Natural History Wanderings

California Fall Color has new reports for the Eastern Sierra Nevada

GO NOW! Near Peak 50 – 75% Mammoth Lakes Basin – Twin Lakes in the Mammoth Lakes Basin is at peak with beautiful orange colors.  Other lakes in the basin either lack fall color or are still patchy. Color spotter Kevin Lennox reports erratic uniformity of color among the trees in the Lakes Basin.

Patchy 10 – 50% – Laurel Canyon – Very little color showing at base, though about a fourth of trees have turned at the top of the canyon.

Patchy 10 – 50% – Convict Lake – Convict has lots of yellow just appearing around the lake; Convict Canyon has a way to go.

GO NOW! Near Peak 50 – 75% – McGee Creek Canyon – Gorgeous color above 8,500′

Patchy 10 – 50% – Crowley Lake – Very little color is showing, as yet.

GO NOW! Near Peak 50 – 75% – Lundy Canyon Trail –  a peak hike for this weekend.  Color  peaking along the trail and in waterfall areas though the Lundy Lake Road and the lake itself are still green.  That means the color should be good not just this weekend, but for the following week wind and weather permitting.

Patchy 10 – 50% – June Lake Loop – A mix of green, lime and yellow color the aspen surrounding the June Lakes. Brush are painting surrounding mountainsides auburn and orange. June Lake has at least a week to two weeks before peaking.

GO NOW! Peak 75 – 100% – Saddlebag Lakes – Upper Tioga Pass is at full peak.  There aren’t many aspen in this area, though riparian color is beautiful.

Patchy 10 – 50% – Lee Vining Canyon – Similar to June Lakes, it has a way to go before full color.Past Peak – Upper Virginia Lakes Road – Wind stripped turned trees near the Virginia Lakes this past weekend.

Patchy 10 – 50% Lower Virginia Lakes Road – Wind swept aspen surrounding Virginia Lakes lost their leaves this past week. Color spotter Steve Wolfe reported “The last half of Virginia Lakes Road at Conway Summit is past peak, with lots of leafless stands, but the first half… is still just this side of “patchy”, with green, lime and yellow stands.”

GO NOW! Peak 75 – 100% – Sonora Pass – Most of the color to be seen along Sonora Pass is on the eastern side of the pass. Higher elevations are at full peak with lower groves of aspen a mix of yellow and green.

Patchy 10 – 50% – Walker/Coleville – Very little yellow and orange color is showing among the willows and cottonwood.

Near Peak 50 – 75% – Monitor Pass – Wind stripped some of the turned color this past week, but leaves that hadn’t turned are now coloring up.

See photos at California Fall Color