembering Lake Sabrina at Peak (10/1/14) Jared Smith

June Lake (9/28/14) Nicholas Barnhart

June Lake (9/28/14) Nicholas Barnhart

North Lake Road (10/1/14) Jared Smith

North Lake Road (10/1/14) Jared Smith

Lundy Canyon (9/28/14) Alicia Vennos

Lundy Canyon (9/28/14) Alicia Vennos

Aspen, Kirkwood Lake Rd (10/5/14) John Poimiroo

Aspen, Kirkwood Lake Rd (10/5/14) John Poimiroo

Fremont Cottonwood (10/5/14) Nick Barnhart

Fremont Cottonwood (10/5/14) Nick Barnhart

Conway Summit (10/11/14) Susan Holt

Conway Summit (10/11/14) Susan Holt

Aspendell (10/16/14) Steve Wolfe.

Aspendell (10/16/14) Steve Wolfe.

40th Ave., Sacramento (10/25/14) John Poimiroo

40th Ave., Sacramento (10/25/14) John Poimiroo

The Redwood Highway (10/26/14) Walter Gabler

The Redwood Highway (10/26/14) Walter Gabler

Methodist Church, Quincy (10/28/14) Mike Nellor

Methodist Church, Quincy (10/28/14) Mike Nellor

Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Mt Shasta (11/4/14) Cory Poole

Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Mt Shasta (11/4/14) Cory Poole

Napa Valley (11/6/14) Marc Hoshovsky

Napa Valley (11/6/14) Marc Hoshovsky

Bigleaf maple (11/11/14) Alena Barnhart

Bigleaf maple (11/11/14) Alena Barnhart

Valyermo (11/16/14) Frank McDonough

Valyermo (11/16/14) Frank McDonough

Lake Silverwood (11/16/14) Nicholas Barnhart

Lake Silverwood (11/16/14) Nicholas Barnhart

Cook's Meadow, Yosemite NP (11/23/14) Susan Taylor

Cook’s Meadow, Yosemite NP (11/23/14) Susan Taylor

Autumn 2014 didn’t live up to its predictions.

Back in August, when leaves first began to turn, some forecast that California’s third year of drought would diminish the show of fall color.

Instead, as Jared Smith’s photograph of Lake Sabrina shows, it was spectacular.

Here’s how autumn shaped up:

  • CaliforniaFallColor.com’s first “fall color report” was published on August 13, a week later than in 2013.
  • Our first GO NOW! alert was reported on September 17, also a week later.
  • Our first Peak was reported on Sept. 23, five days later than last year.  That first peak coincided with the first day of autumn (Autumnal Equinox).

So, 2014 was not the earliest of shows, but it defied early critics and became remarkable for its long-lasting and breathtaking color.  If the third year of record drought in California had any effect, it was to stress trees in specific and limited areas, resulting in drier leaves that dropped more quickly, but that was an exception.

The drought’s dry weather continued through autumn, meaning that California had mostly clear, sunny days and cold nights, with little wind or precipitation.  Those were ideal conditions for development of great fall color.

Look back through our archives and you’ll see why CaliforniaFallColor.com claims California to have the longest-lasting, most diverse and most spectacular autumn in America. No other area of the country compares.

The photographs submitted by amateur and professional photographers support that claim.  If you happen to like a particular photograph you’ve seen on this website, look for the photographer’s link at left or Google them.  Many sell their photographs.

Today, although autumn continues until Dec. 21, CaliforniaFallColor.com pulls back its reporting. We stop sending weekly updates and photographs to California meteorologists, travel and outdoor writers, because we’ve learned, over the years, that even though autumn continues for several more weeks, public interest in autumn wanes after Thanksgiving Day.

Nevertheless, if you happen to see some beautiful fall color, send a photo to us at editor(at)californiafallcolor.com or post it on our FB page.

There is still a lot of beautiful fall color to be seen in San Francisco, down the San Francisco Peninsula, in the South and East Bay, in California’s vineyards, in the historic mining towns of the Gold Country, in the Central Valley, throughout Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, and in the Deserts.

Fall color will continue to warm the landscape and our hearts well into December.

