3 min
Overview
Whenever I embark on a discussion about the merits and demerits of the Southern California climate, inevitably somebody brings up the deplorable “lack” of fall color. People point at the ornamental liquid ambers on the street and scoff at the non-native trees as if this is California’s sorry excuse for one of the better spectacles the natural world has to offer. I will acknowledge that if all you have to go on are ornamental trees in an urban area that California’s fall color must look pretty poor (not to mention what that might suggest about the rest of the state’s natural features). However, the belief that there’s no fall color in California is as erroneous as the belief that there are no seasons here (they’re just not what you might think they should be). We at Modern Hiker feel we have demonstrated this time and time again with hike write-ups describing gems like Parker Lake, McGee Creek, and Convict Lake. And yet, it seems like every time I open my mouth to talk about how great the Eastern Sierra is, people still react with flat disbelief that the fall color there can be every bit as good as it can be in places like Colorado or even the east coast. Right here on the eastern edge of the state in one of the most dramatic landscapes in the American West, hikers can find a plethora of trails that pass through glorious groves of quaking aspens that transition from deep green into a palette of lime, yellow, orange, and red come September and October. Among those regions that support color, which includes trails in and around Bishop Creek, Big Pine Creek, Rock Creek, Mammoth Lakes, June Lakes, the Lee Vining Area, Virginia Lakes, and Sonora Pass, the trail through Lundy Canyon in the Hoover Wilderness grants hikers a chance to stroll through beautiful forest of colorful aspens juxtaposed against a series of cascading waterfalls tumbling over colorful metamorphic rocks. On this moderate hike, you will pass through aspen forest from before the start all the way to the final waterfall. Vistas up canyon reveal casca
Trail Stats
6.5 km
243 m
2711 m
2476 m
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Photos
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