Last year this thread was a big hit, so we will do it again. Please post any fall color updates you have here. If you can add a photo or two with the report that would be great too, but not necessary. Any links to helpful websites you can post also, but generally our own eye witness accounts are usually best.
Up here in Maine we are at low color but it is starting to move along quickly, I have noticed what I call a lot of dead color this year it is not as vibrant as it normally is. Maybe as the season progresses it will get better.
This is the link to the states official foilage report.
Vermont and some NH roads are rough but passable read below for the details:
Irene Aftermath
Many of the roads throughout the state that were impassable because of wash outs, have been opened up again. The repairs made so far do not include smooth paving in some cases, so you will still need to proceed with care. The storm hit the hardest in southern and central Vermont. Northern Vermont was relatively untouched, especially in the Northeast Kingdom where foliage color is often the best.
Utah, around Salt Lake has had a very mild summer and a wet year with lots of green grass yet to be seen. Not much frost at lower elevations, but I see scrub oak turning red at 7,000 feet or higher. My best guess is 2 more weeks for the Alpine Loop and Brighton/Sundance areas.
I am planning on going to the Teton's Wed. In the past, the first week of October has been too late but this year, the last week of Sept, may be too early. The overnight lows at Jackson are in the mid 30's low 40's and clear sky's with daytime temps around 70.
We are traveling north up the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. Have not seen many signs of color yet. There is some gold up around Rock Creek Lake at about 9,500 ft. I will report if we see anything further north.
I was in the Sierra backcountry of Yosemite NP for eight days ending this past Wednesday, 9/21. Not much happening there at all at that point in regards to foliage color.
Near Glen Aulin I saw exactly one branch of one aspen tree with fewer than a half dozen yellow leaves. I think it was a slightly distressed tree... I saw other aspen groves, including a few large ones, that were still completely green. These included some other backcountry groves and several smaller ones along Tioga Pass Road. Back along the higher portions of Crane Flat Road (highway 120) into the park I saw a very small number of dogwood leaves starting to barely turn. Other typical signs on the upcoming fall season were visible: bilberry leaves turning red/maroon, corn lily plants turning golden brown and falling over, grasses taking on the golden brown hues of fall, and so forth.
I saw a short video that Steve Sieren posted (see: https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1046992) that showed a very small number of leaves turing color in the Bishop Creek area - though the narration suggested that he had to look for them!
There is some thought among the speculators who have watched these things a few times that the color season in the Sierra might get started just a bit late this year. The whole season has been late, starting with the melt-out, then on to the greening up and wildflower bloom (and mosquito invasion!), and even the eventual die-back of this year's plants. I still saw areas of green grasses, lots of flowing water, and even new wildflowers last week. And, wouldn't you know it, there were still mosquitos out and about!
Just drove into Jackson. While there are some good colors, oxbow is more green then yellow still. What is ticking me off is that it's pretty obvious they have had some controlled burns recently
Don't understand why the park's service can't leave well enough alone!
What is ticking me off is that it's pretty obvious they have had some controlled burns recently
Don't know how the "controlled burns" work in Jackson, but here in California they mostly allow naturally started fires to burn themselves out in natural ways, with only minimal control. This is a very good thing for the forest - forest ecology relies on periodic fires, and suppressing them has historically led to horribly bad fires when excessive fuel built up.
We were in Grand Teton the first week in October last year and they had a number of controlled burns. Seemed to not hurt the sunrise shots too much and often enhanced the sunset shots. Afternoons were a waste for any shot with sky.
Switzerland and central France are still summer like but it starts to slightly shift away from green.
There's been a few fresher nights that seem to act as a biological trigger to signal the end of the season.
I am at Maroon Bells, too bad I can't upload shots from my iphone, but the color is looking pretty nice here. It's not peak, but it has a solid yellow section, and the rest is yellow/green. Definitely shootable! Plus, looks like some cool weather coming in. So I will be here on Tuesday shooting, into Wed morning. Then maybe back on Friday for when it will probably be peak color. Though if I were to guess at this point, I would say Thursday could be peak here. Lot's of color all around the Aspen area. I wouldn't wait much longer if you were waiting for the color.
JimFox wrote:
I am at Maroon Bells, too bad I can't upload shots from my iphone, but the color is looking pretty nice here. It's not peak, but it has a solid yellow section, and the rest is yellow/green. Definitely shootable! Plus, looks like some cool weather coming in. So I will be here on Tuesday shooting, into Wed morning. Then maybe back on Friday for when it will probably be peak color. Though if I were to guess at this point, I would say Thursday could be peak here. Lot's of color all around the Aspen area. I wouldn't wait much longer if you were waiting for the color.
Dang, Jim - I didn't know you were here! I'm leaving Aspen at 3am to head home. Have you driven over Independence Pass and to Mt Elbert/Twin Lakes? It is really coming along and probably some of the best color I've seen the last 5 days. I was in Crested Butte Thurs-Sun morning and it was changing quickly (though still on the early side). Good yellows, oranges, and reds developing w plenty of greens in the Slate River Valley, Washington Gulch, Gothic Rd. areas. Brush Creek area also showing good colors on the east side of the mountain. Kebler Pass Rd. and Ohio Pass Rd. were almost completely green on Thursday, but then driving thru on Sunday, Kebler Pass Rd. was starting to show clumps of gold here and there (early, but a quick onset). More reds than I'm used to seeing and the colors in the higher elevations are nice and vibrant - not dull and rotten like last year. The Dyke was showing those telltale reds just starting on Sunday.
Taken this morning in Snowmass. Co, maybe 8500'.
I would say aspens will peak around here in a day or 2, the oaks are peaking now, as seen in the center of the image.
One of the largest aspen groves in the world can be found off the road from Paonia to Crested Butte on Kebler pass. Worth the drive.
I was briefly down in the Tetons last Friday. The aspen and cottonwoods have started turning, but there was still a lot of green. I am headed back down there tomorrow for a couple of days.
