Since this is the season of aspen color along the east slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains, it seems like a good time to share a link to my article on where and how to find and photograph these beautiful trees: Sierra Nevada Fall Color Season – Coming Sooner Than You Think.
“Fallen Aspen Branch, Snow” Sierra Nevada Range, California. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
I originally wrote this article four years ago, in response to a lot of questions about this seasonal change, and I have updated it regularly since then. The short story is that the aspens begin to change near the end of September in a typical year, and if you know where to look you can find aspen color for the next three weeks or perhaps just a bit longer. The change starts in the highest groves of trees and then works its way down to lower elevations as the transformation progresses, with later potential down along the base of the range and in some of the east side canyons.
I have not (yet) been up to photograph the trees this season – though I plan to rectify that situation very soon! – but everything I’m hearing right now suggests that the change came earlier than usual this year. In a more typical year I would expect to see the best color perhaps starting right about now and continuing for another week or longer – but this year there are a lot of reports of high elevation trees already dropping leaves and of lower elevation areas already in peak form. If you are going this year, I would make it sooner rather than later!
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.
Many thanks for your dialogue. We are in June and despite the snow I am excited to walk up Lundy and see the Aspens.
Be safe, Mary
Was wondering if you were going to make it up there this year.
I was just up there and it is a strange year this year. First, both South lake and Sabrina are completely drained. High wind and cold temps have stripped high
elevation trees and turned some leaves black or dull in color. Conway summit trees in the front are totally stripped and rest of trees are mixed in color. Lower Conway summit grove is peak color and much better shape since it is more secluded from the high winds.
June lake is turning but has more to go before peak.
Temp was below freezing and ice was starting to form on North lake the morning I was there.
Hope you have a great trip and get up there soon before the next storm.
Thanks for the update, Wayne. I’m hoping to get up there soon for a bit.
I pretty much knew this was going to be a “different” fall in the Sierra. July looked like August, and in early August I was seeing conditions that looked more like late August or early September. My hunch had been that the trees would change early, but from what I’m hearing the change may have begun even a bit earlier than I expected. (Though I shouldn’t be too surprised. Last year I saw good color in upper Bishop Creek right around October 1, where I would usually find it a week later.)
Since things do seem to take a couple weeks or more to work their way from early color to final color, I think that there will still be opportunities, especially down lower and in some of the deeper, protected canyons.
Dan
The cold temps up there have really accelerated the color changing and you can see from the Parcher’s color report that lower down places like Intake2 and Cardinal groves are already turning pretty fast.
This is even earlier than last year which was early like you mentioned.
Also, the devastation of the Rim fire is a really sad sight but glad it didn’t reach the Yosemite valley and redwood groves. Also weird is the current condition ofYosemite NP due to the govt shutdown. Not being able to even stop and enjoy your Tioga pass route throught the park is a weird feeling and is so unnatural. Glad you got your Yosemite trip in before the shutdown.
Maravilloso…!
Thanks, Jerry. Let’s hope that the aspens are maravelloso!
Dan