Life with ArielChasing fall colors has become my annual activity in October. In 2020, I enjoyed fall foliage in Lake Tahoe. In 2021, I checked out Mammoth Lakes in early October. Compared to Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Lakes is not as popular for North California residents. But it’s beautiful and has a lot of things to do. It has ski resorts for winter, Sierra Nevada mountains for hiking and camping in summer, and Inyo National Forest year round. It’s a better choice if you want to explore the nature and avoid the crowd.
Drive from the San Francisco Bay Area to Mammoth Lakes
The drive from the San Francisco Bay Area to Mammoth Lakes is long, 5.5 hours without traffic, but not boring because you will pass by Yosemite National Park and Mono Lake. Both are great stops for breaks or even an overnight stay.
Yosemite National Park is one of the most popular national parks in the US. It’s definitely worth a multi-day visit. I only took a brief stop there in this trip because I had been there several times before and it was smoky at the time due to multiple fires.
My next stop was the Mono Lake. Mono Lake is actually a state park that preserves the spectacular “tufa towers” or calcium-carbonate spires formed by alkaline lake water. The lake stands peacefully in light blue and purple, surrounded by white salt and alkaline residuals from freshwater evaporation.
It’s one of the few state parks that allow dogs. But you don’t need to plan too much time for this park because the park is the lake. There is not much else to do. You can walk along the lake, but it’s not that easy. First, there’s no shade and it can get pretty hot even in fall. Second, it’s hard to get close to the water because the “shore” is formed by residuals from water evaporation. It feels muddy and smelly once you step on it.
Devils Postpile National Monument
I highly recommend Devils Postpile National Monument to everyone. Not only is it a one-of-a-kind geologic wonder, but also it offers pristine mountain and forest scenery. In my opinion, the best way to enjoy it is to take the Rainbow Falls via Devils Postpile Trail. It is not a very easy trail, some part rocky and mostly not shady, but it will take you to all the must-see places in the park. Fall colors along the trail were amazing. The leaves were turning yellow but still on the green side by early October. There were also some trees already in bright orange, beautifully contrasting the deep blue sky.
The famous Devils Postpile was about halfway on the trail. The Postpone was said to be formed less than 100,000 years ago by basaltic lava. The lava flowed from the present-day Soda Spring area down south and likely hit a glacial moraine left from the previous ice age. Then it started to cool, solidify, and crack, forming deep columns that we see today as the Devils Postpile. The columns stand about 60 feet high, another showcase of Mother Nature’s magical power, simply jaw dropping and eye opening for me.
At the end of the trail, it’s the 101-foot Rainbow Falls. It still had high water volume in early October. California has always been dry and it’s really rare to see a real waterfall as gorgeous as this one. Moreover, you can descend to the bottom of the falls and enjoy the river view.
On the way back, stop by Sotcher Lake. It’s in beautiful dark green probably due to the reflection of surrounding trees. It’s a really quiet lake where you can take a break after a long hike and have some solitude, relaxing time.
John Muir Wilderness, Bishop CA
I stopped by John Muir Wilderness because, according to the California Fall Color Map, Bishop was at the peak of turning colors in early October. I was not disappointed. Yellow and orange leaves welcomed me on the Hilton Lakes Trail. The trail also overlooks the beautiful Rock Creek Lake. In the afternoon mist, the lake was in a mysterious and soft hue. The surrounding Inyo National Forest was decorated by green, yellow, orange, and red, like Mother Nature is trying out new colors on her palette.
