Fall Color Viewing

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  • From mid-September through October, the leaves on deciduous trees and shrubs along the canyons and creeks of the High Sierra—aspens, cottonwoods, alders and willows—turn gold and orange and red. "The intensity of color is determined by the plant’s response to complex gradients of temperature and moisture," writes Anne Halford, a botanist with the BLM. "Conditions favoring formation of brilliant autumn color are warm, sunny days followed by cool nights with temperatures below 45º F." Colors tend to appear at the highest elevations first and work their way downward as the season progresses.

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Activity Checklist

Featured Fall Color Viewing Experiences

Fall Color Viewing  Fall Color Viewing on the Heart Lake Trail

Difficulty Rating:
Duration:
None

Fall Color Viewing  Fall Color Viewing on the Shadow Creek Trail

Difficulty Rating:
Duration:
Half day

Fall Color Viewing  Fall Color Viewing on the Town Loop

Difficulty Rating:
Duration:
Less than 4 hours

All Fall Color Viewing Experiences

All Fall Color Viewing Experiences

Experience Rating Length (mi) Surface Duration
Fall Color Viewing on the Heart Lake Trail 0.8 Soil
Fall Color Viewing on the Shadow Creek Trail 4.7 Soil Half day
Fall Color Viewing on the Town Loop 6.0 Asphalt Less than 4 hours

All Fall Color Viewing Trails

All Fall Color Viewing Trails

Trail Length (mi) Surface Activities and Services
Heart Lake Trail 1.1 Soil Fall Color Viewing Hiking
Mammoth Rock Trail Connector 0.9 Soil Equestrian Fall Color Viewing Hiking Mountain Biking Pets Photography Running Vista Viewing Wildflower Viewing
Meadow Trail Connector 1.6 Birding Equestrian Fall Color Viewing Hiking Mountain Biking Pets Photography Running Vista Viewing Wildflower Viewing
Shadow Creek Trail 7.8 Soil Fall Color Viewing Hiking
Sotcher Lake Loop 1.5 Soil Fall Color Viewing Hiking Interpretive
How to get involved Local recreation resources Experiences and ratings Finding your way around the MLTS Trail System Projects