G Dan Mitchell Photography

(This is my eclectic and very incomplete account of how I photograph fall color – that means aspens! – in the eastern Sierra Nevada. We’re barely four weeks away from Aspen Time as I write this. I can’t wait!)

During the latter part of August every year there always seems to be a day in the Sierra when I become away that summer is starting to conclude and that fall is just around the corner. I’ve never quite identified the source of the feeling: perhaps a change in the light? possibly something about the patterns of the wind? maybe just that more and more places dry out?

Of course, sometimes it is more obvious. I was in the Sierra during the final week of August this year, backpacking into Yosemite’s Ten Lakes Basin for a few days. It wasn’t hard to notice that the mule ears plants were dying and that many had taken on wild yellow/gold colors, or that some of the small meadow plants were beginning to turn red and yellow, or that some of the chaparral plants were losing a leaves. So although it is still summer by the calendar – and will be for nearly three more weeks – my thoughts are turning to fall. And that means I’m looking forward to the opportunity to again photograph the incredible displays of aspen color in the eastern Sierra. (There are some aspens west of the crest as well – for example in the Carson Pass area – but the stands east of the crest are larger and more accessible.)

Since I’ve been visiting and photographing the aspens for some time, here are a few ideas and recommendations and locations for photographing them in the eastern Sierra. In no particular order:

When – The prime aspen color season runs roughly from the last week or so of September through as late as the second week of October. If I only could go once, it would probably be dudring the first weekend of October. While the best color is generally about then, there are no guarantees. A whole range of factors can alter the timing of the best displays – these include: the overall temperature and moisture of the past season, the speed of the change in temperature as autumn starts, whether or not early storms pass through and how much snow/wind they bring, elevation, north/south placement in the range, and so on. The bad news is that I might show up at a place that was great on date X last year and find it out of condition (green or black or no leaves) the following year. The good news is that there is enough local variation in the timing of the peak color that I can probably drive a bit and find something equally good. (And if I arrive way to late… well, bare aspen trunks and branches also have a certain charm, especially if a few leaves are still lying around.)

I’ll start my aspen chase as early as the final weekend of September this year – though I have some back-country plans for that weekend, too – and try to get back to the aspen hunting grounds during the following few weeks. I’ll definitely be looking for aspens during the first weekend of October.

Where – The answer to this could be really, really long – and even then others would know of spots that I’m not familiar with. (For example, I understand that there may be some good stands in the Tahoe area – but I’ve never shot aspens there.) So rather than thinking of what follows as the Complete Guide to Aspen Locations in the Eastern Sierra – it isn’t! – just regard it as a narrative of some spots where I’ve had success. I’ll locate a few of them in very specific terms but leave some of the other a bit vague so that you can have some fun finding your own aspens.

