Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

September Mono Basin fall color update

Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

This post was written by Julia Frankenbach, 2013 Project Specialist.

With the first day of fall has come the first real yellowing of the aspen trees in the Mono Basin. As the days become cooler and the nights become increasingly frosty, the aspen color will intensify. Be sure to find time this fall to enjoy the fall colors at one or more of these places near Mono Lake:

The aspen trees at Lundy Canyon’s beaver ponds are just beginning to turn yellow. Photo by Julia Frankenbach.

Lundy Canyon: Driving north on Highway 395, turn left onto Highway 167 toward Lundy Lake. Drive past Lundy Lake to arrive at the beaver ponds, a popular destination for seeing fall colors and for photographing Lundy Pass. Aspens at the beaver ponds are just beginning to turn yellow. The leaves around Lundy Lake are also beginning to turn yellow, with patches of orange higher on the canyon flanks. Try the hike to Oneida Lake beginning at the east end of Lundy Lake for a walk through one of the densest aspen groves in the canyon.

On the hike to Oneida Lake in Lundy Canyon, enjoy dense aspen groves beneath Gilcrest Peak and Mt. Snowden. Photo by Julia Frankenbach.

Parker Bench: There is a particularly vivid patch of aspens on Parker Bench beneath Mt. Wood. Sunday morning’s snow really highlights this bright patch of color. For beautiful views of the aspens and the mountain, drive south on Highway 395 from Lee Vining. Turn right on Highway 158/June Lake Loop, and after about a mile, make another right onto Parker Lake Road. From here, follow signs to Parker Lake and enjoy the view of the orange aspens on the mountainside straight ahead.

Parker Lake Road provides a great view of the orange grove of aspens beneath Mt. Wood. Photo by Julia Frankenbach.

Silver Lake: If you pass the Parker Lake Road turnoff and continue along Highway 158, you will come to Silver Lake after about seven miles. Silver Lake is a small freshwater lake surrounded by aspens and willows and closed in to the south by majestic Carson Peak. A popular destination for fishing, Silver Lake is also a great place to watch for fall color. The leaves around the lake are just beginning to change from lime green to yellow.

Mule deer are migrating from high elevation to low elevation in the fall, so watch for deer as you hike in the colorful aspen groves! Photo by Julia Frankenbach.

These are just a few of the many places to enjoy the increasingly crisp air and bright foliage of fall in the Mono Basin. Now is a great time to enjoy exploring and photographing before the real snow hits! Stay tuned for future updates on the fall colors of the Mono Basin.

One comment

  1. Looks like another colorful fall is in the making. I’ll be up in a couple of weeks to take pictures. See you