Fall Colors, South Fork Bishop Creek Canyon
The best place to base a weekend of leaf checking in the Eastern Sierra is Bishop, CAfive hours north of LA along HWY 395. All the basic amenities are there from chain hotel accommodations to great little restaurants that satisfy the most discerning palette. By the time the mountain peaks are enjoying their peak colors, Bishops massive Cottonwoods are still suitably cloister in green and a couple weeks away from their fall transformations. Dont worry. A simple 15-mile drive will get you right to the heart of the matterfall color.

From Bishop, explore the nearest valleys; Bishop Creek Canyon being the closest. The drive on HWY 168 can be quite steep and there isnt much to see until youre out of the foothills. Once in the mountains, scan their flanks for those ribbons of color. Stop if you wish, or just drive slowly up the road to get a feel of the fall atmosphere. Bishop Creek Canyon splits into northern and southern forks. Either fork will reveal outstanding stands of colored Aspens. One interesting aspect of the fall season is if one valley doesnt quite measure up, simply check the other. Environmentally each fork is quite different which can cause the fall color bonanza to be distinct between the two from year to year.

remember, there are lots of blind curves and standing out in the middle of the road is a sure way to suffer an early demise or get nominated for a Darwin Award. It may be peace and quite when you get out but it wont last for long. Another traveler for sure will careen around the corner without a care and certainly wont be looking for you. Watch out!

Here are a couple other traveler recommendations:

1) Water--you never know how long youll be out and the dry Eastern Sierra environment will make you thirsty before you know.

2) A map--obviously its the only sure way to keep you on track to where to go and how to get there.

3) Camera--while I wont get into the details of how to use this, having pictures after you get home will make the benefits of the trip last longer and longer.

4) Binoculars--in many places, the valleys of color are considerable distances from easy access. At the risk of scrambling across cliffs and rocks, binoculars are sure tools to allow you to continue your studies of rock and color the distance.

5) Finally, a jacket--normally the Eastern Sierra doesnt experience extreme weather until after the peak color season. Still, the mornings at elevation are cool and are 20 to 40 degrees cooler than the valley floor. Bring a jacket to be safe.

The trip to higher altitudes is like moving forward in the leaf season. At higher elevations leaves are further along in their transformation; associated colors therefore much brighter. If they arent quite peak at the lower elevations, a few miles up the road are sure to be different. So much so, when youre late enough in the season youll see the backside of the transformation with leaves fallen to the ground and trees left bare.
Fall Colors, South Fork Bishop Creek Canyon
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