• Highway 88/Carson Pass – When approaching from the west side of the Sierra, this can be one of the quickest ways to get to substantial stands of aspens. Long before the pass I encounter some small, isolated, but very picturesque stands. After the Kirkwood ski area comes Caples Lake, and some very nice stands begin here and continue to the summit of Carson Pass. One of the nice features of this area is that it is on the west slope – so the light is quite different than what you find in the more extensive east slope groves. If I continue on over the pass – and I usually do! – I come to…
• Hope Valley – There are some wonderful stands of aspens in this area after Carson Pass and down to and beyond the junction with highway 89 to Lake Tahoe. There are some groves that are not easy to approach but others are along the road or can be reached by driving some of the side roads. Between the highway 8p junction and Sorensen’s Resort there is a section where impressive trees line both sides of the road – lots of people will pull over here when the trees are at their peak.
• Monitor Pass – Continuing past Hope Valley and on to Markleeville, the drive over Monitor Pass goes past and though some huge stands of very dense aspen trees. There are not too many in the low country approaching the turnoff to the pass, but as I climb this road I’ll start to see more and more stands – and even some of the small stands can be worth a stop on the right day. But near the top of the pass the landscape flattens out and there are gigantic groves of the trees. The road passes through some right before the pass, and others are easily accessible near and after the actual pass. I like to photograph here late in the day – sometimes all the way until sunset – since the high, open terrain gets good light from the west.
• Sonora Pass – I have to admit that I’ve spent considerably less time trying to photograph the aspens here, so I cannot offer much first hand information. I do know that I’ve driven past the turnoff to Sonora and seen a lot of color toward the pass, and I have driven up the road to the pass enough times to know that there are certainly aspen trees in the area. I just haven’t timed by own visits right for prime color just yet.
• Between Sonora and Tioga Passes – This is a huge chunk of geography, and there are many places with aspens – alone, in isolated groves, and in canyons that are full of them. I won’t make any pretense of covering this completely, but here are a few spots that I have visited:
  • Near Bridgeport a number of extensive stands of aspens are visible on the east slopes of the Sierra. (One can also stop here and buy what must be the World’s Most Expensive Gasoline…) I have not visited in the fall, but I imagine that there would be some good possibilities up toward Twin Lakes.
  • The Dunderberg Peak area and the Green Lake area of the east slope hold some interesting trees. Since I don’t mind a rough drive (I have a small all-wheel drive vehicle) I often investigate a number of gravel roads in this area including a route that connects highway 395 a bit south of Bridgeport with the Virginia Lakes road. This passes through some very extensive groves of aspens along the way. These same aspens are visible from…
  • Conway Summit, or just a bit north of Conway Summit proper. This area just before you highway 395 tops Conway Summit before continuing south toward Lee Vining provides more distant views of some very large and sometimes very stunning aspen groves, which extend to and beyond those up in the area of the Dunderberg gravel roads. Timing is everything here – when things work out just right there can be an astonishing carpet of aspen color ascending from just below highway 395 to well up into the mountains to the west, and you may see every possible aspen color: green, yellow, golden, orange, red. I prefer to photograph here a bit later in the day when the light starts to come from behind the trees – good shots a possible even as the sun begins to drop behind the Sierra crest.
  • Virginia Lake road leaves 395 right at Conway Summit. There are some nice stands just a ways up the road, but there are larger stands even further up – but I’ve never quite gotten the timing right to be there for maximum color. I think I’ve finally figured out that they must peak a bit earlier than I would expect. (It is possible to get to the Dunderberg area from here since the same network of gravel roads mentioned earlier connects to the Virginia Lake road.)
  • Lundy Canyon is accessible from 395 after the descent from Conway Summit to nearly Mono Lake. A road heads west past Lundy Lake and eventually becomes much narrower and steeper. (Enough narrower and steeper to perhaps make some driver unused to such routes a bit uneasy.) Lundy Canyon is a popular aspen spot and is also interesting because this narrow road in places goes right through aspen groves and even passes some interesting beaver ponds. I haven’t quite gotten Lundy Canyon’s “number” yet, but it seems to me that the color here may be good a bit later than in some of the higher and less protected areas.
