Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe (10/18/19) Clayton Peoples
It’s peak at scenic Lake Tahoe with colorful aspen, black oak and bigleaf maple lighting the forest and bear fishing for spawning lake salmon.
Clayton Peoples followed CA-89 along the west shore to CA-88, finding spots of bright color speckled throughout the forest along the west shore. Looking down upon Emerald Bay the color could be seen peeking between pine, cedar and fir.
American black bear fishing for salmon, Taylor Creek, Lake Tahoe (10/18/19) Clayton Peoples
An American black bear fished for Kokanee salmon at Taylor Creek. Autumn is one of the sure ways of seeing one of California’s 30,000 to 40,000 bears, as they often visit the creeks that spill into Lake Tahoe as they fish during the autumn salmon and steelhead runs.
Taylor Creek, Lake Tahoe (10/18/19) Clayton Peoples
Taylor Creek, Lake Tahoe (10/18/19) Clayton Peoples
The most beautiful stands of Tahoe color are seen Tallac and Taylor Creek along the southwest end of the lake.
It never gets tedious writing headlines for a post from the Hope Valley, as visiting it is always more interesting.
Davis color spotter Philip Reedy was there on Friday, and true to his promise to track the progression of fall color in that beautiful corner of Alpine County.
Phil’s report arrived Friday night, but by the time it arrived, I’d edited and posted seven reports and would be driving to Plumas County early the following morning, so couldn’t attend to it until today. Apologies for the late delivery of his analysis.
Phil noted that “While some areas have lost leaves there are plenty that still look amazing. I would encourage anyone who enjoys that area to go IMMEDIATELY. As, in another week there won’t be a lot left to see.”
So, if you were looking for something to do on a beautiful fall day. Head to the Hope Valley, NOW.
East of Silver Lake, Sunrise, CA-88 (10/18/19) Philip Reedy
You’ll find “nice color between Silver Lake and Kirkwood and even better color from Caples Lake to Carson Pass.”
Above Caples Lake, CA-88 (10/18/19) Philip Reedy
Woods Lake Corral, CA-88 (10/18/19) Philip Reedy
Red Lake Rd and CA-88 (10/18/19) Philip Reedy
“Woods Lake Road looks great right now. Heading down from Carson Pass along Red Lake there is great color, especially right at the east end of the lake where the red barn sits next to a meadow facing a large number of peaking aspens. Forest Service road 31013 that heads south from there has beautiful color right now.”
Red Lake Creek Cabin, Hope Valley (10/18/19) Philip Reedy
Fishing, Red Lake Creek, Hope Valley (10/18/19) Philip Reedy
Fishing, Red Lake Creek Hope Valley (10/18/19) Philip Reedy
Hope Valley (10/18/19) Philip Reedy
Hope Valley (10/18/19) Philip Reedy
Hope Valley (10/18/19) Philip Reedy
Hope Valley (10/18/19) Philip Reedy
Hope Valley (10/18/19) Philip Reedy
“Heading east toward the Red Lake Creek cabin the trees look very nice along the highway. The cabin is looking excellent now as the groves on the mountainside above the cabin have peaked this week. I noticed the same thing from the cabin all the way through Hope Valley. Groves on the higher mountain slopes that were green a week ago are now yellow and orange, while the trees below still have most of their color.”
Hope Valley (10/18/19) Philip Reedy
Unfortunately, across the road from the cabin along the creek, the trees that were at peak last week are mostly bare. Some of the trees near the ranch just east of Blue Lakes Road have lost leaves but large numbers are in full glory. A hike north through those trees is just beautiful.
Trees to the north along CA 89 toward Tahoe are a mix of yellow and green. These always seem to be the last trees to change.
Clayton Peoples also visited on Oct. 18, and said wind damage had stripped a lot of trees.
Hope Valley(7,300′) – Peak to Past Peak GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT – Hurry, as winds are predicted in days to come.
California Fall Color Hike of the Week is the Mt. Tallac at Lake Tahoe.
The trail starts at lake level (6,225′) and varies from easy to strenuous, depending on how high up you’d like to climb. There’s a 3,500′ gain if you summit out.
BearfootTheory.com recommends, “If you aren’t sure you can make it all the way to the summit you can hike 1.7 miles (one-way) to Floating Island Lake or also 2.3 miles (one-way) to Cathedral Lake. The stretch of trail from the trailhead to Cathedral Lake is great for beginners. After Cathedral Lake the trail gets more strenuous & steep.”
