Fall nearly ready to explode in color
In the high, granite canyons above Convict Lake, the first sign of fall colors arrived last week. The beginning of peak here, when the aspens ignite in neon yellows, is about 10 days to two weeks off.
That means the annual fall of procession, from the aspens in the High Sierra down to the maple woodlands of the Peninsula, will detonate at peak from Oct. 10 through Halloween. If you have your favorite spot, you can put a date on the calendar now to enjoy it in the coming month and take in the full kaleidoscope of colors.
After a week in the Bay Area, I’m going to the Yosemite wilderness this weekend for an expedition. In the span of travel across the state to the eastern Sierra, you can see that fall colors are imminent. Each year is a surprise how explosive the colors will be. Last year, for instance, was spectacular for aspens, maples, dogwoods and other hardwoods across much of Northern California. This year seems to hold more of the same.
The aspens in high canyons of the eastern Sierra turn first and often provide a forerunner of what type of fall it will be. Along U.S. 395, from Bridgeport to Lone Pine, you can turn west into any of a series of canyons to take in the spectacle. The best: Take Highway 158 on the June Lake Loop to the Parker Lake Trail; out of Convict Lake and the trail up the canyon to Dorothy Lake; out of Tom’s Place up Rock Creek Canyon to Rock Creek Lake; out of Bishop for the drive up Highway 168 to South Lake and then hike to Ruwau Lake (or, as an overnighter, instead to Tyee Lakes). The hikes to Parker and Ruwau are steep, but you can do it in a day.
Then you have Convict Lake, nestled at an elevation of 7,583 feet, often one of the prettiest places in fall on the planet. It is only a few miles from the sagebrush country of the Owens Valley. Then you clear a rise and enter a gateway to paradise. The lake is gem-like in a granite basin, where aspen-filled mountain slopes rise to an awesome granite crest that pokes holes in the sky.
From the lake, you can float in a kayak, canoe or small boat, and while you fish for big trout, take in a panorama of yellows and oranges that span across the forested slopes (at the little boat ramp, those with bigger boats will have to angle their engine up right now to clear the boulders).
The best trek is an overnighter, where you hike up Convict Lake Canyon above the lake through the aspens to Dorothy Lake, roughly 8 miles with a 2,700-foot climb. In the spring and early summer, a creek crossing makes this trip wet, dangerous or impossible. In the fall, with no snowmelt, the creek is a trickle and the ford is no problem.
On the south Peninsula, the vicinity of downtown Palo Alto is rewarded each fall from its tree-planting program in the 1950s and ’60s with street after street of giant maples. Elsewhere across the Bay Area, you can see valleys with pockets of color. Most people have their favorite spot, often associated with their childhood when they played in the leaves. Near Lafayette, the valley at Rossmoor, for instance, has a procession of magnolia, oak and plethora of exotics that are gorgeous at peak.
In Yosemite Valley, peak color is projected for midOctober. At Tahoe, the aspens at Fallen Leaf Lake can provide quite a show in a gorgeous setting. Hit it right and it will change how you feel for a long time. Hit it wrong and you wonder what the big deal is.
From the western Sierra, the best aspen colors are often located out of Visalia in Sequoia National Park, from Mineral King to Farewell Canyon. In the north state, the town of Mount Shasta can be the best, often a week before Halloween, with a mix of maples, dogwoods, aspen, amber and fruit trees.
The beginning of peak will start in the high canyons of the eastern Sierra, maybe as early as next weekend, or certainly the week that follows. October’s big show is imminent.
Blood moon
The exact time for the full lunar eclipse of a “blood moon” is at 7:47 p.m. Sunday. The eclipse is simultaneous with a “super moon,” or when the moon is at its closest point to Earth, and sunlight is forecast to refract around the Earth and give the moon a reddish tint. Best spots in the Bay Area to see it: Peninsula: Montara Mountain (if no fog), Montara State Beach, www.parks.ca.gov; Skyline Ridge/Highway 35, Skeggs Lookout or Caltrans Vista Point, www.dot.ca.gov. Santa Clara County: Mount Hamilton in Santa Clara County: Lick Observatory, www.ucolick.org. East Bay hills: Grizzly Peak Boulevard, Chabot Space and Science Center, www.chabotspace.org. Marin: Mount Burdell Open Space, Marin County Parks and Open Space, www.marincountyparks.org. Gates closed: Rangers close the gates at night at Mount Tamalpais and Mount Diablo, with a curfew enforced with a big ticket at Mission Peak.
Yosemite notes
Campground closings: White Wolf and Porcupine Flat campgrounds off Tioga Road, and Bridalveil Campground off Glacier Point Road closed last week, Tuolumne Meadows campground closes at noon Sunday, Crane Flat will close Oct. 13, Tamarack Flat on Oct. 15. Open: In Yosemite Valley, the Pines campgrounds are booked 100 percent through the end of October and the end of daylight-saving time, Sunday, Nov. 1. Hodgdon Meadow and Wawona go to first-come, first-served Oct. 13. Lodging: In the shoulder season, you can get great weather, fewer people and lodging availability. Info: www.YosemiteExperience.com; YosemitePark.com, TenayaLodge.com. Something’s gotta change: 32 bears have now been hit by cars this year in Yosemite National Park.