A colorful time to head for the mountains
- Tom Stienstra
Thursday, October 27, 2005
The first hints of fall colors are now arriving to the Bay Area, but in the mountain country, it's already a spectacle.
If the past 10 days in the canyons of the eastern Sierra have been a preview for the annual Halloween-to-Thanksgiving show, the coming weeks have a chance to be one of the best in years, from Shasta to Whitney -- and selected pockets of the Bay Area.
The first big show of fall has been in Convict Creek Canyon, Bishop Creek Canyon and other canyons in the eastern Sierra west of highway 395. Aspens, cottonwoods and in some areas, dogwoods, maples and redbud have been turning for about two weeks. The colors seem brighter than ever this year, with a variety of yellows, oranges and golds.
Here are my favorite spots:
1. Fallen Leaf Lake Trail, Tahoe: A 2-mile trail along the southwest side of Fallen Leaf Lake provides an eye-popping and yet intimate connection to nature, with cobalt-blue Fallen Leaf Lake on one side and a forest of aspens and pines on the other -- with towering Mount Tallac looming overhead. Contact: Lake Tahoe Basin (Forest Service), (530) 543-2600 or www.fs.fed.us/r5.
2. Convict Creek Canyon, east Sierra: From the trailhead at Convict Lake, you hike through aspens past the border of the John Muir Wilderness for a lookout of gem-like Convict Lake edged by a wall of color. Contact: Inyo National Forest, (760) 924-5500 or www.fs.fed.us/r5.
3. Carlon Falls, Yosemite: The trailhead is outside of the park boundary, so everybody misses it; a 2-mile walk from the Carlon Day-Use Area on the Tuolumne River through a glowing riparian zone to a stepped falls. Contact: Yosemite National Park, (209) 372-0200 or www.nps.gov/yose.
4. Bishop Creek Canyon, east Sierra: From Bishop, Highway 168 climbs up into the Sierra to South Lake, in the process passing through fantastic groves of aspens, with the colors varying according to elevation and sun exposure; many hikes available. Contact: Inyo National Forest, (760) 873-2500 or www.fs.fed.us/r5.
5. Hope Valley/Woodfords, central Sierra: Hope Valley is set along Highway 88/89 and the West Fork Carson River, with a mix of hardwoods, meadows and pines along this gorgeous high-country river corridor. Contact: Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, (775) 882-2766 or www.fs.fed.us/r4.
6. Mill Creek Trail, Redding: This is an easy and beautiful trail that starts just past the western end of Whiskeytown Lake and then follows Mill Creek under a canopy of oaks, alders and other hardwoods. Contact: Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, (530) 246-1225 or www.nps.gov/whis.
7. Lundy Canyon, east Sierra: The drive alone from highway 395 near Mono Lake up past Lundy Lakes is gorgeous, with aspen groves galore, but it gets better with the hiking trail (near Lundy Dam) that rises over the course of 3.5 miles to Oneida Lake. Contact: Inyo National Forest, (760) 647-3044 or www.fs.fed.us/r5.
8. Farewell Gap to Aspen Flat, southwest Sierra: This is one of my wife's favorites, starting at the remote Eagle/Mosquito Trailhead near Mineral King in the oft-overlooked southern section of Sequoia National Park, then hiking a mile along the Kaweah River to a beautiful grove at Aspen Flat. Contact: Sequoia National Park, (559) 565-3341 or www.nps.gov/seki.
9. McGee Creek Canyon, east Sierra: This canyon is loaded with aspens and other hardwoods, all now aglow, with the bonus of a trail at McGee Creek that runs along the stream with fantastic colors and views (about 6 miles to Steelhead Lake, climb of 2,300 feet). Contact: Inyo National Forest, (760) 873-2500 or www.fs.fed.us/r5.
10. Best hidden colors/John Muir Trail: My No. 1-favorite aspen grove, with huge trees, unbelievable colors and perfect quiet, is on the northern slope of Bear Mountain above Mono Creek on the John Muir Trail. To get there, make the long drive to Edison Lake, take the shuttle boat to the head of the lake, hike two miles to the JMT, turn right and climb 2 miles to the aspens. Contacts: Sierra National Forest, (559) 855-5360 or www.fs.fed.us/r5.
"The Great Outdoors With Tom Stienstra" airs Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on KBHK-TV (Channel 44) and Bay Area Cable 12.
Tom Stienstra's Outdoors Report can be heard Saturdays on KCBS (740 AM) at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 12:35 p.m.
Bay Area's best
Peninsula: Highway 84/Woodside Road (Woodside to San Gregorio); Page Mill Road (Palo Alto to Pescadero); downtown Palo Alto (University Ave. to Crescent Park).
Marin: Sir Francis Drake Boulevard/Highway 1 (San Rafael to Bolinas); Bolinas-Fairfax Road (Fairfax to Bolinas); Lucas Valley Road (Marinwood to Nicasio).
East Bay: Oakland hills to Redwood Regional Park to Castro Valley; Redwood Regional Park (picnic area).
Mountain lodging
South Tahoe: Lake Tahoe Central Reservations, 1-800-AT-TAHOE, www.mytahoevacation.com.
Hope Valley: Sorensen's Resort, 1-800-423-9949 or www.sorensensresort.com.
Eastern Sierra: Mammoth Lake Visitors Bureau, 1-888-466-2666 or www.visitmammoth.com; Bishop Area Visitors Bureau, (760) 873-9405 or www.bishopvisitor.com; Convict Lake Resort, 1-800-992-2260 or www.convictlake.com; Rock Creek Lodge, (760) 935-4170 or www.rockcreeklodge.com.
Whiskeytown Lake: Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association, 1-800-474-2782 or www.shastacascade.com.
E-mail Tom Stienstra at tstienstra@sfchronicle.com.
Page D - 7
URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/10/27/SPGKLFEE6T1.DTL
No comments:
Post a Comment