gdanmitchell
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Craig Gillette wrote:
It looks like the better part of two days driving to get from Seattle to Redding, then to South Lake Tahoe. I'm not closely watching any of the fall color discussions/advertising, etc., this year for the eastern Sierra because I have obligations which will not allow me to travel there during the peak period. Gdanmitchell - Dan - who posted above is quite knowledgeable on the Sierra and fall color, may have more accurate/direct suggestions. My impression is the best times are usually the latest parts of September and first week or two of October. But it varies. It may require some "chasing" to find the right locations, either by north/south or elevation. One trip, quite a few years ago, we had very good conditions about the 29-30 September or so and were staying at Mammoth. Then a quick storm came in and we got heavy winds and rain/snow which was hard on the aspens. My last trip was about 10-12 October and it was wonderful. We did get a quick storm but it came and went wasn't so strong as to be too hard on the colors. I couldn't begin to guess whether the last week of September or second week of October would be best bet or whether, if possible, you could make a last minute decision based on conditions.
Edit: I see Dan was typing faster than I was. Can't argue with his post....Show more →
Over many years I have learned some important things about the all color schedule in the Eastern Sierra:
1. Once it starts, the pattern of change runs roughly along rather similar lines each year. And...
2. Surprisingly, most years the color starts pretty close to the same time, though...
3. During some exceptional drought or precipitation years things can be thrown off in different ways. And...
4 This was a season of exceptional precipitation. I'm not certain how that will affect timing. Will..
5 It come earlier because the temperatures have recently been cooler? Or...
6. Will it come a little later because things were delayed earlier in the year by late snow melt? I don't know, but...
7. I regard the second week of October as the most reliable time to find good color. However...
8. There is often good color at the beginning of the month, especially up high, and...
9. If you poke around at lower elevations, there can be great color in lower elevation groves even after it is largely gone up high during the third week of October. However...
10. There's no way to totally predict all of this. Early storms with wind and snow can both bring down leaves and trigger increased color a few days later. A lot of it is imponderable. However...
... if in doubt, week II of October is the best bet.
BTW, most folks could get all the way to the Tahoe from Seattle in two days, I think. I've actually (and perhaps regrettably) done the entire Seattle-SF Bay Area in a single day more than once, though I do not recommend that. I think of it as a decent two-day drive.
Finally, I'm headed up that way for a few days starting this morning. I may be able to get a sense of where things are heading and, if so, I may have more to say when I return.
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