Fall Colors in the Sierra - Anyone interested?

[wingding]

calipidder - the trip last year was fun.

It doesn't sound like there's enough interest to plan a group trip this year. I'll check back before I head out the weekend of the 29th to see who else is going to be up in the eastern Sierra checking out the colors that weekend.

[SSSdave]

Sounds like a fine idea wingding. One issue as a hard core photographer is that I am unlikely to want to be tied down to a given area if that area's leaves are not that interesting while another area of groves is. So some flexibility is in order that we might firm up say by mid September when trees above South Lake on Bishop Creek first start looking quite nice providing an indication of how the rest of the season will play out. Sometimes the Bishop Creek areas peak the week before the end of the month, and if so I might choose to be there then. A whole lot aesthetically can change week to week and a single cold windy storm can absolutely destroy what just looked wonderful the previous day.

I would suggest the Bishop Creek aspen areas. They are usually the first road accessible groves to undergo color change and are huge and varied. The considerable other northern groves like Lundy are usually more difficult to predict. I can see several of us lined up along the shores of North Lake on a hopefully calm frosty morning patiently shivering as the sunlight slowly drops lower on the slopes above the lake while we photographers groan at every instance of breeze that mars the reflecting waters. For those that enjoy fishing, that is the best time year along Bishop Creek with summer crowds long gone. Could not ask for a more impressive stream setting for casting flies. Saw a guy pull out a couple of near 20 inch rainbows one day I was working North Lake. Camping along Bishop Creek is limited to national forest campgrounds thus would need to select one of those. Most of the Bishop Creek campgrounds are closed up during the leaf season.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation ... unds.shtml

...David

[ifernau]

Sounds like a fine idea wingding.
Most of the Bishop Creek campgrounds are closed up during the leaf season.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation ... unds.shtml

...David

Hi Dave,
I just looked at the closing dates for some of the campgrounds and it really urks me that for example Big Trees closes around 9/30....why..it is one of the lowest ones and the trees around there don't even turn until the second or third week in October.
I will get my first Fall Color fix 9/23 to 9/25 and then a whole week 9/30 to 10/8 again. I am not as mobile (long hikes) as you are, but I go where I find the best colors.

Would love to hook up with some of you, maybe when it gets closer to the season, we can try to make plans to meet.

[wingding]

Maybe we can get people to post on color conditions as they get back from trips to the eastern Sierra in September.

[quentinc]

The following website is a good resource for fall foliage in the Eastern Sierra too.

http://www.calphoto.com/fall.htm

[huts]

I will try to keep this thread updated as the colors progress. I live in N. Mono county but I do my Bishop area excursions in Sept. and Oct. Maybe I will have chance to meet up with some of you. I'll be the one with the watercolors.

[Randonnee]

Well my luck for this year is holding

I just received my notice to appear for jury duty starting the last week in Sept. So I may be tied up, or should I say locked up, if the put me on a trial.

[SSSdave]

Someone needed to bump this thread up now that another couple weeks have passed. It's been ten days since I returned from my trip over Lamarck Col so quite a bit more aspen folliage is likely starting to yellow. Will be interested in hearing some more reports after this weekend to see what others have seen and hopefully a few images that are worth more than words. I'm guessing with the passage of the first real cold front today, many trees have suddenly gone from summer leaf production into the fall countdown. I'm guessing the peak week in the Bishop Creek area will be sometime in the first week of October or a week or so delayed from average years. Weather the next couple weeks will have a considerable impact on how that plays out.

September 30 is a Saturday with October 1 Sunday then October 7/8 the following weekend. Some photography enthusiasts on another forum I visit are planning a get to gether from Tuesday October 3 through the following weekend of Sunday October 8 and tentatively are planning on camping at the Four Jeffreys campground.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation ... unds.shtml

That is by far the largest campground up the Bishop Creek roads and is centrally located between the South and Middle Fork areas. Most of the other campgrounds higher up the canyon like Sabrina usually close by then. Aspen are likely to be mostly green in that lower area during the first week but anyone serious about photographing the aspen groves would not be spending much time just walking about any campground areas as the rest of the groves have much more to offer. And of course there are certain to be some groups of photography work shop folk about. Despite the passion of those who go up for the fall leaf scenery, it is still relatively empty compared to what one sees on any August weekend. ...David

[wingding]

I'm still planning on heading up to the Bishop area on the last weekend in September. Four Jeffrey's might be where I'll end up too.

I'm wondering if those strong winds the last couple of days knocked lots of leaves off.

[Ranboze]

Here's what I noticed 9/10-12:

A couple aspen groves on thr road to Virginia Lakes have turned yellow; I saw one tree that was red.

Many willows everywhere are turning, notably around Twin Lakes (Mammoth).

Rock Creek: aspens still green

Things are changing quickly!