Sierra Fall Color Locations

For about 10 years, my son and I head to the Eastern Sierra for our annual fall colors shoot.  Over the years we have gathered a list of locations and some notes.  The first year we went, I had thought we could find lots of places to stay since I had driven through there at other times of the year and there were always lots of vacancies…. Well that first year we stay in sleeping bags in a covered wagon in a campground. Moral of the story, make sure that you have a place to stay.  Every year after that we have stayed at Boulder Lodge on June lake loop.  A reasonable motel.

At the bottom of the post is a map to provide an idea of places relative to each other.

The list below is ordered roughly from North to South. Here are some typical itineraries:

• Day 1
  • Arrive in the afternoon; scout locations for following day
  • Sunrise (and before) at Mono Lake Tufa
  • Lundy Canyon morning
  • Poole Power plant road in the afternoon
• Day 2
  • Dunderberg meadow (or Summer’s meadow) for Sunrise and morning
  • Bodie and Bodie basin in the afternoon
• Day 3 Get up early
  • Drive to Bishop (about 1 hour south) and head up the highway for sunrise fall colors (Aspendell, Lake Sabrina, South Lake, …)
  • Drive to Bristlecone Pines (eat lunch in car)
  • Paved road ends at Shulman Grove (some great places  for photos off the trail).  Note elevation is 10,000 feet
  • Optionally drive 20 miles on dirt road to Grove of the Patriarch, at 11,000 feet.  Lots of places along the way.  Take reflectors for fill lighting or flash.
• Day 4 Either Yosemite valley, or Sonora Pass

 

Eastern Sierra Photo locations from North to South (roughly)

1. Summer’s Meadow (upper & Lower)
   1. South of Bridgeport (off 395)
   2. Colors later than Dunderberg  Meadow
   3. Could spend whole day here if colors are good
2. Dunderberg Meadow (Dunderburg is a lot like Summer)
   1. Access off Virginia lakes road
   2. Could spend whole day if colors are good
3. Virginia lakes (have not been there, but suppose to be good)
4. Conway Summit on 395
   1. Don’t do sunrise here it is too far down with hills around it
   2. Half hour to an hour
5. Bodie  South end of the Bodie valley is a nice ridge overlooking Mono lake, and aspens
   1. Half day
   2. Unless special arrangements are made,  for morning or evening you are typically shooting with the sun high in the sky
6. Lundy Canyon (upper & lower) (half day)
   1. Lower is shortly after the Lundy turn off on 395, be careful  it is people’s back yards
   2. Lundy Lake nice stand
   3. Upper Lundy, follow the dirt road to the end.  Beaver ponds and aspen
7. Mono lake North Tufa (couple of hours)
8. Lee Vining Canyon below the powerhouse.   Sometimes this is very nice
9. Poole Power plant road off of 120 (Tioga pass road) (half day)
   1. Water, and small waterfall, Aspens
10. Mobile Station at 395 and 120 (eatery)
    1. One of the better places to eat.  The chef  then left and started Tommey’s in  Mammoth which is quite good as well.
    2. There is one place back in Lee Vining as well to eat
11. South Mono lake Tufa (couple of hours)
    1. Classic sunrise location (hope for clouds)
    2. Each year it is different as the water is rising in the lake
    3. Be there at least half an hour before sinrise if not an hour
12. June Lake loop (a day… if you have the right conditions)
    1. Classic location, but often hard to find good shots
13. Boulder Lodge (lodging)
    1. Inexpensive place to stay.  Stay here every year
    2. Don’t eat in the town of June Lake (except coffee and sandwiches)
14. Obsidian Dome (one to two hours)
    1. Hard to shoot, but very interesting formation particularly if you climb to the top.
    2. Be careful, sharp rocks.
15. Tommey’s Restaurant in Mammoth
    1. Founded by chef from Mobile station.
    2. About 30 minutes south of Boulder Lodge
    3. High rating on Yelp
16. Convict Lake (hour or two)
    1. Incredible rock swirls and color & Aspens
    2. Probably best at sunrise
    3. Has high quality expensive restaurant
17. Out of Bishop toward North lake, South Lake, Lake Sabrina (half a day to all day) (photo is  from South Lake road
    1. Great road lots of places at different elevations.  Some of the best photos consistently come from this area.
    2. Aspendell
       1.  Has pond with great reflections
       2. Good place for breakfast next to the pond
    3. North Lake
       1. Some of the first to turn and drop
    4. Lake Sabrina
       1. Generally one of the best locations consistently for Aspens & water
    5. South Lake road
       1. Waterfall & Aspens
18. South Side of Bishop on 395 (20 minutes)
    1. There is a spectacular tree in the middle of a field with the Sierra in the background
19. About 1 hour (maybe a bit more) south east of Bishop are the bristle cone pines (windy road driving) to visitors center at 10,000 feet elevation
    1. Typically an afternoon shooting, leave around 4 or 5 as sun sets over sierra and drive back
    2. As you drive into the parking lot at Shulman Grove, the ridge on the right (no trail) has great trees for photos.  (tends to be high contrast)
    3. Optionally drive on 20 miles (dirt road) to the Patriarch’s Grove to see the oldest living tree (11,000 feet elevation)

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