Fall foliage in California

California’s fall color is concentrated in the Eastern Sierra, and it is early. Aspen above Bishop Creek, around Convict Lake and along the June Lake Loop turns in the second half of September, with the high canyons of Kings Canyon among the first. Yosemite Valley and the west slope follow in early October as bigleaf maple, dogwood and black oak come in. Elsewhere the season is later and quieter: valley oaks and the wine-country vineyards color through late October, and the coast shows little change at all.

Those are the months when color is present somewhere in California, from its highest ground to its lowest. Any one location changes over a much shorter period than that.

Why the timing shifts from year to year

Shortening days start the process, so most places in California change at close to their usual time each year. Within the state, elevation and latitude account for most of the difference: higher and more northern ground generally changes first, and lower, sheltered ground last. Weather has more effect on how strong the color is than on when it appears. Cool nights and sunny days favor the reds, a dry summer mutes them, and a hard freeze or a windstorm can strip a slope in a day. What determines the timing goes through this in detail.

Nearby states

Fall color does not follow state lines. California borders:

• Arizona fall foliage
• Nevada fall foliage
• Oregon fall foliage

Timing for a specific place

This page describes a whole state, which is about as precise as a season can be described in words. Conditions at one overlook on one weekend are a narrower question, and that is the one Fallcast answers: an expected period of color for a specific location, with a confidence attached, updated through the season as the trees change. It is coming to iPhone this fall.

Questions, or somewhere in California you would like covered? Write to fallcastapp@gmail.com.