One of the great pleasures of living in Northern California is watching seasons change multiple times as they move between the higher and lower elevations. The turning fall leaves progress down the mountains and into the valley, and the movement reverses with the arrival of wildflowers in the spring.

Fall colors hit the upper elevations of the Eastern Sierra first in late September and early October, then move down into the foothills and Yosemite Valley in late October and early November before appearing in the Sacramento Valley.

There’s always some variation, though. Peak season — when the leaves are at their brightest — might last only a week or two, and it is difficult to say in advance when it might start. If you’re interested in a specific area, I recommend checking the fall color reports on californiafallcolor.com, a website maintained by a travel journalist that features reports from around the state.

The “grand tour” for fall color in California is in the Eastern Sierra, starting from Hope Valley near Lake Tahoe, over Monitor Pass to Highway 395 and branching off to several locations along the highway, all the way to the town of Bishop. I did this trip last year for five days, and it was wonderful, adding a new perspective to areas I visit all the time in other seasons. If you don’t want to do it all at once, you can choose a section of this tour for a day trip or two.

The Sierra Nevada is known for its conifers, which are trees with needles. So how did it become known for its fall colors? Much of the credit goes to quaking aspens found throughout the eastern part of the range. While there are other deciduous (leafed) trees that change colors in the Sierra, it’s the quaking aspens that grab my eye the most, with their blazing orange, later red, leaves and their bleached-looking bark. Aspens are a fascinating species because they grow in groves of genetically identical trees that sprout from vast, shared root systems called clonal colonies. The colonies are among the largest and oldest organisms in the world — the oldest, in Utah, has been given an upper age estimate of 80,000 years. 

The best spot near Sacramento for aspens is Hope Valley on Highway 88 and 89, south of Lake Tahoe. The section near Luther Pass has some excellent aspen groves. The Scotts Lake Trail, which starts at Luther Pass, takes you through several aspen groves and includes a beautiful view of Scotts Lake surrounded by aspens. You can also pick up the Scotts Lake Trail along the popular Big Meadow Trail just west of Luther Pass. If you have a 4-wheel-drive vehicle, consider driving to Scotts Lake.

Driving east on Highway 89 through Markleeville, aspens can be found on the hillsides leading up to Monitor Pass, which has a great aspen grove near the top. A superb day trip from Sacramento would be to take in Hope Valley, Markleeville and Monitor Pass.

Or make a weekend of it and continue south on Highway 395 in the Eastern Sierra. This highway provides one of the best road trips in the country. I do it once or twice a year, usually in the summer. It has world-class views of the Sierra, charming small towns, and amazing parks and trails. Add autumn colors, and you can see why some people make the trip every fall.

Some of the best locations along Highway 395 for fall color are Virginia Lakes Road, Lee Vining Canyon, June Lake Loop, Convict Lake and Bishop Creek Canyon. I visited these locations last fall, and the memories are still vivid. They are spectacular year-round, but vibrant autumn colors give them a much different vibe than at other times of the year.

I especially like the June Lake Loop and the Bishop Creek area. I have visited them in the fall a few times. Both have large aspen groves and spectacular lakes and mountains. I camp in National Forest campgrounds in each area, aided by a zero-degree sleeping bag. But if you need more civilized comforts, both locations have a variety of motels, inns and other lodging.

I hike on these trips and am always looking for scenes to photograph, often returning at sunrise or sunset when the light is best for pictures. Warm light accentuates leaf color.

My autumn ritual also includes a trip to Yosemite Valley around the first week of November. Here the fall colors don’t come from aspens but from oaks, maples and dogwoods. Fall colors reflected in the Merced River make great photos. Crowds are much smaller in the valley this time of year — another great reason to visit.

You don’t have to travel to see fall colors in California, of course. Oaks, maples and other trees provide them in the Sacramento area in November. But to my mind, nothing beats seeing them earlier in the Sierra, where they are more concentrated and abundant.

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