  • Lee Vining Canyon is east of highway 395 just past the town of Lee Vining – highway 120 over Tioga Pass and into Yosemite goes up this canyon. (Note that this road is subject to closure for even minor early-fall snow dustings, and that it closes completely every winter once the first significant snow falls – it is not an all-year route.) Lee Vining Canyon is, in places, full of aspen trees. I find that their peak color comes a bit later than in some of the high, exposed areas, and this is a place I often visit a bit later in the aspen color season. In addition, there are several forest service campgrounds in Lee Vining Canyon that are within decent driving distance of a lot of interesting subjects. I often camp in the Aspen Campground.
  • Various little odd roads lead into the eastern slopes of the Sierra as you continue south. I have a few favorites that I won’t describe here…
  • The June Lakes Loop road touches highway 395 a bit south of Lee Vining and again a bit closer to  Mammoth at June Lakes Junction. This road can be a good place to find aspen color as it works its way a bit lower into the Valley to the east of the crest. There are a number of groves – too many for me to list them all separately – though some are in slightly urban areas near the town of June Lake.
  • Mammoth Lakes is the very popular destination of many southern California skiers and Sierra travelers and I’ve been there many, many times… just not during aspen season. Sorry, I can’t offer much information about the possibilities here other than to note that, yes, I’ve seen aspens here…
  • South of Mammoth there are, again, a number of small roads that head up into various eastern Sierra Valleys. I don’t have any particular strong favorites in a general sense, but… I do keep a close eye on them as I drive by since I can often spot a few good stands in some of them when I’m on the prowl, especially later in the aspen season. Convict Lake is a popular spot – there are aspens, but not my favorites. However, if they are in form there and I’m in the area I’ll stop and shoot at Convict. I’ve also had some good luck in the McGee Creek drainage. There is a nice stand of trees right by the parking lot at the end of the road, and there are often some very interesting and colorful stand much further up the valley. A hike can be worthwhile or you might shoot them from a distance.
  • Continuing south, highway 395 passes through Round Valley following the descent from Sherwin Summit and before the final leg into  Bishop. Round Valley is not really a place to photograph aspens, but I like to photograph there in the fall for some of the other low elevation trees, the extensive pasture lands and the backdrop of a very steep section of the eastern Sierra escarpment.
  • From Bishop there is access to what I and many others tend to regard as the most photogenic aspen hunting grounds, the area of Bishop Creek up highway 168 heading east from town toward North, Sabrina, and South Lakes. (There are a number of lodging possibilities in Bishop, and there are some good campgrounds up on 168. I often stay at Four Jeffrey campground.) There is so much to shoot in this drainage that I’ll mostly describe it generally. North Lake may be the source of some of the best known eastern Sierra autumn photographs – three features in particular may seem familiar: the “aspen tunnel” near the upper end of the lake, a long grove of dense aspens heading up the hillside on the opposite side of the valley, and the view of Piute Peak. The road to North Lake is gravel, though it is usually in pretty good shape and well-traveled. (It is also heavily populated with photographers. On one weekend morning I headed up there planning to photograph the lake, only to come around the bend and find a workshop with about 25 photographers in the exact spot I had in mind!) I try not to wait too late to visit here since this area (and the rest of the upper part of this basin) is high enough that the tree color can peak early. There are a lot of interesting trees close to the road near and below Sabrina Lake and there are some extensive stands at the far end of the lake as well. The situation at South Lake is somewhat similar, though there are many more aspen groves on the way to this lake. Even much lower on highway 168 there can be impressive aspen color – the town of Aspendell didn’t get its name for nothing! In fact, one strategy is to shoot this drainage over a longer period of time, starting high early in the season and gradually working your way down as the season continues.
  • South of Bishop there are undoubtedly many more aspens… but I have not photographed there.

