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 colors appearing in the Mono Basin

This post was written by Max Price, 2018 Mono Lake Intern.

As we say goodbye to summer and hello to another autumn, so too do we welcome back the beautiful fall colors!

The beginning of fall colors season, as seen from Conway Summit on September 22, 2018. Photo by Max Price.

Most of the aspen leaves are still bright green, doing their best to absorb the sun’s energy for as long into the growing season as possible, however sightings of yellow patches have been reported. The intense patchwork of lime-green and lemon-yellow has left the aspen groves looking like the citrus bin in your local produce aisle.

The fall colors are still in the early stages of their season, but visitors traveling to high elevations will no doubt catch glimpses of the their arrival. The sedulous early-season color chaser can find the transforming trees at the heights of Conway Summit, Tioga Pass, and Parker Bench. Aspen groves lower in the basin, such as in the June Lake Loop, Lundy Canyon, and Lee Vining Canyon are still lush and green, but hints of golden hues should be appearing within a week or two, weather depending.

High elevation groves, such as on Tioga Pass, are starting to display more color. Photo from September 24, 2018 by Max Price.

For up-to-date information about fall colors throughout Mono County, check out the Mono County fall color guide or the California Fall Color website. You can also call the Mono Lake Committee at (760) 647-6595 or visit us at the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore in Lee Vining. We look forward to seeing you and we hope you enjoy the beautiful fall colors of the Mono Basin!