Mt Tallac Trail (10/17/19) Michelle Pontoni
Mt Tallac Trail (10/17/19) Michelle Pontoni
Michelle Pontoni sent photos of the lower section of the trail which is lined with peak aspen, bigleaf maple and willows.
Mt.Tallac is one of the taller and most prominent peaks in the Tahoe basin. It’s so lofty that fit adventurers will climb its snowfields for Independence Day ski runs.
Mt. Tallac Trail, South Lake Tahoe (6,225′) – Peak (75-100%) 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 Poimiroo2019-10-18 17:50:362019-10-18 18:16:48Hike of the Week: Mt Tallac
Clayton Peoples sees a last ray of hope for the Hope Valley, describing it as “still holding on.”
Hope Valley (10/15/19) Clayton Peoples
Hope Valley (10/15/19) Clayton Peoples
He was there on Tuesday that most of the groves were still colorful and full of leaves, though like the rest of us is unsure how much longer it will last.
Red Lake Creek Cabin, Hope Valley (10/15/19) Clayton Peoples
Hope Valley (10/15/19) Clayton Peoples
Hope Valley (10/15/19) Clayton Peoples
Hope Valley (10/15/19) Clayton Peoples
Hope Valley (10/15/19) Clayton Peoples
Hope Valley (10/15/19) Clayton Peoples
Here’s his take:
Hope Valley (7,300′) – Peak (75-100%) Go Now! – Although a few trees have lost their leaves, the majority of aspen groves are still holding on, with a blend of yellow and orange. Color can be found both near the road (e.g. near the famous cabin) and on the hillsides. Thankfully, smoke and haze from the Caples Fire cleared out overnight, allowing for relatively unobstructed views of the leaves and nearby mountains. This is a definite GO NOW!, before weather strips the trees.
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2019-10-17 15:55:322019-10-17 15:55:52Last Ray of Hope
Mountain maple, Carnelian Bay, Lake Tahoe (10/12/19) John Poimiroo
The tourist offices at Lake Tahoe make a big point about promoting their destination as “Blue.” In autumn, they should be promoting “Gamboge.”
That’s because vivid yellow, now being worn by the lake’s aspen and mountain maple, is Tahoe’s autumn tone.
Fall color is peaking around the lake with aspen carrying lurid yellow and lime leaves, rose hips cherry in their cheeky choice of color and mountain maple gold.
Here’s a sampling:
Mountain maple and mini golf, Carnelian Bay (10/12/19) John Poimiroo
Rose hips, Carnelian Bay (10/12/19) John Poimiroo
Aspen, Carnelian Bay (10/12/19) John Poimiroo
Aspen, Carnelian Bay (10/12/19) John Poimiroo
Elm, Carnelian Bay (10/12/19) John Poimiroo
Carnelian Bay (10/12/19) John Poimiroo
Aspen and dogwood, N Tahoe Blvd, Agate Bay (10/12/19) John Poimiroo
M Martis Creek, CA-267 (10/12/19) John Poimiroo
Lake Tahoe (6,225′) – Near Peak (50-75%), GO NOW!
Martis Creek (5,925′) – Peak to Past Peak, 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 Poimiroo2019-10-14 12:58:132019-10-26 08:22:47Tahoe is Supposed to be Blue, not Gamboge
Logan Alexander used a Moto Z3 camera phone in panorama mode to create this image of Boca Reservoir and score a First Report for this location. Aspen are at peak.
Boca Reservoir is on the Little Truckee River, 27 miles southwest of Reno near I-80.
Martis Creek Cabin, CA-267 (10/9/19) Clayton Peoples
Aspen, Martis Creek, CA-267 (10/9/19) Clayton Peoples
Anticipating that PG&E would shut down power in El Dorado Hills, CaliforniaFallColor.com relocated to Lake Tahoe yesterday (Oct. 9) and will post from Agate Bay until power is restored in the Sierra foothills.
True to its word, PG&E cut the power in El Dorado Hills at 1 a.m. Wednesday morning and we took off that afternoon, after dealing with food spoiling, cat sitting and odd jobs around the house.
