thomasm650 Loc: SF Bay Area

I am planning to drive along the Eastern Sierras this fall and would like some recommendations:
a) What is best month(s) for Fall color?
b) Good photo site locations?
c) Tent camping sites?

I'll be traveling alone, and planning my stay from Sunday to Friday before heading home. I believe I am pretty well equipped with camera gear, and 4WD pickup, but I welcome any additional recommendations or experiences you wish to share.
Thanks.
Tom

Fred Harwood Loc: Sheffield, Mass.

Mono Lake comes to mind... And Tahoe. Not sure how much aspen exists on the east side. Time might be mid to late September?

Fred Harwood Loc: Sheffield, Mass.

Also, try this: https://naturalhistorywanderings.com/fall-foliage/california-fall-foliage-reports-and-locations/

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

Where are you starting from and where are you ending up at? S-

ShotHotspot http://www.shothotspot.com
The Photographer's Ephemeris http://photoephemeris.com
things to do on the 395 https://www.google.com/#q=things+to+do+on+the+395
GasBuddy https://www.gasbuddy.com

I usually blow through it at night, but here are some spots I like along the 395 heading North
- Red Rock Canyon State Park (pretty, but brutally hot this time of year)
- Fossil Falls Scenic Area (it's non-descript, but worth the side-trip) on the Right
- Statues of Highway 395 (odd enough to make them worth stopping for) on the Left
- Cottonwood Charcoal Kilns (they are gated and hard to photograph) on the Right
- Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center (a great place to stop and get your bearings)
- Lone Pine Film Museum (I haven't done it, but it looks nice enough) on your Left
- Alabama Hills Recreation Area (this is a hidden gem and I can give more detail if you like) on your Left (Camping)
-- It's 4.4 miles from Lone Pine to The Mobius Arch Loop Trailhead where I typically stop to watch the Milky Way rise over Mount Whitney before heading up to the Whitney Portal in preparation to climb The Mountain. This is where a lot of Westerns were filmed and there's First Come First Server Camping where-ever you want. There's no water, or other facilities, but you're less than 5 miles from town and it's a treat if you've never been!
- Whitney Portal (this is a hidden oasis 11 miles from town. It's a picturesque place, a great place to cool off, and there's an amazing diner there too! If you're into landscapes Mount Whitney is the highest in the contiguous United States at 14,508 feet and is easy to photograph starting at the Whitney Portal signpost. I like to shoot it though The Mobius Arch, but most people confuse it with the triangular one just left of it.)
- Manzanar Internment Camp (I haven't been but always meant to)
- Fort Independence Travel Plaza (a great place to get gas) on your Left
- Ancient Bristlecone Forest (this is an amazing side-trip, but should be planned ahead of time) on your Right (Camping)
- Bishop Creek (especially if the trees are turning) on your Left
- Convict Lake (at Sunrise from the nearest shore is amazing! Can't recommend it enough, but only at Sunrise) on your Left (Camping)
- Mammoth Lakes and Devils Postpile National Monument (stop at the Ranger Station and ask all there is to do!) on your Left (Camping)
- Mono Lake (a must, and better in the early morning or late evening) on your Right
- Tioga Pass towards Yosemite (another amazing side-trip you can do in a day, or take a week) on your Left (Camping)
- Bodie (once again another amazing side-trip, but a full day if you're shooting it) on your Right (Camping)

That's about as far as I've been that makes any sense to you although I've been to Lassen, but it was a long while back.

One last thought, is to check the Moon phases and see where the Milky Way is as the Alabama Hills, Mono Lake, Tioga Pass, Bodie, and so many more almost beg to show you the stars and this coming week should be spectacular! I use Stellarium http://www.stellarium.org to get an idea of when and where.

I'm going to try to hike the JMT later this week, but if I can offer any other help before then please feel free to ask! S-

Photocraig

If you're planning on a drive from Reno South to, say Bishop, here are my must see's.

Virginia Lakes, above Bridgeport.
The Bishop 'loop" around the lakes.
Galen Rowell's museum, gallery in Bishop.
Mono Lake, Bodie, and a quick trip up to Tuolomne Meadows--just a few miles above US 395 inside Yosemite. Plenty to see in the Yosemite High Country from there.
Walker Lake is civilized but has a good resort with gas, cold beer and good food--same for Bridgeport and Bishop.

