Here in the western foothills around Nevada City and Grass Valley, California, the last of fall's leaves are rapidly falling. Vibrant oranges and deep reds of maples, even sturdy, rust-colored oaks, are being stripped to basic gray, naked limbs framed by somber evergreen pines. Fall is slipping quietly into a muted winter season. But neither gray skies nor trees have to mask, or even rarely limit, outdoor recreation opportunities on many dozens of low-elevation trails available to us.

Given easy access to our beloved North Central Sierras, we have many choices. Especially here in the foothills and lower elevations of hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands, we can enjoy short drives to crisp, angelically white snow or stay nearby "below the snowline, and above the fog." Either way, at the end of an outing, hot coco, tea, coffee, or even toddies are only minutes away.

But, I confess, at times having a bowl of ice snow with milk and Mexican vanilla, sitting in front of my wood stove, is close enough to the cold stuff.

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While my hiking partner John has been tromping all over the Sierra Nevada's, mapping out all of the Aspen groves, and spots of Fall foliage, I decided to stick a little closer to home.

Both Grass Valley and Nevada City are resplendent with color right now, though it hasn't always been so. Located in the mid-Sierra's the area features mostly pines, firs, cedars, madrones, with a sprinkling of oak, a few big-leaf maples, and a smattering of dogwoods. Not really much to give an autumnal display worth noting. However, with the discovery of gold in the area, most of the trees where quickly logged off to build, not only towns and homes, but to fuel the ever-hungry mining stamp mills – which operated twenty-four hours a day and consumed hundreds of trees per day.

As gold fever waned, and the mining camps became respectable communities, a variety of trees were replanted around the new homes and townsites, some of which we still see today. We now have streets framed in brilliant, light-gathering gold, red, peach, yellow, and faun colors from magnificent oaks, maples, Japanese maples, and liquidambars, shining against the dark green backdrop of the native evergreen trees. A couple of streets you don't want to miss are Nevada Street and the top end of Coyote (some lovely Virginia creeper there), both in Nevada City. Lovely trees can also be seen right off of Highway 49, if you're just passing through, but I would suggest a leisurely stroll through both towns to get the full Fall effect.

Now is your chance to enjoy our lovely, crisp weather and the beautiful, seasonal display of nature's beauty. It won't last for much longer. For more information and fall color tour maps, go to: www.nevadacitychamber.com/events/fallcolors.cfm.

UPDATE: With this past rainy weekend, everything is now washed brilliantly clean, but the tree canopy is now a carpet of color upon the ground. There are still some beautiful trees to see, but the window of opportunity is quickly closing.

Timing is everything when the quest is catching the height of fall color displays here in the Central Sierra. The short span of perfect days can be way too short – especially this year when it appears the long summer drought has caused many of the leaves to fall before they are in full regalia.

This Tuesday, October 28th, I missed the display in the aspen groves in the Loney Meadows and Lindsey Lake areas on the fringe of Grouse Ridge country. Probably by several days. The leaves were raining down from the rapidly baring crowns still holding their heads high in the crisp blue October skies. I felt I was in a rain storm as I captured the last pictures of fall colors for that area this year. The plop of each falling leaf was magnified by my disappointment.

I had been up there only 12 days earlier and the still mostly-green leaves, especially given the continuing warm weather, had me thinking I had up to two weeks to catch the colors. I missed my guesstimate by nearly a week. The picture I've included at least shows the setting: a large grove, stately, energetic aspen reaching for the sky, the thick, lush, wet meadow – all highlighted by the split rail fence. I'll be back again next year.

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The fall colors of the aspens along the scenic drive following historic Henness Pass Road are near their optimum right now. Now!

In my travels this is the most extensive display of aspen and cottonwoods here in our backyard. Probably nothing can top our Central Sierra displays in Hope Valley along Highways 89 and 88, but this drive is much closer here in the Donner Summit area and at its optimum, great.

The historic stage and freight route was used to carry passengers and supplies from the Central Valley of California to Virginia City, NV. Much of the route has been replaced by modern highways, but this segment that crosses the Sierra Crest still carries the rustic flavor of the remote mountains. For additional discussion see our brief description at Henness Pass Road.

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I've visited several high-country areas in the Donner Summit region in the last few days. Yesterday I took several pictures of aspen in full color but several other locations and another half of the trees in the grove are still a week away. In this area we only have scattered pockets of rich golden aspen and more often single or small groups of bright candles against the deep green of the fir forests. Their rare occurrences make them that much more precious to me and my camera lens.

The best of the fall color, hillside displays in the Central Sierra will always be Hope Valley along Highways 89 and 88 in the Carson Pass areas. These locations are worth day-long or better yet, weekend drives.

Since I can visit only a few areas each week, we can broaden our observations data base if anyone sends me an email at john@SierraOutdoorRecreation.ocm. I'll post updated information on the www.SierraOutdoorRecreation.com New Information Blog.

Many of the aspen in the Emerald Bay of Lake Tahoe area are at their peak in the scattered pockets along the Eagles Falls Trail. Especially the one nice grove below the falls. Willows along the creek

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One of the most inspirational aspects of Mother Nature's grand design for our radiant display of fall colors is their unfailing return every year. Above Nevada City and Grass Valley, the nearby Sierra Nevadas don't offer hillsides blanketed by New England style colorful hues. Still, I cherish intimate pockets of radiant highlights as joyful splotches dropped from The artist's brush that we can find abundantly in a day's outing. If we know where to look.

For many of us, this is the finest time of the year to live in the foothills and make short drives into the Sierra Nevada that we consider our backyard – and love sharing with our neighbors. Hiking is at its best.

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Part 1: "September 1st, I hiked into the most popular, hiking destination here on the Tahoe National Forest in the Central Sierra Nevada of California: Loch Leven Lakes. I'd been there several times. By writing magazine articles about the vicinity as a great fall destination, I too have sung the praises of the area. However, I try to avoid the beautiful lakes during hectic summer seasons. When I return, I come in the back door, the Salmon Lake Trail. In the 18 years I've lived here, the main trail from Big Bend off I-80 has been pounded and washed away from a good trail to much of it little more than an eroded channel of ankle-punishing stepping stones. Too many of us are loving this once natural location to death." Go to Part 1 if you missed and would like to see that introduction.

Part 2:

My hiking partner, Melony Vance, with her fledgling business "Gold Country Hiking and Adventures" was looking for great destinations to add to her upcoming catalogue of guided hikes for lovers of the outdoors. She caters to enthusiasts who like to experience new areas with someone who has been there, know the tales as well as the factual information, all told in a casual, personal manner. Stay tuned until Melony has completed her website so that we can connect you to her.

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