Photograph: Autumn Color, Yosemite Valley

Autumn Color, Yosemite Valley

Posted on 19 September 2011

Autumn Color, Yosemite Valley

Autumn colors on trees and meadows, Yosemite Valley.

These colors are a feature of late October and perhaps the very beginning of November in Yosemite Valley. In the right conditions, the browns and golds and oranges of these drying meadows and the leaves of these trees can be almost as spectacular as any other fall foliage.

A few years ago I discovered that here in California I can sustain the fall color season for months if I just look in the right places. What it might lack compared to the intensity of east coast hardwood forests, it makes up for in variety and length. I can often find early signs of the approaching fall by the beginning of September or even the end of August in the higher portions of the Sierra, as certain plants complete their growth cycle and start to die back. (Even in the coast ranges, there are a few trees that can get “fall” color during the heat of August.) By late September the pattern is clear at all high elevation locations in the Sierra, and then the tremendous aspen color show begins close to the start of October, extending a good way through the month. After that the lower elevations hills and mountains start to change – and that is what we see in this photograph from Yosemite Valley at 4000′ of elevation. But closer to sea level in the San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere the show is still to come, and colors can continue all the way through November if you know where to look.

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Category: Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite
Tags: autumn, brown, clouds, color, fall, forest, golden, grass, grove, landscape, meadow, Mountain, national, nature, nevada, park, photo, range, scenic, season, sierra, sky, stock, tall, travel, tree, trunk branch, valley, yellow, yosemite

3 comments to Autumn Color, Yosemite Valley

Richard Wong

says:

September 19, 2011 at 1:54 pm

This is great Dan. I’m going there in a few weeks so I hope it is as nice as this.

Today’s Shared Links for September 19, 2011 @ Chuqui 3.0 says:

September 19, 2011 at 9:22 pm

[...] Autumn Color, Yosemite Valley [...]

G Dan Mitchell

says:

September 22, 2011 at 12:03 am

Hi Richard, and thanks for the comment!

Generally, the best fall color in the Valley is right around the end of October and very beginning of November. I keep it simply by scheduling my fall color visit for Halloween!

Dan