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.

Fall color is peaking in the Mono Basin

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.

Cold, crisp nights combined with these short, warm days have pushed the Mono Basin’s fall colors to their peak display. You can zip over to the Mono Basin through Yosemite National Park on Highway 120 even though the park is closed due to the government shutdown. Luckily, no one can shut down the aspen groves!

Parker Lake's turquoise color goes perfectly with golden aspens and autumn's sharp blue skies. Those green aspens at the west end of the lake will be turning soon, providing more glorious color in the weeks to come. Photo by Elin Ljung, October 2, 2013.

A view up Lundy Canyon from the first beaver pond beyond the trailhead, October 3, 2013. Photo by Elin Ljung.
Looking back down Lundy Canyon from the waterfall area, October 3, 2013. Photo by Elin Ljung.
Golden aspen groves at the Lundy Canyon falls, October 3, 2013. Photo by Elin Ljung.
The full spectrum: green, yellow, and orange aspen leaves at the mouth of Lundy Canyon near the houses on October 3, 2013. Photo by Elin Ljung.

In addition to Parker Lake and Lundy Canyon, I’d recommend one of my very favorite, often-overlooked spots: Walker Creek where it flows out of the moraine below Mt. Gibbs. The grove of aspens there at the toe of the moraine usually display all possible fall colors, often at the same time—lime green, gold, orangey-red, and scarlet. Keep an eye on that grove as you travel on Highway 395 south of Lee Vining!