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 blaze late in the Eastern Sierra

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.
CSFall3
Fall colors near Mono Lake at Conway Summit. Oct. 21, 2010. Photo by Bartshe Miller.

After presenting a series of programs in the Sierra foothills, I drove back over Sonora Pass returning south on Highway 395 over Conway Summit. As of October 22, fall colors are peaking over a broad range of elevations and putting on one of the best displays in recent years. From Sonora Pass to Tioga Pass and the stretch of Highway 395 between, the colors are remarkable. Snow on the peaks accentuates the color. A storm system late this weekend might diminish some of the brilliance, but I anticipate fall colors will burn brightly into early November. This time of year you can have the blazing aspen and the Mono Basin all to yourself.