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The Famous Fall Colors of the Bishop Creek Canyon
The
Bishop Creek Canyon contains a high concentration of
aspen trees making it one of the best places in the
Sierra for spectacular fall color photography. The
colors often begin to turn at the higher elevations in
early September and the transformation,
weather-permitting, can last through the month of
October or even into November
2009 Fall Color Report
Updated
10/7/09
Easy come easy go as
they say.You may recall in last weeks report that I was
hoping the cold temps wouldn't put a premature end to the
fall color - unfortunately the wind and bitter cold did
indeed ruin most of the color at the higher elevations, say
above 9000ft. Within 48 hours of last Tuesday's cold snap
most of the yellows, oranges and reds took on a brownish
hue, a sure sign that the cold was more than the peaking
trees could bear. Although the cold did wipe out a lot of
the best color up high, we are fortunate in that below the
8500ft mark there was a whole lot of aspen which hadn't
begun to turn yet and in those cases the green trees are
much less affected by such cold temps. Groves at Big Trees
Campground, Four Jeffrey Campground, Intake II, Mountain
Glen and Mist Falls are just now starting to lighten up and
get ready to turn. Again, weather permitting we'll see these
groves start to turn very soon offering us another round of
spectacular fall color.
All Photographs
Copyright 2009 by Jared Smith,
www.SmithSierraPhotography.com
South Lake - Elevation 9768
ft
Past
Peak of Full Color
Not much color left
at South Lake as the brilliant colors have largely been
replaced by bare trees or brown leaves.
Weir
Pond - Elevation 9592 ft
Past
Peak of Full Color
Just a few
trees on the east side of the pond are holding on to their
color with majority falling victim to the cold and wind.
There are a few good photo ops possible still but the best
views will have to wait for next fall.
October 6th, 2009
September 27th, 2009
Parchers Camp - Elevation
9260 ft
Past
Peak of Full Color
The
view from my porch is not what it was a week ago as
most of the color on the hills has turned to brown. There
are some nice pockets of color just below the resort as well
as some late turning aspens so there are some prospects for
the next few weeks - especially the granite face in between
here and Willow Camp that has a few aspen and some snowberry
bushes (the ones that turn bright red in the fall). Lets
hope the weather holds out.
October 6th, 2009
North Lake -
Elevation 9255ft
Past
Peak of Full Color
North Lake
really got hit hard by the cold as there is very little
color left around the lake or on the road.
October 6th,
2009
September 29th, 2009
Lake Sabrina -
Elevation 9150 ft
Past Peak of Full Color
Pretty much the same situation
as South Lake over here - the cold was just too much for the
vast majority of the peaking aspen around the lake. The
skyline is still as epic as it always is but there just
isn't much color left.
October 6th, 2009
Sabrina Camp Groves -
Elevation 9000 ft
Past Peak of Full Color
This color in this area is
pretty much gone.
Lake Sabrina Approach -
Elevation 9100 ft
Past Peak of Full Color
Lots of brown with a little bit of green -
ouch.
October 6th, 20009
September 29th, 2009
 ..
Willow Camp - Elevation 9065 ft
Past Peak of Full Color
While a lot of the
trees are done in this area, there are quite a few trees
which managed to withstand the weather. It's not nearly as
good as it was a week ago but there are still some good
opportunities for fall color shots in the area just above or
below Willow Camp.
October 6th, 2009
September 29th, 2009
Table Mountain Group Campground - Elevation 8845 ft
Past Peak of Full Color
The area just
above and below Table Mountain campground is a mere shadow
of what it was a week ago. Still, there are a few pockets
that managed to withstand the weather.
October 06, 2009
Groves above Table
Mountain Campground
The
Famous Mist Falls on South Fork Bishop Creek
15-30% of Full Color
Mist
falls still has a ton of green going on with just a
few spots of yellow. It appears that the aspens in this area
were not affected by the cold snap. If the weather holds out
there will still be some epic photographic opportunities at
this location in the coming weeks.
October 6th, 2009
Cardinal Mine Area
0-15% of Full Color
As you can see by
the images below, just about all of the peaking color is
gone now. What is left is a whole bunch of green that is
just now starting to lighten up. Look for this area to pop
in another week or two if the weather holds.
View South towards Cardinal Mine
October 6th, 2009
September 29, 2009
Aspendell
0-15% of Full Color
The neighborhood at
Aspendell has a ton of aspens and none of them appear to
have started to turn yet. We're seeing a bit of the bright
lime green which is typically the color we see just before
the yellows start to appear but that is about it.
October 6th, 2009
Intake II
0-15% of Full Color
A lot of green still at the small lake
called Intake II. I've seen some breathtaking photos from
this location so I'm excited to see how it looks in another
week or two when the color starts to develop around the
shore. Pocket of trees near the south shore can are usually
the best but they're still a dark shade of green.
Big Trees Campground
0-15% of Full Color
There is a very large grouping of aspen
right above Big Trees campground along Bishop Creek. As you
can see from the image below, the lime green is in effect
here but there isn't much yellow yet. This is another area
that can be spectacular and is definitely something to look
forward to in the next few weeks.
Four Jeffrey Camp Groves
0-15% of Full Color
The area of the canyon around Four Jeffrey
Campground is thick with aspens. There are a few trees just
below the camp which turned early and were affected by the
cold weather but the majority of the trees, especially those
above the camp, are still a bright green and look to be ok.
I'm hoping we'll see this turn soon but its anybody's guess.
Again, this area is another place worth watching as it can
be awesome.
Mountain Glen Campground
15-30% of Full Color
The hills above Mountain Glen campground
are going to be epic here in a week or so. The majority of
the trees are a bright green with a bit of yellow mixed in.
I'd like to see the weather warm up a bit to get the
nighttime lows out of the 20's - if we do, there are going
to be some awesome pics taken in this area.
Loop on South Fork
15-30% of Full Color
For those that
missed the color at the North Lake Rd or the approach to
Sabrina, there is a loop off of South Lake Rd between Mt.
Glen camp and Table Mountain Camp which in another week or
so offer comparable color.
Call Parchers at: 760-873-4177 Site Hosted by
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