Big-leaf maples along the Merced River, yesterday afternoon
Yesterday afternoon Claudia and I drove up to Yosemite Valley to check out the fall color. We photographed the oaks in El Cap Meadow, then walked along a stretch of the Merced River that I hadn’t explored in depth before – imagine that! But conditions were right, with maples and cottonwoods adding lots of yellow color to the riverbanks. I’ve included a few photographs from yesterday above and below.
Overall the color in the valley was quite nice. The big-leaf maples have held on longer than I expected, and at least 70% still have their leaves. The black oaks were near peak, with some still partially green, but most trees completely turned. It doesn’t seem to be a great year for dogwoods, as many have just turned brown, but we found some colorful specimens, especially in the west end of the valley. And as I said in my last post, the cottonwoods are all out of sync, with some already bare, but the ones that were green a week ago have turned and have some rich color. It’s not the best autumn in Yosemite Valley, but I’ve seen much worse, and it’s quite pretty right now. There should still be some great color through this weekend.
— Michael Frye
California black oaks in El Cap Meadow yesterday
Cliffs, cottonwoods, and the Merced River, autumn, Yosemite
El Capitan and the Merced River at sunset, Yosemite
Related Posts: First Storm; East Side and West Side Color
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Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom 5: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.
Very nice Michael, thanks for sharing. Here’s one I took last Tuesday which looks like it might be very near where your first one was taken. I was across from El Cap Meadow, along the Merced, west of the El Cap bridge road. I was a bit disappointed that most all the dogwoods I came across, during my 3 day visit, looked very much like they were past peak.
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-m8NbLDd/0/L/i-m8NbLDd-L.jpg
Thanks John. I like your photo, but it’s not really that close to where mine was taken. Yes, the dogwoods aren’t having a very good year overall.
Thanks Michael. I guess my geography still needs some work. 🙂
Beautiful photos Michael.
I’m lovin the yellows in your frames.
Here on the East Coast of South Carolina, the dogwoods are really red right now. Maples range from green to yellow to orange to red…. But overall; not a lot of other color.
Thanks Deborah! I’d like to see some red dogwoods. 🙂
So beautiful photos! I can’t believe that this is a real place. When I see photos like this I start thinking about fairy tales. Regards!
Thanks Emma!
I was up there last week as well and was very pleasantly surprised how much yellow there was still on (some) trees. Had an discounted offer to stay at the lodge but was hesitant of going up there but still found lot of new things to photograph. Was disappointed that Tioga Pass and Glacier Point Rd was closed though as that’s where I had planned to do some shooting but was very happy with my trip.
Glad you found some good color Harri. It’s not that unusual for there still to be color this time of year in Yosemite Valley – and also not unusual for the Tioga and Glacier Point roads to be closed, I’m afraid.
Nice job! The big leaf maples have had quite a show this fall. I just made a print from the same spot as your top photo. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks Hugh, and I’m glad you got to photograph the maples – they have been nice this year.
Beautiful fall color images, I like the black oaks in el cap meadow shot with the nice leading shadow lines in the foreground.
Thanks for the valley color update, as we were able to make it up for the day this last sunday. The black oaks and big leaf maples were still going strong and we were able to make a lot of nice images as the leaves were falling rapidly during the day.
We were treated to some wildlife as a mother deer and two babies were grazing in the foreground of our Ahwahnee meadow half dome and stand of colorful cottonwoods(?).
We were photographing the nice fall color near the spot of your recent “First Storm” post when we discovered a nice buck with nice rack of antlers grazing on tree leaves near us. Such a pretty spot there as we photographed in more soft light conditions as high thin clouds moved in during the late afternoon. We also saw two great blue herons perched on boulders in the Merced when we first entered the valley at sunrise. Not sure if they usually are seen in Yosemite as we have seen them there before. Water levels of Mereced were scary low and I hope we get a lot of snow and rain this winter to replenish the water levels and I look forward to photographing Yosemite after a fresh snowfall this winter!
Thanks Wayne. I’m glad you were able to find and photograph some fall color on Sunday, and it sounds like you had some good luck with photographing deer. Great blue herons are common in Yosemite Valley along the river in fall and winter. They breed at lower elevations, so they’re not usually seen in the park in spring and early summer. Water levels are indeed very low, and we all have our fingers crossed for a wet winter!