Archive for category: High Sierra

Pie in the Sky (9/21/13) Alicia Vennos

Mono County color spotter Alicia Vennos sent  a little whimsy along with today’s report of fall color… a humorous shot of someone spotting a slice of fall color at Pie in the Sky along the Rock Creek Road.

Hilton/Davis Trail, Rock Creek Lake (9/21/13) Alicia Vennos

Float Angler on Rock Creek Lake (9/21/13) Alicia Vennos

GO NOW! – 75 – 100% – Rock Creek Lake – Alicia writes, “Undaunted by recent wind and snow, the color shines on at Rock Creek in southern Mono County, particularly the upper section of Rock Creek Road at Rock Creek Lake where the red and orange hues are dazzling.”

Convict Lake (9/25/13) Alicia Vennos

10 – 20% – Convict Lake – The canyon is starting to show a few small pockets of gold and the yellow has increased. The aspens along the lower creek and in the campground are still showing green with a modest amount of yellow. The back of the lake and up the canyon is also showing signs of yellow but no brilliant colors to date. Still some time before Convict Canyon will be at its peak.

Early Snow on Aspen at Virginia Lakes (9/21/13) Alicia Vennos

GO NOW! – 75 – 100% – Virginia Lakes – The early snowfall on Saturday, Sept. 21 created the perfect backdrop to the fall color along Virginia Lakes Road.

Green Creek Road, Red Aspen (9/21/13) Alicia Vennos

Green Creek Road, Red Aspen (9/21/13) Alicia Vennos

Colorful Aspen leaves in the Snow, Green Creek Rd. (9/27/13) Donna Mercer

GO NOW! – 75 – 100% – A  stand of astonishingly red aspen are to be viewed along upper Green Creek Road.  Take Virginia Lakes Road from the top of Conway Summit (US 395 between Lee Vining and Bridgeport) and watch for the sign to Green Creek Road to the right/north. Green Creek is a wide dirt road in excellent shape and the color is magnificent right now.  75% at upper elevations; 30% at lower elevations.

Conway Summit (9/24/13) Alicia Vennos

0 – 15% – Conway Summit – Still hovering at 15%, though keep track of reports, as this beautiful area can turn quickly once it begins to flush.  Alicia Vennos provides the above photo of what she describes as a “staggered” timing of fall color.  There’s lots of green, but also lime, yellow and just over the ridge to the west is Green Creek Rd. with prolific reds and oranges.

Ducks on Silver Lake (9/22/13) Alicia Vennos

0 – 15% – June Lake Loop – The spectacular June Lake Loop is just starting to get into the spirit of the season — still mostly lime green and yellow — but colder temperatures in coming nights should act as the perfect catalyst to nudge the June Lake area along.  A dusting of snow on high peaks surrounding Silver Lake and the other June Lakes promises to provide some incredible scenes in coming weeks as the color turns below.

Sierra Crest with Cardinal Mine Grove and Middle Fork, Bishop Creek (9/19/13) © Jared Smith

Fall color is early and big up Bishop Creek Canyon, with an exceptional display of orange and red appearing.  We spoke with color spotter Jared Smith of the Parcher’s Resort, today, who said “I can’t recall a year when the fall color peaked this early.”  His latest report (following) and photos tell it all.  Note the number of fly fishermen and women either floating or standing in various streams (look closely).  What incredibly beautiful places to go fishing!

Quaking Aspen (9/19/13) © ShaleAnn Cluff

GO NOW! – 75 – 100% – Overall Conditions above 8,500 ft – Things are progressing quickly in the higher reaches of the Bishop Creek Canyon. There is still a lot of green along the road and in most of the parking areas however the canyon walls are really exploding with color. We typically see a lot of yellow, but this year it seems there is more brilliant orange and red than usual. It’s hard to say how long the higher color will stay but if the weather stays good, these areas will still around for a bit. This is the earliest we can remember  the color being this far along this early. Many areas are still well below 75% but the majority of the higher canyon walls are at least 75%.

15 – 30% – Overall Conditions below 8,500 ft – The vast majority of aspen below 8,500 ft are still mostly green, though a lot of lime green is showing with some pockets of yellow, especially on the So. Fork Bishop Creek above Bishop Creek Lodge.

Location-specific Reports

Table Mountain Camp (9/19/13) © Jared Smith

GO NOW! – 50 – 75% – Mt. Glen Camp to Table Mountain Camp (8,600 ft) – This area is turning fast and is much closer to the 75% mark than the 50% mark. While the roadside aspen is still showing mostly green hues, the hillside to the east is really exploding with bright yellow.

Mountain Glen Campground, above Bishop Creek Lodge (9/19/13) © Jared Smith

30 -50% – Mountain Glen Campground (8,400 ft) – The grove directly above the campground is starting to turn nicely while the aspen down along the creek are still very green. Still another week or so before this area really starts to pop.

