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Over the Hump

Monitor Pass (10/7/19) Ryan Boyd

Color spotter Ryan Boyd went over the hump twice, today, crossing both Monitor (CA-89) and Ebbetts (CA-4) Passes.

He found them both Near Peak and because they are known for short displays, our advice is to GO NOW!

Monitor Pass is the quickest route from Carson Pass (CA-88), through Markleeville to the Eastern Sierra, while Ebbets Pass is a lightly traveled route through the Central Sierra leading from the Mother Lode mining towns of Angel’s Camp, Murphys and Arnold.

Ebbetts Pass (10/7/19) Ryan Boyd

Ryan had been in Mono County photographing Summers Meadow and Lobdell Lake, which he described as Near Peak, but with unturned green areas.

  • Lobdell Lake (9,200′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
  • Summers Meadow (7,200′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
  • Monitor Pass (8,314′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
  • Ebbetts Pass (8,730′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
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Hold Up at Carson Pass

Fallen gold, Hope Valley (10/4/19) Philip Reedy

Those words haven’t been written since the late 1800s.

Back then, highwaymen robbed stage coaches of their silver, gold and payrolls along the Carson Pass (CA-88). Today, what’s being held up is fall color.

Yesterday, color spotter Philip Reedy passed over the pass and into the Hope Valley to find aspen steadfastly holding on to their green and reluctant to give up the gold.

N Meadow, East of Blue Lakes Rd., Hope Valley (10/4/19) Philip Reedy

He wrote, “From Caples Lake to Carson Pass there are many aspens along Highway 88 and almost all of them are still green.  From Carson Pass down to Red Lake it’s the same story.  The dirt road heading south from Red Lake has a lot of aspens and almost all are still green. 

“Heading east down to everyone’s favorite cabin (Red Lake Creek Cabin) there are some yellow trees but still mostly green.  There is a little more color by the cabin from last week, but not much more. 

“Across the highway Red Lake Creek should be bursting with yellow and orange leaves, yet most are still green.  Heading east from the cabin toward Hope Valley there are some yellow trees, but most have not changed yet. 

“Just past the Blue Lakes turnoff the Hope Valley has some nice color, but again, there are a lot of trees still waiting to turn.  A little further on the West Carson River area is almost entirely green still,” he explained.

Phil estimates, from pictures he’s taken over the past five years that fall color is at least a week, perhaps two, behind past years.

He agrees with out assessment that this could mean one of the best Octobers we’ve seen in years, should the color be long-lasting, once it develops, as the trees are healthy and full of leaves.

The best color, for now, is in the north meadow, east of Blue Lakes Rd. Though, wear water-resistant hiking boots to see the best of it, as you’ll need to hike into the woods. When doing so, be alert not to create new paths (use the predominant trail and stay in it, even where it gets wet.

Don’t worry, you won’t be held up. Only the color is.

  • Hope Valley – Patchy (10-50%)
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Snow and Autumn

Two snowfalls have occurred in the Sierra and Cascades, this autumn. The latest arrived Sunday night.

Experienced color spotters understand that a dusting of snow is cause for celebration (it adds to photographs), though a blanket of it is not (it detracts from leaves).

Fortunately, the snow received so far has just dusted the mountains.

Martha Fletcher stopped along Cassel Road, just before CA-89 in eastern Shasta County, on Monday to photograph a Valley Oak that was full of yellow leaves. A gray sky hung over Burney Mountain (7,863′) in the background, where snow had fallen the previous night.

She observes that golden, orange and cherry-colored foliage will follow in coming days and weeks, as Shasta County’s autumn matures. The Burney area is a mid-October peak.

Color spotter Robert Kermen passed lime and light-yellow aspen surrounded by a blanket of snow at Rainbow Lodge as he drove I-80 on Monday. This area peaked last year on Oct. 21 and looks to be on schedule for a mid to late October peak.

  • Cassel (3,320′) – Just Starting (0-10%)
  • Rainbow Lodge (5,800′) – Just Starting (0-10%)
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Hope Has Arrived

Red Lake Creek Cabin, Hope Valley (9/27/19) Philip Reedy

It was inevitable. The successive shortening of daylight was sure to eventually cause leaves to change color and that’s now happening in the Hope Valley (CA-88, Carson Pass).

Color spotter Philip Reedy made his weekly trip across Carson Pass yesterday and reports, “While there are still many more green trees than yellow, there are plenty of colorful spots to make a trip up to the area worthwhile.  I would say that we are still in the early stages, perhaps 10% change, but at this rate by next weekend and the following week, around October 4th to the 13th, should be excellent.”

