Fall Color updates

Post em if you got em.

Huckleberry and Ash are starting to really pop above 5500 feet in Rainier, but peak is still a good 2 weeks off. Didn't swing through Paradise so I don't know what it looks like there, but the Tatoosh are looking pretty good so far. Absolutely ZERO berries on the Huck this year, so be extra vigilant about Bears as they'll be super defensive of what they can find.

Vine Maple color is steadily spreading in the coast range.
Some of the other trees including the Big Leaf Maples are just starting to turn here and there.
I have a young sugar maple in the back yard that isn't even hinting at color yet.

Vine Maple color is steadily spreading in the Mt. Hood area as well, as of Tuesdays fishing trip to Clear Lake.

Bryan,

I'll report back on the Cougar Trail that you told me about. Going there Sunday. Saturday heading to Marmot Pass, but that's just for the conditioning and getting familiar with it for next summer.

Near Mt Baker... some of the ground cover is starting to turn, otherwise it needs another couple of weeks. Looks like the high country will get what it really needs next week - rain.

From a trip last week:
- Hells Canyon rim lookout points still have some late-blooming wildflowers.
- Eagle Cap Wilderness in Wallowa Mountains - a plant/small bush covering large areas of canyon hillsides was a bright rust red; trying to get an ID on it.
- all over northeastern Oregon the sumac were only beginning to show signs of turning red but the rabbitbrush are starting to show lots of bright yellow
- central western Cascades have vine maple starting to turn at the 2000-5000' levels, but no bigleaf maple color yet and huckleberry not showing much color either.

Off Highway 542 today:

Artists Point - A few decent patches of Huckleberry, most of it is still greenish. Lots of berries on the Ash, but very little change in color (some are just starting to show some yellow, but none are anywhere near bright orange yet).

Picture Lake - Decent but subtle color along the boardwalks, needs to be left in the oven (or freezer) for about another week.

Wells Creek Road - Vine Maple are looking good in the slide area 2 miles before crossing Wells Creek, but the Big Leaf Maple on the slopes above are still all green. Lots of the VM I saw today looked like it was wilting even before hitting peak. The snow yesterday may not have helped.

And yes, there is still a little bit of snow on the ground at Artists Point (very little, more on Table Mountain though), but the roads are clear and open all the way up again.

Thanks for posting that, Bryan. I'm hoping to get the classic Mt. Shuksan with Picture Lake and fall color this year and have been trying to determine when to go. Other sources indicate that in a normal near, this week would be approaching prime, so it's great to get your first hand report. Last year I was there in the second week of October and the color was definitely past (and the road to Artists Point was already closed by snow).

Oregon's statewide Fall Foliage hotline is at http://www.visitlanecounty.org/foliage/ . It's on the Lane County visitors bureau website, but covers the whole state.

Washington's Gifford-Pinchot National Forest has a fall color page at http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/autumn-colors/index.shtml but they haven't posted anything for this year yet.

Gifford Pinchot seems to be really under-staffed and therefore usually pretty late updating their fall colors page. often the color has come and gone in any given area before they post an update. If you call they are generally eager to help and provide info (especially the Mt Adams office in Trout Lake). I think the web site is just not a high priority for them.

I'll be spending the weekend in Trout Lake so I'll report back, but the first week of October is usually peak for the Trout Lake area.

Natural Bridges usually peaks a week earlier (the last week of September) possibly because of the poor soil conditions. It's all lava out there.

The rest of the area, especially around the Ice Caves is usually flaming yellows, reds, and oranges. The Vine Maple is thick as pea soup out there.

Mt Adams Ranger Station: 509-395-3400

On a 9/2 drive in the Gorge between Troutdale and Cascade Locks, there was hardly any color at all.

As of 9/3, the southern half of Aufderheide Memorial Drive (West Cascades National Scenic Byway) near Oakridge is starting to see some nice color from bigleaf maple and vine maple. In another week or two it should be really great.