The drive to Lake Tahoe provided the opportunity to record fall color glimpses that are occurring along the route. (Note: “glimpses” is the operative word, as large stands of trees are seen infrequently along I-80.)
Here’s what’s to be seen:
El Dorado Hills (768’) – Patchy to Near Peak (10-75%) GO NOW! – Specie related – a mix of native and exotic trees.
Cisco Grove, I-80 (5,620’) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! Aspen, Martis Creek, CA-267 (10/9/19) Clayton Peoples
Cisco Grove, I-80 (5,656’) – Patchy (10-50%) Fremont cottonwood.
Rainbow Rd., I-80 (5,807’) – Near Peak (50-75%) – Quaking aspen and cottonwood.
Truckee, I-80 (5,925’) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Aspen.
Martis Valley, CA-267 (5,925’) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW – Aspen.
Northstar, CA-267 (6,060’) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Aspen.
Northstar, CA-267 (6,175’) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Aspen.
Senator Paul J Lunardi Turnout, CA-267 – Peak (75-100%) – Aspen.
Martis Creek Cabin, CA-267 (6,709’) – Peak to Past Peak – GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT! – Color spotter Clayton Peoples reports, “The aspen groves near the parking area and near the cabin are at full peak. Although a few clusters of trees have already lost their leaves–likely the trees that had blight, as reported here some weeks ago–the rest of the trees are full of vibrant yellow and yellow-orange leaves. This might be the best color I’ve seen there in a number of years. Go now before it’s too late! (Note: I visited after the wind event Tuesday night-Wednesday morning, and the leaves are still hanging on!)”
Kings Beach, Lake Tahoe (6,225’) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Aspen, cottonwood, red maple.
Agate Bay, Lake Tahoe (6,225’) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Aspen.
For all the fears of strong winds, induced by the PG&E power shutdown, winds have been fairly light and few leaves have fallen, so far. Although what wind has blown has shut down power to 2 million people, it has not shut down the fall show.
Aspen, Martis Creek, CA-267 (10/9/19) Clayton Peoples
Aspen, Martis Creek, CA-267 (10/9/19) Clayton Peoples
Here’s a location by location update on the Hope Valley (CA-88) from Philip Reedy, who passed through on his way to the Eastern Sierra.
As Philip was reporting on the run, there was not enough time for him to submit photos, but he’ll do so when he returns.
“Hope Valley and the surrounding area is looking great. I can’t believe how much has changed in the 5 days since I was last there. The trees above Caples Lake are looking good now where they were green last Friday.
At Red Lake, Forest Service Road 31013 which heads south from the lake has come alive. There are still some green trees, but most are yellow and orange right now and the area looks wonderful. I hiked up the hill to the west for a nice view of the Hope Valley in the distance. The grove right at Red Lake by the old red barn still has some time to go, but it should be great within a week.
Aspen behind Red Lake Creek cabin and across the highway went crazy over the past few days and are definitely at peak. The cabins looks beautiful as always and there is much more color this week. This entire area is a definite Go Now!
From the cabin to the West Carson is looking great as well. The meadow east of the ranch is mostly turned on now, with more green in the groves above the meadow on the mountainside. Should be great over the next week.
Down by the bridge over the West Carson, a grove to the NE has suddenly colored up as well. There are yellow, orange and red trees, as well as some still green and others bare. The trees to the north where CA 89 heads to Tahoe is still mostly green, and it is usually the last to change in the area.
Just west of Sorenson’s the trees look amazing on both sides of the highway. Another Go Now!
The drive from Sorenson’s to Woodfords is full of yellow trees, as is the drive from Woodfords to Markleeville. Beautiful yellow and orange aspens.
There is a lot of color as well along the East Carson river from Markleeville south to the cutoff to Monitor Pass. Ditto along 89 east to the junction with 395. Nothing but color.
The large grove at Monitor Pass has completely changed and is already losing leaves. Go Now!
There is a lot of nice color along 395 to Bridgeport. Looking east toward Dunderberg Meadow and Virginia Lakes looks great. I would have driven up there, but it looked pretty smoky up there. I understand that there is a fire in Yosemite which must be the cause.
The groves above June Lakes looked nice, so I plan to hit that on the way back Friday.
The colors at North Lake were not as striking as last year, and a lot of smoke blew in around 3 today.
I headed along the road to South Lake and the colors there are phenomenal. I shot a lot after the sun was off of the trees and the colors were very rich. I’ll be back there tomorrow.