Our assessment of Reedy’s photos qualify the Hope Valley to be at the low end of Patchy. By the time you read this and get there, the valley will solidly be Patchy (10-50%).

Red Lake Creek Cabin, Hope Valley (9/27/19) Philip Reedy

He recommends stopping at the “iconic Red Lake Creek cabin on the north side of Highway 88,” as trees surrounding it are coloring up while across the highway, the aspen are mostly green.  Ground plants are providing color, particularly near creek drainages.

Just past Blue Lakes Rd., further east, a large grove to the north “is showing some nice color in some areas and should be really good in a week or so.” 

Continuing past a bridge that crosses the West Carson River, “most of the trees on the mountainsides to the north and west are still green.  Finally, down by Sorenson’s Resort there are some groves showing bright yellow, many others still green, and even a few bare trees.”

Last week, we reported aspen blight surrounding Sorensen’s, but nearby groves to the west and many in Woodford’s Canyon are fine.

Reedy is predicting Near Peak to Peak color next weekend and for the following week.

Because of the late start and the lush, mostly healthy foliage, the Hope Valley should be good into mid October.

  • Hope Valley (7,300′) – Patchy (10-50%)
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On The Edge

Floristan, I-80 (9/23/19) Robert Kermen

Fall color is on the edge of appearing in the Sierra, though lagging.

Color spotter Robert Kermen spotted this stand of aspen at 6,381′ along I-80 near Floristan at the eastern edge of the California/Nevada border.

There, stunted aspen choke small ravines that cascade down into the Truckee River.

Robert believes cold air dropping through these ravines has caused these mini groves to “color ahead of their contemporaries near Truckee and Donner Summit.” Overall, the grove is Just Starting, though the trees pictured above are Patchy.

  • Floristan, I-80 (6,381′) – Just Starting (0-10%) at  39 degrees 22.5′ 98N and 120 degrees 2.9′ 90W.
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No Hope Yet

Hope Valley (CA-88, Carson Pass) is still Just Starting. A year ago, it was Patchy.

Color spotter Philip Reedy spent yesterday morning in the Hope Valley and sends these comparison shots with what he witnessed 364 days previously.

Hope Valley is late by a week, compared to last year. Phil plans to report each week and will update us, next Friday. We expect Hope Valley to be Patchy by Sept. 26 and Near Peak by Oct. 3. If it holds that schedule, the valley will show comparatively to what it has in similar weeks, historically.

Aspen blight, Sorensen’s grove, Hope Valley (9/20/19) Philip Reedy

Overall, the groves look healthy and lush. Though, groves closest to the Sorensen’s Resort are afflicted with aspen blight (Marsonnina).

As reported previously, this fungus is propagated when new leaves get wet in late springtime. It will not affect the Sorensen grove in years to come, though aspen blight can return anywhere conditions allow.

  • Hope Valley (7,300′) – Just Starting (0-10%)
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Hope Springs Eternal

Early changing leaves in the Hope Valley (9/13/19) Philip Reedy

Last Friday, 364 days after he first visited last autumn, Philip Reedy returned to the Hope Valley and reported that he “was hoping to see a similar beginning to fall colors.  I saw almost no aspen changing yet, where last year there were a few trees in full color.”

Green Aspen, Hope Valley (9/13/19) Philip Reedy

Philip estimates the start there is lagging by about a week from what he saw last year. Though, “on the plus side, trees look very healthy, vibrant with green leaves.”

Reedy plans to return every Friday for the next four weeks, to compare the two years that he’s been reporting from Hope Valley.

On this trip, he began above the West Carson River, then worked Red Lake Creek for an article he’s writing for Southwest Fly Fishing, finding aspen he hadn’t seen before, though nary a spot of yellow.

Brook trout, Red Lake Creek, Hope Valley (9/13/19) Philip Reedy

Beaver have done their best to gnaw away the aspen near the creek and though there were lots of Brook trout. The trout were small and soon released for another angler to get once they’ve grown.

Reedy described the Brookies as the most colorful aspect of late summer in the Hope Valley and shrugs, “so perhaps this can count as fall color.”

  • Hope Valley (7,300′) – Just Starting (0-10%)
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Blight at Martis Creek

Martis Creek Cabin (9/4/19) John Poimiroo

Passing Martis Creek Meadow (CA 267 between Northstar and Brockway Summit) on the Labor Day weekend, quaking aspen along the edges of the grove appeared to be approaching peak.

However, on closer inspection, these aspen are blighted. The yellow and orange seen above is not fall color change. It’s aspen blight.

Aspen blight, Martis Creek Meadow (9/4/19) John Poimiroo

There are numerous types of blight that affect aspen. The most common is Marsonnina blight, which appears as black dots on leaves, eventually speckling them and ruining their autumn show.

