SACRAMENTO, California — Now that October is here, trees across Northern California will soon begin their transition into a vibrant array of fall colors. The process has already started in the High Sierra where fall colors pop up earlier than anywhere else in California.
"So in California, it definitely tends to go by elevation. The higher elevations start first,” said Lara Kaylor, publisher and editor of californiafallcolor.com.
The website, founded in 2009 by John Poimiroo, compiles and curates photos from across the state and updates a map detailing current fall foliage conditions.
The latest map shows most of the state not yet showing any color, apart from the Sierra where some areas are already near peak.
Due to California being such an environmentally diverse state with wide-ranging elevations and ecosystems, the fall season stretches from late September through November and even into December, depending on location.
"It tends to go down in elevation by about 500 feet per week. So after the Eastern Sierra, it's usually like the Hope Valley area tends to be around the second week of October," said Kaylor.
Other high elevation areas, such as Lassen, Tahoe, and Yosemite begin their transition in early to mid October. Further down in the foothill areas the best time for leaf peeping is in late October. Urban valley forests, such as those in the Sacramento area, peak in November although many trees start to turn sometime in October.
Although the arrival of fall foliage is supposed to be slightly delayed this year, Kaylor said it will likely be a banner year in terms of leaf color vibrancy.
"So with the big, wet winter that we had and then all of the rain that we had in August, we're expecting quite a vibrant display of color this year. In drought years, they're not getting as much water and nutrients coming into the leaves, so it tends to not be as vibrant," said Kaylor.
