Southern California – Page 5 – California Fall Color

Mulholland Miracle

California sycamore, Mulholland Highway, Santa Monica Mountains (10/6/18) Peter Asco

“Following the black walnut’s fall wake up call, come the majestic sycamore … showcasing colors rarely seen in So Cal native flora,” Peter Asco reported.

As Peter scouted Mulholland Highway, in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, on a “perfect, partially cloudy day” this past weekend, he “came upon a scenery alien to our landscape, a grove of imposing 100 foot high sycamore.”

They were, “… no longer displaying their usual drab mud-brown seasonal shift, but dressed instead in orange, yellow, green, and red, definitely a miracle!”

“The native California sycamore (Platanus racemosa) is a true beauty at maturity.

Along the coast the gnarled, twisted, flaking trunks of ancient California sycamore are often distorted into Seussian shapes. I like to think they were what inspired Southern California’s Dr. Seuss to draw trees that way. Certainly, they are one of the most sculpturally fascinating trees in a state full of them.

Not all California sycamore bend and twist in this way, though all are beautiful and Peter scores a First Report for his photographs of Near Peak California sycamore along the Mulholland Highway.

Will miracles never cease.

Mulholland Highway, Santa Monica Mountains NRA, Malibu – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!

October 8, 2018/4 Comments/by John Poimiroo

Fall Color Report, Inland Empire, Southern California

Aspen Grove Trail Recovers

Fish Creek, Aspen Grove Trail, Sand to Snow Nat’l Monument (10/5/18) Alena Nicholas

Aspen Grove Trail, Sand to Snow Nat’l Monument (10/5/18) Alena Nicholas

Fish Creek, Aspen Grove Trail, Sand to Snow Nat’l Monument (10/5/18) Alena Nicholas

Aspen Grove Trail, Sand to Snow Nat’l Monument (10/5/18) Alena Nicholas

Fish Creek, Aspen Grove Trail, Sand to Snow Nat’l Monument (10/5/18) Alena Nicholas

Steve Alarid’s prediction, stated three years ago, that “Aspen are going to dominate this area for the next 50 years,” appears to be happening along Big Bear’s famous Aspen Grove Trail in the San Gorgonio Wilderness.

The USDA Forest Service representative was commenting following the 2015 Summer’s Lake Fire that incinerated parts of San Bernardino National Forest. Coniferous trees had then been turned into leaning, blackend staffs and calf-deep ash, but unseen beneath the gray surface aspen survived.

Scott Eliason, Mountaintop Ranger District Botanist said, “as would be expected of aspen, which are known to recover well following fire,” those in this grove, which became part of the Sand to Snow National Monument designated by President Obama in 2016, “re-sprouted vigorously and have grown rapidly since the fire.”

“Aspen don’t do well in shade,” Eliason continued, “So the grove is actually in better shape now than before the fire when there were a few large white fir and other conifers shading parts of the grove.”

San Bernardino Mountains color spotter Alena Nicholas hiked to the grove on Friday, reporting that densely packed young aspen have pushed up in a reinvigorated stand along a 300-foot section of Fish Creek. Living aspen are now up to ten feet tall and as short as three feet.

Nicholas said the bare, blackened trunks of cremated conifers and the ghostly white skeletons of aspen provide a gothic visage and a surrealistic contrast to the vibrant green, lime, yellow and orange aspen.

Through this scene, the fresh waters of Fish Creek spill and twist, feeding shoreline grasses and willows that boast peak golden color. Alena described it as “uniquely beautiful … with old and new blending as one.”

Presently, Aspen Grove Trail can be reached only by hikers, as hazardous tree removal continues along the Forest Road.

To get to the grove, exit CA-38 at Coon Creek Campground onto Forest Road 1N02. Continue on 1N02 to Heart Bar Campground. Near there, the Forest Road is gated and the only way to continue beyond the gate is to hike 1.4 miles uphill.

A free permit is required for all wilderness trails, and can be obtained at the Barton Flats Ranger Station on Hwy 38 six miles west from the Heart Bar Campground.

Zach Behrens, spokesperson for the USDA Forest Service, urged caution when hiking to the grove along the Forest Road. “Hikers must do so at their own risk and be watchful of logging and vehicles along the road,” he warned.

Parking for about six cars is available near the gate; the same number will be available near the grove, once the road is reopened.

No date for reopening of Forest Road 1N02 to the Aspen Grove Trail has been announced, though it will not happen until after the aspen are Past Peak, this autumn.

Presently, the grove varies from Patchy to Near Peak, depending on location. It will Peak within the coming two weeks.

Nicholas said there was plenty of color to be seen yesterday, though “a few of the trees along the creek have started to drop their leaves” due to recent winds. Black oak not destroyed by the fire are also beginning to show orange color.

If Steve Alarid’s prediction continues to hold, we’ve got another 47 years to see aspen as the dominant tree in this part of San Bernardino National Forest.

Aspen Grove Trail, Sand to Snow National Monument, Big Bear (7,150′) – Patchy to Near Peak (10-75%) GO NOW!

October 6, 2018/by John Poimiroo

Los Angeles County, Peak of the Week, Southern California, Special Events

Parade of Roses and Autumn

Tournament of Roses, Pasadena (1/1/18) Frank McDonough

Each New Year’s Day, the world marvels at the amazing floral floats made for the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena.