How – With no illusions about providing a remotely comprehensive coverage of how to photograph aspens – of course! – here are a few ideas:

• Think beyond the “wow, that grove is colorful” school of aspen photography. Yes it is beautiful, but how to make it  work as a photograph is the question.
• Think a lot about light. Groves that can look washed out or even green at midday can turn luminous and golden in early morning or late afternoon/evening light. Front-lit aspens can be pretty boring, but if you turn around and get a bit of back-light things may light up.
• Try shooting in shade, light overcast, or before sunrise and after sunset. You’ll likely have to correct for the bluish coloration of the light, but the soft and diffused light is very friendly to shadow areas and can intensify the colors. (I almost never shoot aspens in harsh, midday light.)
• Watch out for overexposure of the red channel if you shoot digital. Use the histogram display to check your exposure and if your camera can display separate histograms for each color take a look at this. The intense reds, oranges, and reds of fall and blow out the red channel even if you think you have the right exposure – you may have to underexpose a bit to get this right.
• Move it close. Instead of just shooting whole groves and whole trees, try to find compositions from individual leaves, a small group, or perhaps a branch or two.
• Look beyond the leaves. The paper thin and white aspen trunks and branches have their own charm either with or without the accompanying leaves.
• Shoot leaves that have fallen to the ground. Often there is something compelling about these very colorful leaves littering the ground beneath the trees.
• Shoot the whole scene. The experience of these trees is made up of more than the trees themselves. The flowing water of creeks, the granite boulders, other surrounding trees, and more can be part of the scene.
• If you get a bit of snow, count yourself as very lucky! Aspens and snow – as long as it isn’t so much snow that you can’t safely shoot – can combine well.
• If it is windy, use the wind. While you might try to stop the leaves by waiting for a lull in the wind and/or using a fast shutter speed,  try using a slower shutter speed and incorporating the motion of waving branches and flying leaves as part of your composition.

What about some of the more popular locations in the Sierra such as Yosemite? There are some impressive aspens here and there in Yosemite, but the stands are – at least in my experience – few and far between… and small. If my goal is primarily aspen color I’head right on over Tioga Pass to the east side. That said, Yosemite does hold one wonderful fall color surprise. Right around Halloween there are some wonderful displays of fall color in The Valley itself. I go every year – no aspens, but lots of other wonderful stuff to shoot.

Other Resources:

• Phillip Colla just posted “Get Ready for Fall Color in the Eastern Sierra,” which includes a great list of links to additional resources – some of which I’ll include right here, too. (See his list for links to material from Inge Fernau and John Wall as well.)
• calphoto.com is a clearinghouse for a lot of information about nature and landscape (and other) photography in California – and for updates on aspen color.
• Earlier this week Steve Bourelle posted “Eastern Sierra Nevada Fall Colors” at his blog – and the blog is the entry point for a lot of other related information as well.
• Mono County Fall Color Guide (pdf)
• There is now a Flickr Group devoted to Eastern Sierra fall color started by “SpiritDancing” – There is a 2009 fall color report in the discussion area for this group that is worth watching as the season progresses.

I’ll add to this list as the aspen season moves forward.

Important disclaimers:

This post is just an account of experiences I’ve had. Your are bound to be different, and I cannot guarantee the accuracy of my account. I sure as heck cannot guarantee what the aspens will look like! Before investing a lot of time and money in a visit I recommend that you consult  travel guides, review maps, and otherwise become familiar with the area.

In my personal search for the best aspen color I sometimes drive on dirt and gravel roads, and some of these are rough and may be poorly marked or not marked at all. Before you attempt these roads, I strongly urge you to determine current conditions by consulting  local experts (such as the Forest Service and others) before you travel on them, to carry and use maps, to understand that your GPS and cell phone may not help here, to exercise great caution, and to avoid any roads that make you overly nervous or which pose difficulties that you do not know how to handle. Since drivers have different levels of experience and comfort with this sort of driving, only you can determine whether or not these types of road are appropriate for you. If in doubt, err on the side of caution.

Also be aware that fall is a transitional season in the Sierra Nevada region. While it is possible to have beautiful, benign weather it is also possible that early winter storms will pass through dropping the temperatures and (sometimes quite a bit of) snow. Winter in the eastern Sierra is nothing to scoff at. If you are not experienced with such conditions, go someplace safe and come back when the conditions improve. Even if you are experienced – or, in some cases, especially if you are experienced – you may well decide, as I often do, to get out of the weather and retreat to lower and drier terrain.

Finally, fall is the hunting season in the Sierra. If you are in areas where hunting is permitted don’t look like a game animal! I’m no hunting expert, but I’d generally do my photography elsewhere, and if I found myself in areas where hunters were about I’d make myself plenty obvious!

G Dan Mitchell :: Sep.02.2009
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