Side Road on the way to South Lake
The forecast for the inland valleys in Southern California this past weekend is for 105! With that in mind it seems unbelievable that already Fall Colors season in the Eastern Sierra. Some web sites are already locations like Sabrina Campground and Rock Creek are at their peak!
For those looking to go to the Sierra to view the Fall Colors here are a list of links that will help you plan your hunt. I need to give credit to Sandy Steinman and her blog for the list of resources!
Be Sure To Look Down When Photographing Fall Colors
Places to See Fall Colors
South of Mammoth
- Hwy. 168 through Bishop Creek Canyon, Aspendell, Lake Sabrina, North Lake, and South Lake - Awesome canyon and creek side shots everywhere. Colors will peak at different altitudes at different times. - Along the road
- Convict Lake - Along the road
- McGee Canyon - Short hike
- Rock Creek - Along the road and moderate hike
North of Mammoth
- June Lakes Loop - Along the road
- Lundy Lake - Along the road and hike
- Parker Lake - Moderate Hike
- Conway Summit - Along freeway
- Dunderberg Road - Along the road dirt graded road
Resources for Determining Where the Color Is
Fall Colors are very finicky and can change in an instant. One wind or snow storm can change a location dramatically in less than a day. To see the best colors you have to be flexible and have up to date information. Luckily, there are dedicated Fall Color fans who track and post information on a regular basis. Here are some of the better sources of information:
- Natural History Wanderings Foliage Reports fall color reports posted on Natural History Wanderings
- Parchers Bishop Creek best foliage report for the Bishop Creek Canyon area in the Eastern Sierra.
- California Fall Color covers California fall color.
- California Fall Color Map interactive fall color map by California Fall Color blog
- Mono County Fall Color reports
- Calphoto Yahoo Group members post reports; must join to use.
- Sierra Fall Colors Sacramento Bee map rating fall color at many Sierra Nevada locations. updated on Thursdays.
Get Off the Beaten Path and Away From the Crowds!
Photographing Fall Colors
For the first several years I struggled to get images of fall colors that I liked. So I did my homework and my images improved. Here are links to some great photographic tips to get the best image of your fall color images. I especially like Steve Siren's recommendations
- Tips for Photographing Fall Color by Photo Naturalist (list of articles on photographing fall color)
- Top Ten Tips For Photographing Fall Color by Photo Cascadia
- Fall Color Photo Tips by Steve Siren
- Classic Fall Color: Capturing the best of autumn takes a combination of skill, preparation, timing and equipment by Stan Trzoniec from the Outdoor Photographerblog
- Top 5 Photo Tips for Autumn by Ian Plant from the Outdoor Photographer blog
Good luck on your adventures hunting the this year's Fall Colors. Just a reminder during the fall season there are a lot of folks, photographers and non-photographers, enjoying the spectacular fall colors. Be mindful you are not alone and show courtesy for others.
If you see someone setting up for an image up the road from you give them some time to capture their image.
If you are at an iconic spot where lot's of people want to take a photograph. Take yours and move on so others can too.
The Sierra are huge and there are plenty of beautiful scenes and plenty of room for everyone.