Mist Falls (9/19/13) © Jared Smith

15-30% – Mist Falls and the groves above Bishop Creek Lodge (8,350 ft) – Quite a bit of color change on either side of the waterfall but it’s still mostly green around the falls and below the falls. Still a while before this area is at it’s peak.

30 – 50% – Table Mountain Camp (8,900 ft) – This grove tends to pop early but this year it seems to be a little later than the surrounding areas. The aspen along the creek and around the campground itself are showing lime green with a little yellow showing but not much in the way of color just yet.

Surveyor’s Meadow (9/19/13) © Jared Smith

GO NOW! – 75-100% – Surveyors Meadow (8,975 ft) – Quite a surprising sight to see as the hillsides just up canyon from Surveyor’s Meadow are nearing full color. The groves along the creek, along the road, and the two large groves to the west and north of the meadow are still showing a lot of green. I’m guessing the next week to 10 days will be the best views at this location. This is much earlier than we’re used to seeing, perhaps the drought is at work here.

Willow Campground (9/19/13) © Jared Smith

Willow Campground (9/19/13) © Krisdina Karady

30 – 50% – Willow Campground (9,100 ft) – This area is difficult to grade because the aspen along the road and in the campground are only showing lime green and some moderate yellow while the aspen perched in the granite cliff just above the campground are nearly all yellow and looking beautiful. The hillside above Parchers looks incredible from Willow Camp and contrasts nicely with the green aspen along the road.

Parcher’s Camp (9/19/13) © Jared Smith

GO NOW! – 75 – 100% – Parchers Camp – It’s really quite remarkable that while the resort grounds contains mostly green aspen, the surrounding canyon walls have changed drastically in the last week and tons of yellow, orange and even a little red is showing in just about every direction. We haven’t seen any evidence of leaves dropping so we’re hoping the views will remain spectacular for a while here at the resort.

Weir Pond (9/19/13) © Jared Smith

GO NOW! – 75 – 100% – Weir Pond (9,700 ft) – This are is also hard to grade as the groves directly to the west of the pond are fully turning while the foliage surrounding the pond only has pockets of color with a lot of green still showing. Still, I would guess that from a photographer’s standpoint the 7 to 10 days will be the best.

Weir Pond (9/19/13) © Jared Smith

Weir Pond (9/19/13) © Jared Smith

GO NOW! – 75 – 100% – Lake Sabrina (9,150 ft) – The vast majority of the color has already arrived at Lake Sabrina, quite a surprise given how early in the season we area. Some groves at the southwest end of the lake still have more color to offer but the dam, east shore, and the higher groves surrounding the lake are all exploding with yellow, orange and red. How long the color sticks around is anyone’s guess but it’s safe to say that the sooner you make it there, the better. With the lake level down, there is a somewhat limited opportunity for spectacular lake shots this year.

GO NOW! – 50 -75% – Groves above Cardinal Village & Aspendell    (8,550 ft) – Quite a change from last week with brilliant yellow blanketing the canyon to the east of Hwy 168 and flowing all the way down towards Cardinal Mine. Still a lot of green surrounding Cardinal Village but the aspen above there is looking fantastic. We’re not too far off from some peak color here.

Hwy 168, below Sabrina Camp (9/19/13) Jared Smith

GO NOW! – 50 – 75% – Sabrina Campground (9,000 ft) – The aspen along the road near Sabrina Camp are in peak fall color. Thankfully the large old growth aspen in and around the campground and along the stream are still mostly lime green so more color will continue to develop in the area.

North Lake (9/19/13) © Jared Smith

North Lake (9/19/13) © ShaleAnn Cluff

North Lake Road (9/19/13) © ShaleAnn Cluff

GO NOW! – 50 – 75% – North Lake (9,255 ft) – North Lake has a great variety of color showing right now. The road below the lake is nearing peak with lots of yellow and orange. Along the lake however, there is mostly lime green aspen with just a few touches of yellow. The main grove that blankets the mountain above the lake and reaches down to the west shore is showing a lot of color up high with more green towards the lower part of the grove.

15 – 30% – Intake II  (8,100 ft) – The grove above the lake is showing quite a bit of yellow but not much going on with the trees surrounding the lake itself. Look for this area to be at its best in a few weeks

0-15% – Forks, Four Jeffries, Big Trees & Bishop Park Camgrounds (8,000 ft – 8,300 ft) – No yellow to speak of in these areas but the aspen are certainly turning to lime green in most of these areas. These areas tend to peak quite a bit later than the higher reaches of the canyon so look for these areas to start looking their best around the end of the month or early October depending on the weather.

