by Michael Frye | Sep 21, 2009 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Some fall color reports are starting to trickle in. Dan Mitchell summarized some of them and offered good tips about finding the latest information on his
blog. I’ll second his recommendation to check out the CalPhoto discussion group on Yahoo. My wife and I made our annual trip to the Millpond Music Festival (wonderful, small, family-oriented festival) this past weekend, and on the way back we drove up to Convict Lake. There’s not much color there yet—just a little bit way up high. We saw a few patches of color here and there from Highway 395, all at high elevations. This is typical for the third week of September, so autumn in the eastern Sierra seems to be on a normal time schedule for far, meaning the first good color will probably arrive in about a week at the higher spots.
by Michael Frye | Sep 12, 2009 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
Rainbow over Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View, October 4th, 2008
As the days get shorter and cooler, the photo opportunities in the Yosemite area get hotter. It’s time to take a look at what to expect during the next few months.
September
You won’t find much autumn color in Yosemite before October, but the indian rhubarb in Bridalveil and Leidig Meadows can add an early splash of yellow, as in this photo from the west end of Leidig. Near the fall equinox on September 22nd, and for a couple of weeks afterward, the sun sets at a good angle for Tunnel View, lighting both El Capitan on the left and Cathedral Rocks on the right. The two or three weeks before the spring equinox are even better, as there’s usually water in Bridalveil Fall, but fall can be great in the right weather conditions, like last year when I saw the rainbow at the top of this post.
On the east side of the Sierra Nevada the high-elevation aspens usually start turning yellow in late September. The Bishop Creek area, west of Bishop, and Convict Lake, just south of Mammoth Lakes, are two of the early season hot spots. The road to Virginia Lakes, north of Lee Vining, can also have early fall color.
October
In a typical year, the aspen color show progresses down the mountainsides on the east side of the range and reaches the lowest elevations near the third week of October. There’s no real peak, because the timing of the best color depends on the location. I prefer photographing the larger trees at lower elevations, so the third week is often my favorite time, but there’s usually plenty to photograph earlier in the month as well. Some of my favorite spots are Lundy Canyon, Lee Vining Canyon (right), and the June Lake Loop.
The maples, dogwoods, cottonwoods, and oaks in Yosemite Valley usually turn a bit later. The peak color typically arrives around the end of October or beginning of November. Dogwoods can can often be found turning gold or even red by mid-October at higher elevations along Highway 41, Highway 120 west of Crane Flat, and in the Tuolumne Grove.
Blueberry bushes lining the shores of Siesta Lake along the Tioga Pass Road also turn red and orange near the middle of the month (below). From Taft Point, a one-mile hike from the Glacier Point Road, the late-afternoon sun strikes El Capitan at a great angle.
November
This might be my favorite month in Yosemite Valley. The peak autumn color frequently arrives at the beginning of the month and yellow and gold leaves often linger for weeks afterward. Frost and ice begin forming in the meadows and along the creeks and rivers, and sometimes an early snowfall spices up the landscape. Sunlight has already reached winter angles, raking across the face of Half Dome in the late afternoon and turning El Capitan gold at sunset.
For more detailed information, including directions to most of the locations mentioned here, pick up a copy of my book The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite.
Addendum, September 2011: Now The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite is available as an iPhone app!
by Michael Frye | Sep 8, 2009 | Announcements
The Ansel Adams Gallery has just announced the new one-day fall color workshop that I’ll be teaching for them on October 19th. I’ll be taking students to some of my favorite aspen groves on the east side of the Sierras near Mono Lake. For more information visit the Gallery’s web site.
by Michael Frye | Apr 24, 2009 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
The dogwoods in Yosemite Valley haven’t fully bloomed yet, but they’re progressing. Many are now in their “green” stage, where they sport greenish-yellow blossoms. These will change to white soon, although I don’t know exactly how soon. Cooler weather has descended on the Sierra and is expected to linger through next week, so that could slow things down a bit, but I would still expect most of the valley dogwoods to be in full bloom a week from now.
by Michael Frye | Mar 21, 2009 | Yosemite Photo Conditions
The
National Weather Service is predicting a cold, wintry storm to reach Yosemite tonight and tomorrow. The snow level will be high—7500 to 8000 feet—to start, but it’s expected to drop as low as 3000 feet on Sunday.
A storm like this always provides good photo opportunities, especially as it’s clearing (probably Sunday afternoon or Monday morning). But what will it do to the poppies in the Merced River Canyon?
Overall the poppies still look great. Some of the earliest-blooming spots in the burned area have started to fade, but have been replaced by others. More than replaced actually, as the overall acreage in bloom has expanded. Although the snow level with this storm is unlikely to drop low enough to snow on the flowers, it will still become cold and wet, which might cause some poppies to pack it in for the season. But I don’t expect them all to disappear overnight.
Redbud are also starting to bloom in the Merced River Canyon west of Yosemite. Only a few have reached their peak color, but many more should come out in the next week or so.
The photograph above, Redbud and Oaks, will be one of the raffle prizes at the
Sierra Foothill Conservancy‘s Spring Celebration tomorrow from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Michael and Jeanne Adams’ house, 5054 Bullion Street, Mariposa. This should be a really fun event, and supports the great work that the Sierra Foothill Conservancy does, so I hope you can stop by if you’re in the area. For more information email Bridget Fithian: bridget.fithian@hotmail.com.