“It seems that everything is going crazy now so it is definitely time to go. I’m burning through SD cards and batteries, so I will have a lot of shots to choose from when I get home.”
Red Lake Creek Cabin, Hope Valley (10/7/19) John Poimiroo
The Hope Valley and American River Canyon are sort of my backyard. So, when John Bartell of ABC10 in Sacramento asked to talk about fall color in the Hope Valley, I met him at the Kirkwood Inn and made a loop of the day, checking out the Hope Valley and visiting some spots in the American River Canyon that I’d had on my “must see” list.
What’s happening in the Eastern Sierra is also happening at Hope Valley. Aspen are peaking by grove. Some are at full peak and gorgeous, while others are Just Starting … heavy with leaves, but green.
It looks like we’re not going to have an “all at once” peak, here. Instead, it’s more likely that stands will peak and drop leaves while others remain patchy. This could continue for another week or two. Or it could end abruptly, depending on weather.
Why this is happening is anyone’s guess. Any of these could explain it: a wet winter, a dry summer, a warm autumn. Or, it could be any of another list of reasons. No one can say for certain.
What is certain is that no one should delay visiting fall color when it’s reported as Near Peak or better. As, delaying too long risks missing it altogether. On my drive, I was called by a woman in Fresno who’d somehow gotten my number. She wanted to know if it would be perfect this weekend. I replied, it’s as good as it’s gonna get, and it’s pretty nice.
As Philip Reedy has shown in his weekly reports from Hope Valley, there is plenty of beautiful color there, right now.
Hope Valley (10/7/19) John Poimiroo
One of the best groves is a few hundred feet east of Blue Lakes Rd. on CA-88. It’s a couple of hundred yards from the road across unfenced meadow on public land. Do not, however, climb the fenced ranch beside it, as that’s private property.
Caples Lake (10/7/19) John Poimiroo
Red Lake Creek Cabin Hillside (10/7/19) John Poimiroo
Blue Lakes Rd Junction (10/7/19) John Poimiroo
Blue Lakes Rd Junction (10/7/19) John Poimiroo
Elsewhere in the Hope Valley, you’ll see a mix of fully peaking aspen beside healthy stands that are almost entirely green.
The aspen at Sorensen’s Resort are now devoid of leaves, but stands across the highway, upstream and downstream are lush, healthy and peaking.
On my return by US 50, black oak vary from Patchy to Near Peak on the south bank of the American River. Willows are golden and bracken fern are nearly Past Peak. An aspen grove on Ice House Road at 5,390′ is patchy, though with impressively tall aspen. Bridal Veil fall on US 50 has Near Peak bigleaf maple framing it.
Ice House Road (10/7/19) John Poimiroo
Bridal Veil Fall, US 50 (10/7/19) John Poimiroo
Here’s a rundown of what I saw on today’s drive. Note how now it’s peaking, now it’s not:
Sly Park, US 50 (3,560′) – Patchy (10-50%), Bigleaf maple.
Mormon Emigrant Trail (6,000 to 7,000′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Willows, yellow and orange.
Silver Lake (7,300′) – Just Starting (0-10%), Aspen
Shot Rock (7,600′) – Near Peak (50-75%) – Willows, gold.
Kirkwood Lake Grove (7,550 – 38° 41′ 39″ N 120° 7′ 20″ W) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Woods Creek Trailhead (8,200′) – Patchy (10-50%)
Red Lake (7,861′) – Patchy (10-50%)
Red Lake Creek Cabin – – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Aspen.
Blue Lakes Rd. Junction (7,550′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – Aspen, orange.
Sorensen’s Resort (7,000′) – Past Peak, YOU MISSED IT!
Woodfords Canyon (7,000′), CA-89 – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Luther Pass, CA-89 (7,740′) – Patchy (10-50%)
Strawberry, US 50 (5,325′) – Patchy (10-50%)
US 50 (3,500′ to 3,200′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! – Black Oak
Ice House Road, US 50 (5,390′ – 38° 48′ 29″ N 120° 22′ 45″ W) – Patchy (10-50%)
Bridal Veil Fall, US 50 (3,363;) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Finally, comparing fall color development in the photo of Red Lake Creek Cabin taken today (top), here’s one taken by Dan Rastler three days ago.