What often isn’t seen in the worldwide coverage of the parade is the lingering fall color to be seen along the streets of Pasadena.

Los Angeles County color spotter Frank McDonough captured some of it and shares it with us.

Pasadena – Peak to Past Peak – You Almost Missed It.

January 2, 2018/by John Poimiroo

Fall Color Report, Los Angeles County, Southern California

Three Season Peak

Hahamonga Watershed Park, Pasadena (12/21/17) Naresh Satyan

It’s now official. California’s fall color has now appeared in three seasons in 2017: summer, autumn and winter.

Color spotter Naresh Satyan did not let the first day of winter deter him from sending this shot of peak color seen this morning among willows in Pasadena’s Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena, where river bed is still dressed in various stages of fall, er, um, well winter color.

He reports, “Unfortunately wind has been stripping leaves fairly quickly, but it still looks like Fall down here!”

Pasadena – Peak to Past Peak – You Almost Missed It.

December 21, 2017/by John Poimiroo

Fall Color Report, Southern California

Condor Country – Los Padres Nat’l Forest

Piru Creek Crossing, Los Padres National Forest (10/21/17) Naresh Satyan

Black oak, Los Padres National Forest (10/21/17) Naresh Satyan

Black oak are about to peak in the Los Padres National Forest (north of the San Fernando Valley in Ventura County), Naresh Satyan reports.

His party spent a few days hiking Alamo Mountain (Gold Hill Rd. southwest of Gorman, off I-5, via Hungry Valley SVRA) to find blooming rabbitbrush painting lower elevations of the SVRA.

Naresh wrote that continuing along Gold Hill Rd., “a nice patch of color is seen at the Piru creek crossing. Higher up, between 5000′ and 7000′, black oaks are at peak amidst a mixed-pine forest.”

Now, that’s the quick guide. However, Naresh wrote that, for the most part, “one has to go looking for color,” as the black oaks are not seen in all locations.

Piru Creek, Los Padres National Forest (10/21/17) Naresh Satyan

However, he did see rattlesnakes, condors (the area borders the Sespe Condor Sanctuary – a 53,000-acre wildlife refuge in the Topatopa Mountains, in northeastern Ventura County), peregrine falcons, lots of hawks, quail, and smaller birds.

Unseen, but evident from their scat and tracks were “deer, bear, and mountain lions.” Naresh concluded they were likely hidden from view due to it being hunting season.

A word of caution: When fall color spotting in areas where hunting is common, avoid wearing camouflage clothing. Instead, a blaze orange item or bright clothing is advised (humans see it, but hunted animals do not).

Alamo Mountain (7,380′), Los Padres National Forest – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!

Piru Creek, Los Padres National Forest (10/21/17) Naresh Satyan

Black oak, Los Padres National Forest (10/21/17) Naresh Satyan

Black oak, mixed pine forest, Los Padres National Forest (10/23/17) Naresh Satyan

October 24, 2017/by John Poimiroo

Fall Color Report, Inland Empire, Southern California

Rim of the World: Visit the Lakes, Trails

Grass Valley Lake (10/21/17) Alena Nicholas

Alena Nicholas spent Saturday exploring the lakes and trails that spur off from the Rim of the World Scenic Byway in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Lake Arrowhead (10/21/17) Alena Nicholas

Lake Gregory 10/21/17) Alena Nicholas

Black oak at Lake Arrowhead, Grass Valley Lake, Lake Gregory and nearby areas are at full peak speckling the forest with bold splashes of orange.

The San Bernardino range’s bigleaf maple, dogwood and aspen are now past peak, though observant spotters can find “color in pockets from Lake Arrowhead down to Crestline.”

Exotic maples, sycamore and liquidambar are also providing bright color in planted neighborhoods.

Big Bear Lake has peak color among its oaks, as well. Though, the aspen and dogwood are past peak. Here are some upcoming events at Big Bear:

Oct. 28 – Spartan Race
Nov. 3 & 4 – Big Bear Comedy Festival

Elsewhere in Southern California, Ryan Lumb reported that he had anticipated seeing Peak color on Mt. San Gorgonio (11,503′), but was disappointed to find it mostly Past Peak. And, Walnut color spotter Del Hossain had a frustrating trip to the Eastern Sierra, visiting locations that had already been reported here as being Past Peak.

Advice to readers: check this site the week before you travel to see reports from places you’ll be visiting. If the latest report for the location is peak color, by the time you travel it may be past peak. Peak color lasts only from a week to a few minutes at any given location, depending upon conditions (wind, rain, snow, overcast).

Always look at the date the photograph was taken. As, what you are seeing happened often days before. What you might see now or in a few more days will be very different than what’s shown in any photo. So, get there as fast as you can whenever we report “GO NOW!”

If there’s no report from the location you plan to visit, check locations at similar elevations near where you plan to visit. As, it’s likely the color at that latitude and elevation will similar.

Finally, if you don’t like what you’re seeing at a given location (because it’s almost Past Peak), then don’t go there. Instead, consider traveling somewhere else that’s shown nearing peak or having just peaked, as it will provide the best viewing experience.

We are grateful to Ryan and Del for their reports, as they will surely help others avoid missing the best color.

This is likely the last week of great color above 3,000′ in Southern California, as reports are now descending to locations in the valleys and basins of the southland.

Rim of the World, San Bernardino Mountains (5,174′) – Peak (75-100%) – GO NOW!