Although best known for its warm weather and beaches, California is becoming a treasure for its changing fall foliage. Whether traveling by car, mountain bike or your own two feet, the Golden State offers a wealth of areas that showcase the striking autumnal displays from September to November.

“Cooler weather, a relaxed pace and the changing colors of the landscape in many of our foothill and mountain regions make a fall visit to California an excellent getaway for a week or weekend,” Executive Director Caroline Beteta, of the California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC), said. “Here visitors can find their own stretch of road, along with secluded trails, just off major highways and interstates.

In California, fall foliage is synonymous with the Shasta Cascade Region, which offers some of the state’s most spectacular displays of colors amid rugged and rolling terrain. Many of the quiet driving routes and hiking trails, off Highway 70 and 89, can be found in the self-guided tour brochure Fall Colors of Plumas County. Serious leaf-peepers can plan their foliage trip over the Internet with the help of the “Autumn Awesome” blog on www.plumascounty.org, which tracks peak color throughout the forests. In Lassen County, biking enthusiasts can take part in the Fall Color Bike Rides, up to 25 miles, available along the Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail that traverses a remote area inaccessible by cars. Old railroad tunnels and bridges along the trail enhance the beauty of the surrounding area. Some of the most breathtaking fall colors can be viewed in Castle Crags State Park in Shasta County, six miles south of Dunsmuir on Interstate 5. Travelers can also enjoy the beauty of the outdoors from the comfort of their vehicles on Highway 299 in Shasta County through the historic town of Old Shasta and down to Whiskeytown Lake. Day hikes are ideal in Tehama County’s Ishi Wilderness Area and its 48,000 acres of changing vegetation.

The historic mining town of Julian, located in the San Diego County Region, offers colorful fall foliage in the Cuyamaca Mountains at an elevation of 4,235 feet. Also enticing visitors are the homemade apple pies and cider at the Annual Julian Fall Apple Harvest, September 15 through November 15. Travelers can take part in the autumnal revelry with a leisurely walk through Balboa Park, which is within walking distance from downtown San Diego. Of particular interest are the Chinese Flame Trees of Balboa Park, recognized by their papery, rose-colored seed capsules and yellow foliage.

The High Sierra Region puts on a fantastic fall display. In Mammoth Lakes, the leaves begin to change in mid-September. Some of the local hot spots for viewing include the Red Meadows area, with side trips to Rainbow Falls and the Devils Postpile National Monument, for its old aspens. The Highway 395 corridor through Bishop is also magnificent, especially the Owens Valley and the Bishop Creek Canyon. The region’s Eastern High Sierra Fall Color Guide, available on request from the office of Mammoth Lakes Tourism and the Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, details the most popular spots for viewing. In Yosemite, the golds, reds and oranges of the aspen, big-leaf maples and black oaks provide a stark contrast to the gray granite rocks. In Lake Tahoe, the best driving route is north on Highway 89 from historic Truckee to Sierraville.

From mid-October to early November, the Inland Empire Region’s Big Bear Lake mountain region is peppered with changing oaks, aspens and cottonwoods. The ground is covered with rust-colored ferns and the Big Bear Village is brilliant with vibrant red maples. Popular spots for viewing include Mill Creek Road, Pine Knot Trail and Castle Rock Trail.

In the Gold Country Region, many motorists make the historic gold rush towns of Grass Valley and Nevada City their home base when exploring the colorful forests of the foothills along the Yuba-Donner Scenic Byway, a 130-mile looped route through the Sierra Nevada. For day trips, the Foresthill Divide, off Interstate 80, is ideal, particularly Mosquito Ridge Road toward French Meadows. The winding road also affords fantastic views into the Middle Fork American River Canyon. In Calaveras County, hikers, bikers and motorists enjoy the changing oaks and aspens along with the hundreds of acres of ripe wine grapes gracing heavily laden gondolas. In this area, the Ebbetts Pass National Scenic Byway is one of the most beautiful stretches of road. 

In Northern California, State Highway 299, part of the North Coast Region, between Arcata and Willow Creek offers a natural fireworks display as pockets of maple trees ignite into bright yellows, sharply contrasting the evergreen forests around them. The area’s mountains are thick with redwoods and Douglas Firs. In Southern Humboldt County, the Avenue of the Giants, a 30-mile stretch of historic Highway 101, is worthwhile to see the largest single stand of old growth redwoods in the world, and in the autumn the maple trees that line the Eel River add an unexpected burst of color.

In St. Helena, located in the San Francisco Bay Area Region, travelers and local residents escape to the back roads off Highway 128 near Lake Hennessey to explore the autumn colors by bike. Some take to the water as sailing and canoeing are permitted on this reservoir. Those traveling to Napa Valley wineries will enjoy the connecting road from Chiles and Pope Valley, where some of the state’s oldest oak trees can be found. Grapes aren’t just in your glass in Calistoga, where fall ambience is found in the changing grapevines along the natural hillside vistas best viewed by a morning hot air balloon ride. The San Mateo County coastline is alive with color as yellow sunflowers and vibrant orange pumpkins create a stunning visual effect.

In Gilroy, part of the Central Coast Region, travelers turn east toward Redwood Retreat Road off Highway 152 to tour this picturesque fall route by horseback or even dirt bike. Just north of Santa Barbara, fall foliage surrounds El Capitan Creek, which meanders between groves of oak and sycamore trees. The grapevines are also changing in this region as more than 70 wineries in the Santa Ynez Valley begin their harvest. 

In the Orange County Region, head to Caspers Wilderness Park in San Juan Capistrano, O’Neill Regional Park (RP) in Trabuco Canyon, or Santiago Oaks RP in Orange to view an array of yellows displayed by the native California sycamore trees. During the late fall, the liquid ambers’ leaves turn gold, yellow and red at Craig RP, Irvine RP and Mile Square RP.

Fall foliage in the desert means something unusual. In fact, it’s a lawn phenomenon. In Palm Springs, part of the Desert Region, the Bermuda grass goes dormant in the fall and Winter Rye takes its place. It usually happens in late September or early October as area golf courses perform an annual ritual, known to locals as the “scalping of the lawns.” Lawn mower blades are lowered and the grass is cut to the ground. A few days of no watering followed by the sprinkling of Winter Rye grass seeds and the resetting of sprinklers results in new grass that turns into Palm Springs’ signature lush grounds. For stunning mountain views of the region and plenty of activities, visitors should head to Borrego Valley and the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Fall foliage in the Central Valley Region means one thing, citrus – oranges in particular. Every January through November, Fresno offers the Fresno County Citrus and Fall Foliage Trail, where, on a self-guided tour, visitors can explore agricultural splendor and lush orange groves. There are also numerous hometown events throughout the area.

In Los Angeles the Urban Garden, located at the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall and part of the Los Angeles County Region, offers spectacular blooming trees. The one-acre community garden is home to the Chinese Pistache, a 15-ton Delftware, rose-shaped fountain and perennials. Visitors can take to the garden’s path to stroll through the brilliantly colored trees and flowers.

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