Fall Color Guide for Mammoth Lakes and Nearby Areas - Travel Guide

The Eastern Sierra days start to shorten, the warmth starts to soften to crisp, chilly mornings and the colors come out to play. Fall in the Eastern Sierra is a colorful farewell to the summer and a magical welcome to the winter. I absolutely cannot get enough of chasing fall colors once the transition starts and I put this guide together for anyone who feels the same. This guide contains any and all places to get a glimpse of the golden wonderland along the Eastern Sierra.

There are some things you need to know first before starting your fall color adventures, like when is the best time to go, what kind of weather to be prepared for, and where to go! I’ll be covering all of that below. And if you still have questions at the end of this guide, feel free to drop your question in my comments below.

WHEN TO GO

The change in colors typically starts around mid-September and can go through to the end of October. Every year varies a bit on when the colors start, but what actually causes the leaves to change color is dry warm days with cooler nights as well as less sunlight as the days grow shorter. If the area gets too much rain or not cold enough nights, the colors won’t be as bold but will likely still change. Being that color change is between mid-September through the end October, I think the first week and second week of October is a promising time most years. You can also follow my Instagram and Facebook page where I post updates on fall colors to track colors.

WHAT KIND OF WEATHER TO PREPARE FOR

It’s important to know what kind of weather you may encounter in the fall so you can be properly prepared. Temperate wise, you could encounter evenings and mornings in the low 30s, even 20s at times. During the day, you can expect to see the highs around 60, with a few chillier days in the 50s. This season is also infamous for early snow storms so please check the forecast before heading out so that you have all the proper gear for this weather.

Another condition to beware of during the fall is smoke. Unfortunately the fire seasons have been bad in California and lately there’s been fires in September that linger through the fall and cause smokey conditions. I use the app AirVisual, it allows for you to look at multiple locations air quality plus the air quality forecast for the week.

Where to go

I’m going to go over fall colors stops by dividing the Eastern Sierra into 5 regions - Bishop, Mammoth Lakes, June Lake, Lee Vining, and Bridgeport. There certainly are more locations beyond these, but these are my favorite areas! I’ll go in order of South to North.

Bishop Area

South Lake: This is the best fall color drive in the Bishop area with plenty of places to pull off and really admire the views, it’ll end at South Lake which can lead you to some fall color hikes (link to other blog post) as well.
North Lake: This is one of my top picks for chasing fall colors, you’ll get to see red leaves here more than all the other listed areas which isn’t very common in the Eastern Sierra (at least in my experience chasing colors here for a few years). It’s ideal to park and then walk this road to really get to see all the colors.
Sabrina Lake: This popular fishing lake and trailhead lights up with golds and oranges, it’s worth hiking even just 10-15 miles along the trail that takes you through some beautiful aspens and more perspective on the changing colors around the trail.
Buttermilks: This area is lower elevation than the other Bishop areas so you’ll want to visit this area in the end of the fall color window, near the end of October.

Mammoth Lakes Area

Rock Creek: 2nd best fall drive in the Eastern Sierra (South Lake being first), with so many good areas to walk through a little golden wonderland.
McGee Creek: drive along this paved turned dirt road half way to follow the McGee Creek through the canyon which has a beautiful golden coat sprinkled throughout the canyon. This is another great one to spend even just 10-15 minutes hiking up the trail to get even more beautiful views.
Convict Lake: this area is amazing from the shore of Convict Lake or go on a mellow 3 mile hike around the lake to see even more color, an amazing and easy fall color hike to do in the area.
Sherwin Creek: this beautiful dirt road starts either from the US395 exit or on Old Mammoth Road. You’ll see pockets of aspen along the road and along the creek.
Lakes Basin: This is a quick and easy one to do just 5-10 minutes from the town of Mammoth Lakes, you’ll see yellows along the hillside as you approach the lakes and a bit of color spread along the shores of the lakes.

June Lake Area

June Lake: This is the first lake in the June Lake Loop drive which has a beautiful sandy beach along the shore of it, might be too chilly to swim in the fall, but a great first stop. You'‘ll see some fall colors around the lake, but not the most dramatic fall colors in the loop (it gets better the further you go).
Gull Lake: The second lake in the loop with more color pop, especially next to the Gull Lake Marina. You’ll often see ducks around this lake looking for an afternoon snack, remember to practice Leave No Trace which means not feeding the wildlife.
Silver Lake: My favorite lake in the June Lake Loop, with the beautiful backdrop of Carson Peak. This is also a very popular lake with fishermen so if you’ve got a pole, bring it but don’t forget your fishing license.
Grant Lake: The last lake in the June Lake Loop which doesn’t feature as much fall colors around the lake as the other lakes do, but does have beautiful aspen groves on the adjacent side of the road to the lake. You can also follow the rest of the June Lake road down to Parker Lake for a fall color hike.

Lee Vining Area

Lee Vining Canyon: A beautiful drive along Lee Vining Creek which can you enjoy from driving up Tioga Pass for an overview of the canyon or you can explore Poole Power Plant Road to get an up close look at the beautiful colors.
Lundy Canyon: This amazing drive through the canyon is bursting with color and seems to be everyone’s favorite. You can also hike up to the first waterfall if you feel like stretching your legs a bit.
Sagehen Summit: This was one of my favorite spots last year because it’s kinda hidden off the beaten path, but once you get back there, you’ll see a plethora of bright and beautiful colors.
Conway Summit: This is a stunning view on the 395 that takes you along side gorgeous aspen groves and meadows that have glorious golden hues.

Bridgeport Area

Virginia Lakes: One of the first places to typically change colors, this drive is beautiful and eventually ends at Virginia Lake where you can get a little hike in or fishing. You can also Dunderberg Meadow road to connect over to Green Creek, it goes through a few aspen groves worth exploring. It’s a dirt road, but passible by any car.
Green Creek: One of my absolute favorite places in every season (except winter, too much of a pain to get back to). This stunning area has golden trees all throughout the drive and further if you hike up the trail a bit, which is absolutely worth going to.
Twin Lakes: These beautiful lakes are just outside Bridgeport and feature a few aspen groves and beautiful fall color hike to Barney Lake.

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Tiare Kirkland

Hi! My name is Tiare, but you can just call me ‘T’. I’m a California based hiker and I spend most of my free time taking photos and videos of some of my favorite hikes. You can usually find me ‘Out Hiking’ in the Sierra Nevada mountain range or road-tripping to new areas. Read more about me here and follow along with my adventures by subscribing below!