'Leaf peeping' isn’t just an East Coast thing. Here’s where to spot fall colors

Autumn is officially here — don’t listen to any multinational corporations who are trying to start the season in August.

Though, as you probably know, it starts to feel like fall in Southern California a little later than most of the country, and it might take a road trip to see leaves change early in the season. So we called up Lara Kaylor, the editor of the crowdsourced foliage database California Fall Color, for her tips on getting out and seeing the fall colors this year.

This picture was taken early last October in Rock Creek Lake in the Eastern Sierra.

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Courtesy California Fall Color/Samantha Lindberg

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Where to look now, chronologically

Kaylor said the most advanced fall foliage currently is in higher elevations, as per usual. Colors in the Eastern Sierra have already started to change, and it’s expected to reach its peak in the next week or two.

Shortly after, the area around Shasta Lake will start to turn in late September and early October.

One tip if you’re planning a trip now: Go somewhere in the mountains with varying elevations so you can see leaves in different stages.

“The higher elevations are where it is always going to start, and then it generally comes down about 500 feet in elevation every week,” Kaylor said. “There are a variety of elevations, so even if you miss one area in the Eastern Sierra, you can go down to Bishop and check out Bishop Creek Canyon, the lower elevations.”

It's starting already: This picture was taken on Sagehen Summit near Mammoth Lakes on September 16, 2024.

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Courtesy California Fall Color/Samantha Lindberg

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If you want to make this trip a reality, Kaylor has two words for you: “don’t wait.”

“If there's a location you want to go to and you see on our website it's starting to peak, move in that direction,” she said. “Because you never know Mother Nature, too — you could get a windstorm, and it blows all the leaves away. So just get out there and do it if it's something on your bucket list.”

Later in the season

If you’re looking to save on gas, you’ll need a little more patience, but Southern California’s mountains should start to see leaves turning by October.

“That's when we start to see things in Southern California's mountains like the San Bernardino Mountains, San Gorgonio, those types of areas,” Kaylor said. “So a little bit locally, you can start planning some mountain trips there.”

Around that same time, the Northern Sierras, including Lake Tahoe, will also see their first spots of fall color.

Kaylor said lower elevations in the Shasta Cascade region like Lassen Volcanic National Park, as well as the North Coast and areas around Redwood National Park, will start to approach their peak in late October and early November.

Did you know grape vines change color for the fall too? This picture was taken in Napa Valley in mid-November last year.

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Courtesy California Fall Color/Lucas Yan

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Then a few weeks later, parts of Northern California will start to change color — and that means you’ll have an opportunity to take a trip that checks off a couple boxes.

“One of the spots that I really think is neat — when you get to late October and early November, California's vineyards start to change colors too,” Kaylor said. “So you could plan like a wine trip to Sonoma or Napa and get a unique fall color perspective there.”

While that’s happening, fall foliage will also continue developing in lower elevations in Southern California’s mountains. Mid-November is when the trees in California’s coastal cities from L.A. to San Francisco start to change.

For more tips on planning your trip, see California Fall Color’s website.

Plants to watch out for

If you’re taking a trip when fall foliage is at its peak, you probably won’t have any trouble finding impressive foliage just by driving or hiking around. But Kaylor recommended keeping your eyes peeled for smaller plants that also change color.

One example is Darmera peltata, commonly known as the umbrella plant, which is commonly found in the Shasta Cascade region. It stands out from other vibrant fall plants because it’s a smaller shrub, not a tree.

Darmera leaves change color for the fall, but they're a little closer to the ground than you may be used to.

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Courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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“It's kind of like a rubbery plant,” Kaylor said. “You wouldn't expect it to change into a beautiful fall color plant.”

Though you’ll have to keep your eyes to the ground to spot the umbrella plant, Kaylor said that doesn’t make its foliage any less impressive.

“When it's alongside the water and when it starts to turn red, it just looks really beautiful,” she said.

This photo was taken in Quincy (northwest of Lake Tahoe) late last October.

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Courtesy California Fall Color/M. Beatley

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Another of Kaylor’s favorites is the quaking aspen. It’s best known for its golden-yellow leaves that you’ll be able to spot along the Eastern Sierra soon, but Kaylor said you’re in luck if you get to see its more advanced fall coloring.

“If they get to the orange and red phases before they blow off, it just looks like little glittery coins blowing in the wind, so those are always gorgeous,” Kaylor said.

The fall foliage database

California Fall Color is a crowdsourced database — Kaylor said it would be too much work for one person.

“That's how we're able to cover the entire state without, you know, driving everywhere all the time,” she said.

The website is updated periodically, but Kaylor also sends out weekly emails to summarize the goings-on.

“The cool thing is it's not computer generated. It's people's boots on the ground, people's eyes on the leaves, Kaylor said. “You'll get some variables: One person's peak is another person's past peak, but that's the cool thing about the site. You can look at all the different reports and put together a summary and figure out where you're going to go.”

If you’re getting fall leaf FOMO from the rest of the state, the California Fall Color database has a map, so you can click around and take a virtual trip around the state. And once the leaves start to change where you are, you can snap a picture and send it in to Kaylor.