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Saturday, Sep. 19, 2009

Adam Blauert: Falling Up -- Head to higher ground for a taste of the season's beautiful and unique colors

The weather in Madrid is "nine months of winter and three months of hell," as described by Jacques Barzun in From Dawn to Decadence.

By this time every year, Valley residents are starting to feel as if they're dealing with the exact opposite situation. We had a taste of fall last weekend, but the real change of seasons is still a long way off.

Unless you head for higher ground.

Up in the mountains the change is already starting. If you follow the change of seasons by elevation, you can enjoy fall colors every weekend from the end of September through mid-November.

If you're interested in a break from our endless summer, make plans to spend a weekend or a day up in the mountains. From the end of this month through the first two weeks of October, try the 8,000- to 10,000-foot elevations for the best colors. The change of scenery and the crisp air are refreshing in a way that few other sensory experiences are, especially at the end of a brutal summer.

Of all the Sierra trees that contribute to the show of glorious colors, none surpasses the quaking aspen. I don't think there's a more beautiful color than the glow of orange and yellow aspen leaves when the sun shines through them.

These magnificent trees grow at the higher elevations -- mostly from 6,000 to 10,000 feet. The ones from 8,000 to 10,000 feet should be turning by the end of this month. If you go after the second week in October, you'll find brighter colors in the 6,000- to 8,000-foot range.

From late October through early November, the foothills and lower Sierra are also extraordinary. Yosemite Valley can be stunning in late October and in early November. The big crowds are gone, the air is crisp, and the oak and dogwood are magnificent. I'll provide some suggestions for fall activities in Yosemite Valley in a future column.

If you head over to the Eastern Sierra, any of the nearby passes will take you through some beautiful aspen groves (Highways 120, 108, 4 and 88). I recommend driving a loop around 120, 395, and 108 because this makes it possible to circle through the heart of Mono County or drive south into Inyo County where some of the best aspen groves thrive.

Fall colors can be enjoyed on foot, from your vehicle, on a bike or by horseback. In the sidebar, you'll see some recommended roads for driving and biking.

For hiking or horseback riding, I've got three favorite routes through aspen groves. From Twin Lakes (near Bridgeport), hike up Robinson Creek. You can go as far as you want, but you don't have to go far to see a lot of amazing colors.

Another nice route is at the end of Rock Creek Road in Inyo County. An easy trail takes you to one lake about every mile, and there are aspen groves along the road and the lower part of the trail. The third route is Green Creek Road to Green Lake. You don't have to hike the whole two miles to the lake, but it's only a moderate hike if you want to see it.

If you want to stay on this side of the Sierra, drive up to Shaver Lake and then to Courtright Reservoir in mid-October. There are some aspen at Courtright and some oak and dogwood along the way. You can also make a stop at the McKinley Grove of giant sequoias.

A list of State Parks to be closed because of budget cuts hasn't yet been released. According to the California State Parks Foundation, it won't be available until next week at the earliest.

Adam Blauert is an avid outdoorsman and local historian who enjoys fishing, backpacking and exploring the western states. He can be reached at adamblauert@yahoo.com.