 

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Eastern Sierra Moves From Fall to Winter

Convict Lake (11/2/14) Nicholas Barnhart

Convict Lake (11/2/14) Nicholas Barnhart

June Lake Loop (11/1/14) Nicholas Barnhart

June Lake Loop (11/1/14) Nicholas Barnhart

Lundy Lake (11/1/14) Nicholas Barnhart

Lundy Lake (11/1/14) Nicholas Barnhart

Silver Lake (11/1)14) Nicholas Barnhart

Silver Lake (11/1)14) Nicholas Barnhart

Mono Lake (11/1/14) Nicholas Barnhart

Mono Lake (11/1/14) Nicholas Barnhart

Mammoth Lakes (11/2/14) Nicholas Barnhart

Mammoth Lakes (11/2/14) Nicholas Barnhart

Owens Valley (11/2/14) Nicholas Barnhart

Owens Valley (11/2/14) Nicholas Barnhart

Great fall color photographers are patient.  They’re willing to wait past sunset for the alpenglow or get up early for the morning light.  They don’t quit when everyone else says peak has passed. They go to unexpected places and find glory.

Great fall color photographers are methodical. They plan their shots, considering the calendar and locations they discovered previously and have banked away as worth returning to another day.

Great fall color photographers capture scenes others will never get.

Snow blanketed higher elevations in the Eastern Sierra this past weekend.  Most fall color photographers packed away their cameras when it had peaked a couple of weeks before, but not Nick and Alena Barnhart.  They’re great fall color photographers.

This past week, Nick called to say he and Alena were making one last trip to the Eastern Sierra, and if possible, cross over Tioga Pass to Yosemite.  That wasn’t possible, as the pass closed for winter, but they did bring back images few others got. Here’s what they found in Mono County and the Owens Valley as fall and winter collided.

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Fall Hikes With Your Dog

Dogtrekker.com

Dogtrekker.com

DogTrekker.com is devoted to dogs, their owners and finding companion-filled fun in the great outdoors and on the road.

This week, editor Janet Fullwood described hikes to take in Mendocino, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Santa Barbara and Redding, several of which are along fall-colorful trails. Thanks DogTrekker for also giving a nod to CaliforniaFallColor for our fall color reporting.

As reported here previously, CaliforniaFallColor is a proponent of putting “pieds” to path and what better way to do that, than with your pet? Of course, finding trails that are open to dogs, that allow off-leash hiking and that include an uplifting view or destination can require a bloodhound’s nose.

So, before I grab their leash and say to Murray and Ditto, “Let’s go for a walk!”, I turn to  DogTrekker.com or ModernHiker.com for good advice on dog-friendly trails.

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Great Weather, Great Color

Spooner Lake (10/12/14) Jonathan Jahr

Spooner Lake (10/12/14) Jonathan Jahr

This autumn has had ideal conditions for development of spectacular color: warm, sunny days, cold nights and very little wind, rain or snow. That’s resulted in lush color throughout California.

Comparing 2014 to 2013, the color is peaking a half week to a week earlier.  If drought has had any influence on color development, it may be the reason why areas that were holding as patchy went to full peak within a day or two.  However, without wind, the color has held nicely.

Even areas that peaked are dropping leaves slowly, leaving developing color to provide a beautiful show, longer than we’ve seen peaks last, in past years, as seen in this photo posted by  Jonathan Jahr of a trail near Spooner Lake (Nevada side of Lake Tahoe) on California Fall Color’s page, today.

Best bets for the coming week include: June Lake, Lower Bishop Creek Canyon, Hope Valley, Lake Tahoe and the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains.  Wind is, of course, always a concern and strong breezes on Sunday afternoon may spell trouble for peaked trees. Look for Plumas county to approach peak in the next two weeks.

Colorful Week in California

S Fork Bishop Creek (9/27/14) Steve Wolfe

S Fork Bishop Creek (9/27/14) Steve Wolfe

Steve Wolfe spent his Saturday in Bishop Creek Canyon where he took these photos of the color.

Surveyor's Meadow (9/27/14) Steve Wolfe

Surveyor’s Meadow (9/27/14) Steve Wolfe

Oak Lake, Granite Bay (9/27/14) John Poimiroo

Oak Lake, Granite Bay (9/27/14) John Poimiroo

Sabrina Lake (9/27/14) Steve Wolfe

Sabrina Lake (9/27/14) Steve Wolfe

Heavenly Mountain Resort at Lake Tahoe is reporting three inches of new snow, but the snows appear to have missed the Eastern Sierra, as evidenced by Steve Wolfe’s shots of Surveyor’s Meadow and Sabrina Lake.

