Archive for category: Shasta Cascade

Holy smoke! Lori Quillen blew us away with this image of the Mormon Church in Etna surrounded by Near Peak exotic color and a meadow of native rabbitbrush.

Etna is in Scott Valley, at the foot of the Marble Mountain Wilderness (Siskiyou County) on CA-3. The town has but 737 souls living in it.

It’s lightly populated due to its remoteness, not its notoriety. After all, Etna was named after Italy’s famous stratovolcano Mt. Etna (10,991′) which happens to be 6,350 miles distant. Of course, Mt. Shasta (14,180′), the largest stratovolcano by volume in the Cascade volcanic arc, is a bit closer … 32 miles to the east as a crow flies, 62 by road.

The Scott Valley is a traditional center of cattle ranching, though also one now famous for outdoor recreation, serving visitors attracted to hike, fish, ride, bike, climb, ski, raft, kayak, camp and explore Siskiyou County’s great outdoors.

Route 3 is a popular fall color loop that begins in Redding (CA-299), continues to Weaverville, turns north to Trinity Center (CA-3), travels through the Trinity Alps, then loops back to Redding while passing through Etna, Greenview, Fort Jones, Yreka, Weed, Mt. Shasta City, Dunsmuir, and Shasta Lake.

The best fall color along this route is found along the Trinity and Scott rivers and their many tributaries including Coffee Creek.

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A worthy detour is to head north from 299 to Lewiston where a silver, steel-truss bridge crosses the Trinity River and is surrounded by oak and maple, then either reverse course to 299 to include Weaverville or continue to CA-3 via Rush Creek Rd.

Although the color in Etna is now Near Peak, that’s only because non-native trees are peaking on their schedule. The rest of the loop is at the low end of Patchy, because the native trees peak later. The loop should be peaking the week of Oct. 20.

• Etna (2,936′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
• CA-3 Loop – Patchy (10-50%)

Michael Beatley went mining for gold, Sunday morning.

The gold he was searching for was in Meadow Valley, six miles west of Quincy.

Meadow Valley has long been a place people have searched for gold. In fact, the valley still has several active mining claims … for the valued metal.

Though, Beatley searches for a different type of gold, that found on branches, forest floors and besides creeks, not in them.

He headed to Big Creek where 21st century argonauts still hold claims, though it is accessible by hiking or climbing down the hillside to the creek.

There, bigleaf maple, mountain maple, Indian Rhubarb, creek dogwood and alder are the treasures he sought, and found them noting to return in a week or two when the gold will be more easily found.

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• Big Creek, Meadow Valley (3,600′) – Patchy (10-50%) – Directions: drive six miles west of Quincy, past Spanish Peak to Big Creek Rd (the lower road to Bucks Lake) turn left and continue 1/4-mile past the OHV staging area parking lot.  Big Creek is a small mountain creek running below the road.

If you plan to drive across Dog Creek Bridge, you’re goin’ nowhere.

That’s because the Harlan D Miller Memorial Bridge, popularly known as Dog Creek Bridge, was abandoned years ago.

Completed in 1927 as part of US Route 99 just north of Lakehead in Shasta County, the open spandrel arched concrete bridge was once part of Route 99, but was deemed unnecessary once Interstate 5 bypassed it.

Dog Creek Bridge was slated for demolition until locals saved it from destruction. The bridge is now managed by the US Forest Service and it remains a beautiful and historical reminder of one of California’s great early motorways. In autumn, it is framed with orange black oak, golden cottonwood, cadmium yellow bigleaf maple and irridescent lime-colored foliage.

Color spotter, Laura Beeson of Photography by Laura Jean visited the bridge and Faery Falls near the city of Mt. Shasta on Sunday, sending these images of developing color.

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• Harlan D Miller Memorial Bridge (Dog Creek), Lakehead (1,447′) – Just Starting (0-10%)
• Faery Falls (3,586′) – Just Starting (0-10%)

We could be seeing an autumn where fall color is developing early up in the Cascade Range and late down in the Sierra.

All reports from the Shasta Cascade region, so far, indicate earlier than usual fall color, whereas in the Sierra the reports are of fall color developing a week later than last year.

What most surprised us was to receive a GO NOW! report from color spotter Clayton Peoples. He visited Lassen Volcanic National Park and Burney Falls on Sept. 19 and was “pleasantly surprised” to find Near Peak aspen not far from Long Lake.

The images Clayton sent appear to us to be at the high range of Patchy, though he notes 70% of the leaves have turned in the grove. So, we accept his evaluation and credit this as the first Near Peak report for trees in California.

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Here’s Clayton’s report:

• Long Lake, CA-Highway 44, Lassen County (5,740′) – Near Peak (50-75%) – This stretch of highway in Lassen County sports mostly evergreens, but there are a few aspen groves along the road. Not far from the aptly-named Long Lake, I was excited to find a scattered grove of aspens that were already “Near Peak”–my first of the year in CA. The dominant color in this particular grove was yellow, and I would estimate that around 70 percent of the leaves had already turned. It was a pleasant surprise on a peaceful journey to Lassen Volcanic National Park and surrounding areas. See attached photos.
• Manzanita Lake, Lassen Volcanic National Park (5,900′) – Just Starting (0-10%).  Very little change so far at Manzanita Lake. Even the famous willows along its shore were mostly green still. 
• Burney Falls (3,281′) Just Starting (0-10%). A few leaves are starting to change along the creek, but the main attraction–the black oak trees–are still sporting full green. 

There’s a bit of disagreement as to whether fall color is appearing early, on time or late, this autumn.

The Weather Channel predicts peak color will be pushed back a week. In the Sierra Nevada, 2019 has not started early, though it doesn’t show signs of lingering, either.

When we reported the first official fall color report from the Eastern Sierra last week, Tony King asserted on Facebook, “in the Eastern Sierra there is 1 yellow leaf for every 1 Trillion green leaves.” We answered, “Yep. It’s got to start with one.”

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Then, today, longtime Plumas County color spotter Jeff Titcomb sees signs of an early fall with dogwood getting rosy, bigleaf maple yellowy and locust hybrids gilded. Despite Jeff’s rosy prediction, don’t head to Plumas County just yet to see fall color as it is a mid-October peak.

The National Weather Service anticipates warmer than average temperatures through the end of September, a good thing for foliage, but not if the nights stay warm, as well. Fall color is best when nights are cold and days warm and clear.

Last week, the Eastern Sierra had one night below freezing. This week, just about every night is such. Yet, Mono, Alpine and El Dorado Counties have reported little fall color, though it will develop soon.

The arrival of autumn color is inevitable, despite temperature, as days shorten and deciduous plants lose their ability to produce chlorophyl.

It’s been interesting to read what fall color observers elsewhere are predicting. Marylanders say the show will be delayed due to their September’s warm weather. Minnesotans predicted a vibrant show because of their wet year. Tennesseeans declare it’s too early to tell, blaming a hot summer with little rain. New Yorkers and Oregonians seem similarly undecided. North Carolinans believe it will show later than usual. Wisconsin … about normal.

So, what is it … early or late? We reply for California. It should be about normal. Nights have gotten colder. Trees nurtured by a previous wet winter and dry summer are primed to carry glorious color. And, we only have a few days to wait, as autumn begins on Monday.

• Greenville, Plumas County (3,586′) – Just Starting (0-10%)
• Historic Downtown Quincy (3,432′) – Just Starting (0-10%) – A few trees are starting to show color, but the major players are still green.