In Martis Creek’s case, the trees surrounding the grove have brown tinting along their edges, but those nearest the oft-photographed Martis Creek Cabin off CA-267 show no signs of blight.

The blight is most akin to Ink Spot disease, though only a few of the leaves exhibit the tell-tale march of overlapping drips of blight which give the disease the name, “ink spot.” By this time in summer, the spotted sections have dropped out of the leaves and become holes as seen on the center-most, upper leaf in the closeup photo.

Groves in the meadow to the east of the cabin have been badly affected with numerous trees now brown or having dropped their leaves. Overall, the blight has ruined about a third of all leaves in this popularly photographed grove.

That is not to say that you should skip visiting Martis Creek Cabin this autumn. The blighted trees have their own stressed beauty and once the unaffected green aspen leaves begin to turn, the contrast of colors is likely to be beautiful.

No where else at Tahoe did I find the same condition, and I was not able to visit the Hope Valley on this North Tahoe sojurn. So, the condition may be localized.

As to their longterm impact, such blights are often a year-to-year situation resulting from how wet the area was in late spring or whether the area experienced drought, anything that might encourage fungal growth or stress the trees.

A gardener could do some things at the appearance of aspen blight to mitigate the disease, but as these trees are in a forest, the discoloration is a natural aspect of nature’s painting.

Martis Creek Meadow (6,500’), Just Starting (0-10%) – A third of the trees are blighted, have turned brown or dropped leaves. Willows near the creek are glowing yellow-orange and near peak. As yet, no significant color change can be seen in the Sierra, though occasional spots of yellow color are beginning to appear.

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Definition: Bear Dump

Bear River, CA-20 (10/26/18) Robert Kermen

dump \ transitive verb \’dəmp : to let fall in or as if in a heap or mass // bigleaf maple trees dumped their leaves in the Bear River. — Source: Merriam-Webster

Bear River, CA-20 (10/26/18) Robert Kermen

From the headline, you might have thought this article would be about bear scat, but that would  require a different definition.

Instead, color spotter Robert Kermen reports that bigleaf maple were dumping yellow and buff-colored leaves along the Sierra Discovery Trail beside the Bear River (Bowman Rd.) this past Friday.

That indicates it’s time to search for ponds, beaver dams and streams between 3,000 and 5,000′ to photograph spent leaves floating upon their dark waters. 

Here are some suggestions:

  • Fern Spring, Yosemite Valley (4,000′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
  • Bear River (4,400′), CA-20 at Bowman Rd. Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
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First Report: Tuolumne Grove

Pacific dogwood, Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoia, Yosemite National Park (10/23/18) Thomas Haraikawa

Pacific dogwood, Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoia (10/24/18) Thomas Haraikawa

The Western Sierra follows its Eastern Sierra neighbors in peaking, because its most-profuse deciduous foliage grows at lower elevations.

Presently, Pacific dogwood, bigleaf maple, Frémont cottonwood and black oak are presenting a palette of pink, crimson, yellow, gold and orange colors in Yosemite National Park.

Yosemite Valley’s famous sugar maple peaked in mid October, though dogwood, maple, cottonwood and oak continue to carry bright color.

Favorite areas to shoot fall color in Yosemite’s fall color are: the Yosemite Chapel (mid Oct.), Fern Spring (mid to late Oct.), Bridalveil Fall, El Capitan Meadow, Lower Yosemite Falls, Yosemite Village, Photographer’s Bridge and the Valley’s other eight historic stone bridges (late Oct. to mid Nov.).

Thomas Haraikawa scores a First Report for his visit to the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoia. This grove is often overlooked by Yosemite photographers who are attracted to the valley, but as Thomas’ photographs show, it has iridescent and irresistible fall color.

Located near the intersection of the Big Oak Flat and Tioga Road (CA-120), the Tuolumne Grove is now a riot of hot pink, red, orange, yellow and lime colors.

Bigleaf maple and black oak, Southside Drive, Yosemite Valley (10/24/18) Thomas Haraikawa

Late October to mid November is when the Valley’s black oaks are best. Yosemite Valley likely has the most impressive stands of black oak in California, due to their juxtaposition to such impressive granite monoliths as Half Dome, Sentinel Rock, El Capitan) and Yosemite’s many towering waterfalls which get replenished by autumn rains.

We call black oak the Halloween tree, both because it peaks near Halloween and because its black trunks and branches contrast so boldly with the tree’s fully peaked orange leaves.

Yosemite’s fall color is truly a treat to the eye. 

  • Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoia, Yosemite National Park (6,200′)- Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
  • Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park (4,000′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!