In the southern Willamette Valley area around Eugene, the ornamental maples in parks and gardens are really starting to pop, with a noticeable change in the last couple of days.

Just read in the Sunday Columbian, that the road to the South side of Mt St. Helens above Ape Cave to June Lake, the Lahar overlook and ending at Lava canyon has re-opened. I will try to get up there later this week. Several years ago I found some good color up there. The road has been closed for two years from the floods of Nov.2006.

Just returned from the Ice Cave/Natural Bridges area near Trout Lake. Natural Bridges is peaking now.

Most of the rest of the area is about a week from peak.

I did the Clackamas River to Detroit Reservoir to Hoodoo drive last weekend in search of bambi. (I had my camera but the driver didn’t seem to want to stop) I was surprised at how late thing seem to be changing this year. I saw some great vine maple but that was about it. This weekend is Waterloo, Sweet Home and on up road Hwy 20. (I will be driving and we will stop.) With this cooler weather thing should be popping.

santiam pass is peaking right now. Color was great last weekend, and I intend to shoot it again this weekend.

I was up around the Mt. Baker ski area yesterday. I'd say about half of the blueberry leaves have fallen off, but the larger trees are looking quite nice. Not sure how long it will last; it was snowing while I was up there at about 4000ft.

Also, It looks like artist's point might be closed, bunch of fresh snow(2-4 inches) above 5000ft.

Marie and I Took my folks over to the Trout Lake area Saturday.

The Vine Maple was still not quite at peak, but getting there. Normally, this area would be past peak by now.

Natural Bridges though, is finished; about a week later than normal.

The Coast range is still coming on as well. I noticed yesterday that the big leaf maples (at least around Vernonia) are actually getting some red/orange tint to them this year. I haven't been to the higher elevations, but below 1500ft, it's still a work in progress.

My Sugar Maple didn't start turning until after the frost we had Friday morning.

On Friday, I made the drive from Mount Hood to Eugene via Skyline Drive and the West Cascades National Scenic Byway and down the McKenzie River valley.

At the top of Skyline Drive (junction of Hwy 26 and Forest Road 42), there are patches of beautiful vine maple and some larches just starting to turn color. Not much color around Timothy Lake and the Clackmas prairie area and down to Summit Lake.

Further south on the scenic byway, and by the time you hit FR 46 the color picks up a lot, with both vine maple and bigleaf maple excellent - I would say at prime - along the Breitenbush River.

Also great color from Detroit Lake to the Santiam Pass along Hwy 22 and the North Santiam River; lots of very bright yellow bigleaf maple.

Vine maple in the forest and on the lava fields at the top of the McKenzie River (Hwy 126) were awesome - I don't think I've ever seen them such a brilliant red before.

Lower McKenzie River area - around Leaburg and down to Springfield isn't that great yet - bigleaf maple just starting to turn.

My daughter and I were out at the Grist Mill along Cedar Creek in north Clark Co., WA, yesterday, taking Senior Photos. The colors are coming along very nicely, nearing or at peak. Some of the Big Leaf Maple are a great yellow this year, not as brown as I've typically seen.

Drove through Tumwater Canyon yesterday - Vine Maple is past peak and fading, but the Big Leaf Maple, Alder and Aspen are all blazing neon yellow right now. Whatever those bushes are that turn red are red now too. Still plenty of time to shoot the area.

I saw this article and thought some might find it helpful: It lists scenic fall drives in OR and WA and has a chart at the bottom that details the most common fall foliage, along with their colors, scientific names, habitat, and normal peak color time, etc.
http://www.aaawa.com/travel/auto_tours/fall_foliage.asp

Portland is looking pretty damn good right now - I spend a little bit of time at the Japanese Garden in Washington Park this morning and it was just fab!!!

Bellevue Botanical Gardens in Bellevue is FANTASTIC right now.

Bellevue Botanical Gardens in Bellevue is FANTASTIC right now.