Natural History Wanderings

California Fall Color has an update for the Shasta Cascade Region. Report highlights below. See photos at Discovering Gold in the Shasta Cascade

Presently, the vast Shasta Cascade region of northeast California is near peak, with the last of peak moving north through the northern Sierra into the southern Cascades.

Shasta county (Near Peak – 50 – 75%) – Riparian areas beside the Sacramento River seen from I-5 and urban forests in Redding and Anderson are at full peak with black oak, cottonwood and willows colored yellow, orange and red. GO NOW!

Plumas County (Peak 75-100%) Plumas County continues at peak. Bigleaf maple are dropping huge yellow leaves in the Indian Valley.  The Road to the Round Valley Reservoir is flanked by trees covered with yellow and orange oak and maple leaves.  Indian Rhubarb are losing their red-orange intensity, though the North Fork of the Feather River is now being drapes with yellow.  You’ll find color along the Arlington Road, near the Hideaway Motel in Quincy, surrounding Greenville and along the Round Valley Road. GO NOW!

Tehama County (Near Peak – 50 – 75%) – Tehama is forecast to peak this or next week.  Many of the cottonwoods flanking the Sacramento River are heavy with gorgeous yellow- orange leaves. GO NOW!

Butte County (Near Peak – 50 – 75%) –  Downtown Chico, the CSU Chico campus, Paradise, orchards along CA-99 and Bidwell Park are the places to find the most color in Butte County.  A favorite mid-November road trip is to Chico for lunch at the Sierra Nevada Brewery Restaurant (top rate), a tour of the brewery, fall color viewing in Chico and at Bidwell Park, visits to Orient and Flume Art Glass and Chico’s many exceptional art galleries. GO NOW!

Modoc County (Near Peak – 50 – 75%) – The Modoc people called this land at the extreme northeast corner of California, “The Smiles of God,” for its beauty and bounty.  In autumn, Modoc National Forest is where people head to see its fall color and majesty.  The forest is renowned for its western juniper – the largest unbroken expanse in the world, though it also has mountain mahogany, white-barked quaking aspen and purple sage that in autumn provide beautiful color. More than 300 species of wildlife pass through the region including many migratory waterfowl, Rocky Mountain elk, wild horses, mule deer, and pronghorn antelope. Peak is about to occur and should last almost to Thanksgiving Day. GO NOW!

Trinity County (Near Peak – 50 – 75%) – Quite a bit of change has occurred in the past week with the Trinity River now brightly colored with yellow bigleaf maple, chartreuse wild cucumber and orange black oak surrounding Weaverville and along CA-299. GO NOW!

Lassen County (Peak 75 – 100%) – Fall Color has about another week to show in the Susanville area and Bizz Johnson trail, Mountain Meadows Reservoir and northeastern Lake Almanor are exploding with fall color. GO NOW!

Siskiyou County (Peak 75 – 100%) –Siskiyou County peaked last week and is now moving toward past peak. Beautiful color is found in Dunsmuir, Mt. Shasta, Weed and McCloud from both native and exotic trees.