At Oak Lake in Granite Bay this liquidambar was indicating the color it usually presents in November.

This past week, Valerie Nellor sent this lovely shot of Indian Rhubarb, which had us reflecting on the great color yet to appear in Plumas County.

North Lake Anglers (9/21/14) Kimberly Kofala

North Lake Anglers (9/21/14) Kimberly Kofala

Red Aspen, Bishop Creek (9/21/14) Kimberly Kofala

Red Aspen, Bishop Creek (9/21/14) Kimberly Kofala

And, we had to share two lovely moments that Kimberly Kofala captured a week ago in Bishop Creek Canyon.

Indian Rhubarb (9/25/14) Valerie Nellor

Indian Rhubarb (9/25/14) Valerie Nellor

California Fall Color Looks Back at Autumn, 2013

On the last day of autumn, we look back at some of our favorite photographs of 2013, while expressing thanks to all who contributed photos and reports.

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Special thanks are expressed to Inyo County, Mono County, Mammoth Lakes Tourism, Redding Convention & Visitors Bureau, Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association, Humboldt County C&VB, and The California Parks Company for making California Fall Color possible. A special nod to Ron Tyler for helping to create this Animoto video.

How Federal Shutdown Affects Color Viewing

This week’s shutdown of federal facilities has not limited fall color viewing on most federal lands.  Only areas with gated admission, such as national parks, have been closed.  U.S. Forests and BLM lands remain largely open, though services are – for the interim – not available.  Since federal offices are closed, it’s not possible to get answers to whether a land area remains open or not.  This site and our Facebook page will carry reports of closures, as received.

Magnificent Magnolias – A Winter Show

Magnolias, Golden Gate Park (file photo) David Kruse-Pickler

Magnolia denudata (file photo) David Kruse-Pickler

Magnolia campbellii, Darjeeling (file photo) David Kruse-Pickler

Magnolia cambellii (file photo) James Gaither

With a succession of three winter storms lashing Northern California today, it seems appropriate to blog about winter color, though as soon as the storms pass, there’ll still be a few weeks more of fall color to report.

Each winter, one of California’s most distinctive and colorful shows of foliage is seen at the San Francisco Botanical Garden where nearly 100 rare and historic magnolias erupt in a fragrant riot of vibrant pink and white flowers.

This floral spectacle is worth planning a trip to San Francisco to see.  Some of the ancient trees reach 80 feet in height and peak from mid-January through March.  Visitors to the Garden can take advantage of free Magnolia Walk maps, docent-led tours, special signage and more to celebrate and learn about these magnificent trees.

San Francisco Botanical Garden is home to the most significant magnolia collection for conservation purposes outside China, where the majority of species originated. Its current collection includes 51 species and 33 cultivars, including many prized examples from Asia.

This unique and long-standing collection began in 1939 with Eric Walther, who planted the very first magnolia in the Garden and continued to introduce species and cultivars throughout his tenure as the first Garden Director. One of the most famous species he planted was the cup and saucer magnolia or Magnolia campbellii, the first of its kind to bloom in the United States in 1940, attracting huge crowds of excited and curious visitors who stood in long lines to see the magnificent large pink blossoms of this lovely magnolia that still stands in the Garden today.

The show is best, mid-January to March.  The garden is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Jan., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Feb. and early March, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from the second Sunday in March through Apr.  Admission is free to San Francisco residents with proof of residence and $7 general, $5 seniors and students (12 – 17) with ID, $2 children (5-11) and free to kids 4 and under.  Family passes (2 adults and one or more kids) get in for a flat rate of $15.

More is found at www.sfbotanicalgarden.org or call (415) 661-1316.

One Last Flash

Eastern California Museum, Independence (11/16/12) Jon Klusmire

Jon Klusmire sends this snapshot of a tree whose orange and red leaves have survived recent storms and winds that stripped other nearby trees.

It stands beside the Eastern California Museum in Independence.  Splashes of color like this remain to be seen across the Eastern Sierra during one of the most beautiful and long-lasting autumns we’ve recorded.

California Fall Color ends its daily reporting on Thanksgiving Day, though postings will continue as color is reported across California.