Mono County color spotter Ethan James reports autumn is “in full-swing” well before its official first day (Sun., June 22).  And, with cool weather forecast, the color will intensify and pockets of peak color will exist for the next three weeks.  Because of this, we are issuing three GO NOW! alerts for Mono County.

15 – 30% – Lower Rock Creek Road – James estimates the of the road to be at 25% with some gold, yellow, lime green and orange emerging.  As previously reported, Pie in the Sky Café at the Rock Creek Lake Resort plans to remain  open until October 13,  serving their world-famous pies, freshly baked from scratch every day.

Rock Creek Lake (9/18/13) © Ethan James

Rock Creek Canyon (9/18/13) © Ethan James

GO NOW! – 50- 75% – Upper Rock Creek Road – The upper reaches of Rock Creek Road, including around Rock Creek Lake are “quite breathtaking with beautiful red, orange and gold aspen.”

0 – 15% – Convict Lake – Charles reporting from the Convict Lake Resort says “It’s still early for significant color in the canyon. There is just a scattering of yellow as you drive up to Convict Lake.”  The Convict Lake Resort is offering Fall Lodging Specials starting at $379+tax (Sunday thru Thursday – 2 Nights for 2 Persons).  Includes $100 Restaurant Credit & Full Day Motor Boat Rental.  Convict Lake’s annual fall fishing derby, “Ambush at the Lake” is happening now through Nov. 15, with $6,000 in resort prizes.  A $2,000 Cash Bonus Weekend occurs Nov. 1-3.

GO NOW! – 75 – 100% – The Sherwins (Mammoth Lakes) – The Sherwins above 8,500′ are peaking.

15 – 30% – Mammoth Lakes – Spots of color are to be seen in the Town of Mammoth Lakes, though peak is still two weeks away.

Parker Lake (9/17/13) © Donna Mercer

Parker Lake (9/17/13) © Donna Mercer

Quaking Aspen, Parker Lake (9/17/13) © Donna Mercer

0 – 15% – Parker Lake – Color spotter Donna Mercer hiked to Parker Lake off the June Lake Loop on 9/17 and says that the colors on the trail and at the lake itself are still mostly bright lime-green with some gold, yellow and random splotches of orange.

15 – 30% – June Lake Loop – This magnificent drive (Hwy. 158) is showing signs of color, especially at higher elevations, but still has a long way to go.  It should be glorious during June Lake’s Autumn Beer Festival on October 5 at Gull Lake Park.

Virginia Lakes Road (9/13/13) © Carolyn Webb

Virginia Lakes Road (9/13/13) © Carolyn Webb

Virginia Lakes (9/13/13) © Carolyn Webb

GO NOW! – 50 – 75% – Virginia Lakes – Color spotter Carolyn Webb recommends driving up the Virginia Lakes Road for displays of  vibrant colors

0 – 15% – Conway Summit – Still  mostly lime-green.

The new edition of the Eastern Sierra Fall Color Guide & Map is now in.  Call 800-845-7922 for a FREE copy or request one on-line at www.MonoCounty.org/Fall-Color.  

The Sherwins, Mammoth Lakes; Christie Osborne; © Mammoth Lakes Visitors Bureau, 9/11/13

Seeing is believing!  A week before the first day of autumn, color spotters are reporting 30 – 50% change at high elevations surrounding Mammoth Lakes.

The Sherwins, Mammoth Lakes; Christie Osborne; © Mammoth Lakes Visitors Bureau, 9/11/13

Color spotter Christie Osborne reports that, “The Sherwins above Snowcreek golf course in Mammoth Lakes are showing some fine color at approximately 8,500 feet. Lower, at the 7,500-8,000 foot level just the first hints of color are starting to show, but there is mostly little or no color in town. Fall dessert flowers are also blooming with a show of purple and gold.”

Color spotter Leanne K comments, “… just got back from a long weekend in Mammoth. The high meadows like Agnew, Crater and the meadow between Shadow Lake and Ediza Lake were already gold. The willows and grasses were beautiful in the blue sky. No smoke from the fires. The aspen trees were definitely getting lime and some had begun to change to yellow. It seems like it is a bit early, but really does feel like fall. Other low growing type plants were beginning to yellow.”  Leanne wasn’t sure how to assign a %, though Christie suggests:

Mammoth Lakes
0 – 15% in town at approximately 7,500 feet. Some yellow green.
30 – 50% in the Lakes Basin near Twin Lakes at approximately 8500 feet.
30-50% above approximately 8,500 feet along slopes on the Sherwin Mountain Range.

Note: the 30 – 50% evaluation is for high areas in The Sherwins, above 8,500′.  There’s still lots and lots of time to see great color at Mammoth Lakes and in the Eastern Sierra.

Only in California – wildflowers blooming in autumn; Christie Osborne; © Mammoth Lakes Visitors Bureau, 9/11/13