Natural History Wanderings

California Fall Color has a number of new reports

California Fall Color has a number of new reports . There are detailed reports for Hope Valley and South Tahoe as well as information about Apple Hill, Newton Road in Pleasant Valley and  LaPorte Rd. in  Quincy Here are the highlights with photo links.

Apple Hill – My route took me through Pleasant Valley (great wine tasting) down Newtown Rd. toward Placerville, US 50 and Camino.
Newtown is a lovely, winding road canopied by huge black oak and bigleaf maple, that now are speckled with huge bright yellow and lime-colored maple leaves.
Apple Hill, Camino (3,133′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Newtown Road, Pleasant Valley – Patchy to Near Peak (10-75%) GO NOW!
See photos at Apple Hill – Ripe for Picking

Hope Valley – still has lots and lots of peak color, though it’s all below 7,400′.
A scouting trip through the Hope Valley (CA-88, Carson Pass) found peak color at Sorensen’s Resort at the top of Woodford’s Canyon and in the Hope Valley below Red Creek Cabin.
Aspen high on the ridge behind the cabin have moved from Just Starting to Patchy.
Those directly behind the cabin, that were peaking previously, are now Past Peak and those that were Patchy to Near Peak are peaking.
Above the cabin, Red Lake and Caples Lake have peaked. Only spotty color remains. Similarly, at Sorensen’s, stands at the resort are at full, glorious peak, while those across the road and along the West Fork of the Carson River are Past Peak.

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California Fall Color has new reports today

Walker River –  often overlooked as a fall color location. along a dirt road, 15 miles north of Bridgeport, to Obsidian Campground in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest yesterday to find aspen and willows in all stages of peak, coloring the dense forest near the stream with avocado green, gold, orange and rose.  West Walker River (7,800′) – Near Peak 50-75%) GO NOW! See photos at  West Walker Discovery

Henness Pass Road –  travels east/west across the Northern Sierra, south of CA-49, roughly between Camptonville and Downieville, but slightly to the south.
As the lowest pass through the Sierra Nevada, you’d think everyone would drive it, but don’t expect to jump in your sedan for a leisurely Sunday drive, as only high clearance off-road vehicles can operate on it. This is wild country dotted with ranches, wildlife, spots of fall color and not much else. Henness Pass (6,920′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! See photos at  Henness Pass – Ever Heard of It?

California Fall Color has a number of new reports this afternoon. Here are the highlights with photo links.

Mammoth Lakes  flecked with gold, Near Peak aspen throughout town and along Mammoth Creek Trail and the Sherwin Creek Trail which leads to the Sherwin Lakes.Mammoth Lakes (8,500′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! See photos at Mammoth Lakes Now Flecked With Gold

Saghen Meadows-  The moment has arrived when enough Peak color has fallen at a given location to classify the location as Past Peak. When that happens, we report, “You Missed It.”
That’s occurred at Sagehen Meadows Road in Mono County (13 mi. east of US 395, south of Mono Lake on CA-120), where this past week the color was gloriously rich and textured. Today, most of it is on the ground.
Yet, for the die-hard color spotter, like Mark Harding, there is beauty to be seen in the last weathered leaves of autumn. And, if you still visit Sagehen, you’ll find lovely glimpses of it, as he did. Sagehen Meadows, Mono County – Past Peak (You Missed It.)  See photos at Sagehen Meadows – You Missed It

Skyforest – Santa’s Village – Aspen and maple have been planted throughout the park’s fantasy village, and though the trees are young, they promise a show of fall color that will improve each autumn. Santa’s Village, Skyforest (5,174′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! See photos at Santa’s Village Unwraps Autumn Presents

California Fall Color has a number of new reports this morning. Here are the highlights with photo links.

Plumas County – When the Indian Rhubarb start to burn orange, red, yellow and green in Plumas County, there are few more striking places to be to see fall color in California than along one of its streams.
Plumas County is the northernmost end of the Sierra in the vast
Indian rhubarb, black oak and bigleaf maple are the predominant sources of fall color.
Though, exotic trees planted in its towns mix with the native color to create dramatic showy scenes, like that of the exotic maple planted behind the Plumas Superior Courthouse in Quincy, contrasted with a native maple seen along Big Creek road.
just above Bucks Lake, on the road to the dam and just off the road aspen peaking at 5,600′.
What!? Peaking aspen at 5,600′ when they haven’t peaked above 9,000′ at some locations in the Eastern Sierra? What gives?
This continues to be one of the earliest autumn peaks for the Northern Sierra and one of the latest for the Eastern Sierra.
Plumas County – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
See photos at Wonder-Filled Plumas

Jenkinson Lake near Sly Park in the Gold Country (El Dorado County)
The southeast side of the lake is especially beautiful” though is on point by pointing out that “in line with the rest of the state, it is a patchy display. All the leaves are close to reaching their peak with the lime leaves of bright aspens and oak spotted with some red, yellow and pink that are ahead of the pack.”
“The southeast finger of the lake is narrow and the beautiful blues and teal of the water are contrasted by dark greens of pines and pops of bright yellow from the trees spotting the embankment, definitely the best part of the lake’s scenery.”The varieties that dominate this area are pacific dogwood, black oak and bigleaf maple.
Jenkinson Lake, Sly Park (3,400′) – Patchy
See photos a Harlequin Color Pops at Jenkinson Laket 

Color Along I-80 and At Tahoe spot of color behind Rainbow Lodge on the South Yuba River.
Rainbow Lodge, Soda Springs (6,768′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
South Lake Tahoe at the Spring Creek Recreational Tract near Emerald Bay and found color peaking there, too.
Zephyr Cove on the Nevada side of Tahoe and found more orange to share.
See photos at Color Along I-80 and At Tahoe

Lassen National Park –  Lassen Volcanic National Park  “most of the color is at peak” or just Past Peak.
Of course, this is a national park, so there are quite a number of colorful native varieties to be enjoyed: knotweed (crimson), pearly everlastings (vanilla), Lichen (chartreuse), willows (brassy), alder (yellow), dogwood (rose), black cottonwood (gold) and quaking aspen (yellow to red).
Of those, the cottonwood and aspen are Near Peak, with one to three weeks of peak still to go.
The rest are Past Peak.
As for the wind, it only blew “turned” leaves from the trees. Trees whose leaves were in the process of turning still have their leaves, and because so much of California’s autumn has been staggered, the show will go on for weeks ahead.
One of the prime areas to still see the show in the national park is at Manzanita Lake, where Lassen Peak reflections are seen. This is particularly nice at sunset, when the volcano is lit with alpenglow. Several of these shots were taken along the park road near Dersch Meadow, Hat Creek Meadow and Summit Lake, near 7000′.
Lassen Volcanic National Park (8,500′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW! to Past Peak (You Missed It.)
See photos at  Fire in the Wind