Most of the color is Aspen gold. Some of the best is seen between Carson City and Lake Tahoe. A great respite is Sorensen's in The Hope Valley in Alpine County. Great hiking, small crowds and fabulous color. It is on the way.
Lake Tahoe is spectacular, drive around the West Shore and return to Reno (if that's what you're doing) via Mt. Rose Highway, rising out of Incline Village, NV and cross the nearly 10,000 All Weather pass.

Because of the variation in elevtion from 4500 feet to 10,000 feet, you'll catch Aspen color in several places on the trip and it will be spectacular. As well as the different colors of teh ground vegetation and grasses.

Remember:
Sunscreen
A Good Hat
Long Sleeves and a sweater because it gets cold at night.
A Polarizing filter
and WATER!!! And drink it!

Have a great trip/
Any time after Labor Day will be fine.

Other attractions include:
The Balloon Races, National Championship Air Races (a unique event), and the Best In The West, Nugget Rib Cook Off. Check it out at Reno.com.

thomasm650 Loc: SF Bay Area

Where are you starting from and where are you ending up at? S

Great list! And thanks for the references. I will likely be coming out of Yosemite via 120. My wife and I did this road trip 2 years ago, and stayed in Mammoth Lakes. Took day trips to Bodie, Mono Lake, and Devil's Post Pile. I would like to hike Mt Whitney a part of this trip. I would rather spend more time in a few places rather than short time in many places.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

You're welcome of course and I'll give the obligatory wave while I'm up there!

Photocraig has some amazing places for you, and be sure to look at the links here https://www.google.com/#q=things+to+do+on+the+395 too!

Whitney is a marathon that I'll do with you if you like, but you need a Wilderness Permit and their serious about it this year. You could try to get one at the Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center the day before, but this is the most popular time of year so I think I'd stick to the rest of the list.

It should be a great trip, but hot so like was said drink more water than you think you need! S-

Preachdude Loc: Geneva, OH

I lived in Yosemite three years and I've been photographing Yosemite and the Sierras since 1953 as a child. The fall colors come out with the first hard freeze of the season, and they're in full bloom within ten days after that first hard freeze. I've rarely seen the bloom of fall colors as early as late September and as late as the first week of December. Most often, it is between late October and early November.

For photograph destinations, if you go as far south as Lone Pine, you have to drive west to the base of Mt. Whitney or part way up the trail to get really good photo ops. Convict Lake is interesting and has some decent possibilities. The desert hot springs near there are an interesting variation. A little bit further north, the Mammouth Mountain and Mammouth Lakes areas are excellent for both landscape and wildlife photography. If you're a bit more adventurous, go to Devil's Postpile, though it is fairly time-consuming. I can take or leave the earthquake fault. A little further north is the turnoff for Route 120 into Yosemite. That road is amazing and the views are spectacular though at times a bit scary. Any further north, and you get to Mono Lake, which is not mountainous but desert. Beyond that is Lake Tahoe. Have fun! The Eastern Sierras have great possibilities!

thomasm650 Loc: SF Bay Area

Planning a week in middle of October. Thanks for the suggestions.

Kingman

Bodie will inspire you from sunrise to sunset.

Ralloh Loc: Ohio

As a teen, I did a lot of back packing into the eastern Sierras. One of my favorite trails ran up Magee Creek which flows into Lake Crowley. Basically find any road, paved or dirt, heading into the mountains and follow it. The photo ops are endless. Of course that was 50 years ago so don't know how things might have changed.

Bear2 Loc: Southeast,, MI

Also the June Lake loop offers some great photo ops.

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

I grew up in the Mojave a few miles east of the Sierras. There are many things to see in the many canyons accessible from 395. Beginning in the South, there is Redrock canyon, then a bit further north there is a road heading west to lake Isabella. Around Lone Pine, further north there are other canyons to visit and to the east is a road to Death Valley. Also from Lone Pine you can climb Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the continguous States. It is an easy climb and you can drive most of the way on a good road. Further North is Bishop, and a road to the east will take you up a precarious road into the White Mountains into the Bristlecone Pine Forest, where you will see the oldest living things on Earth. A few miles further is Mono lake, and all around it are volcanic cones with piles of Obsidian, To the West are a series of beautiful Lakes formed by glaciers. And in the vicinity are small glaciers you can visit. You ought to make a quick study of the geology of the Sierras because it will increase your enjoyment of your discoveries.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

Mount Whitney or the road to it? S-

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

You can leave your wheels at Whitney portals and take a hike to the summit. It is an easy climb on a well marked trail. Got to have good cardio-pulmonary function though because the altitude is over 14,000ft. But even if you don't get to the top, the photo ops are awesome and you can quit any time you like.