Fall is the time where the air is crisp and you see plethora of colors in the trees with the leaves turning all shades of red, orange and yellow. It’s time for Pumpkins and start dressing in layers. The summer is winding down and there is still time for the chill of the winter. The best part of fall for me are the leaves changing color and I am always in search for nearby places to spot some great fall colors every year. California Fall Colors are really varied and you can spot many different variety of trees and I have listed where you can view them as well.
There are many places in California where you can spot fall colors mainly near the Eastern Sierra. If you are staying in Bay Area and want to see amazing fall colors near you, I have some great options listed for you. All these places are in Bay Area and in Northern California. I will add some bonus recommendations at the end of this post for the best fall colors in California, if you want to travel there.
In Northern California there are some places like gardens, vineyards and towns where you can spot fall colors. I will list some options here
Table of Contents
Gardens
- San Fransisco Botanical Garden – It has golden ginko trees to dog woods that change to purple red tones.
- Japanese Tea Garden, San Fransisco – Japanese maples set against the backdrop of pagodas and zen garden is just a great place to spend your afternoon.
- Tilden Park, Berkeley – The botanical garden has cottonwood and dogwood trees which looks so stunning with the yellow and red colored leaves.
4. Rancho San Antonio Reserve – The above pictures are taken here when we went for a hike. On the path leading up to the reserve you can see yellow colored leaves on both sides. You can see maples, oaks and flowering persimmons here. You can get more details about the reserve here.
5. Filoli Gardens – Along with color changing leaves there are some fall events which take place here you can enjoy. They are having Orchard days every weekend, Sept 25 – Oct 31, 2021. You can check their list of events here.
Towns
There are also many Bay Area towns that have streets lined with trees that change color. We just drove around some areas and came upon so many trees with colorful leaves. You can drive around the towns of Danville, Palo Alto, Campbell, Saratoga. Below you can see some fall colors in the towns. We were in search of fall colors last year (2020) areas close to us. Due to Covid we could’t go out so we explore the neighboring cities and we were surprised with the vibrant fall colors in the residential areas.
Wine Country
If you drive up to Wine country you can definitely spot the vineyards turning all different shades. You can visit a Winery and along with wine tasting see the awesome scenery in front of you with the vines turning red, orange. It gives a very different look in the fall and looks so pretty. You can go to Napa valley and Sonoma and along with vineyards you can see the tree leaves change color too. It looks so charming if you come across old buildings with vine covered walls.
In Bothe Napa Valley State park you can hike through it and see the Douglas fir, tan-oak and madrone tree leaves change colors. Anderson Valley and Dry Creek regions are great places to spot the vine change colors.
Best spots in California for Fall Colors
Now if you want to see fall colors like in New England, you may want to drive up to the Sierras. I will list some places which are popular in California for the stunning fall colors.
- Yosemite National Park – Tioga pass area
- Mono County – June lake loop, Convict lake. Check my Mammoth lake blog for more details on these spots.
- Bishop creek canyon – Lake Sabrina, North Lake, and South Lake
- Lake Tahoe – Fallen Leaf Lake, Marlette Lake, Hope Valley
Do share with us what is your favorite spot to catch fall foliage.
Best Fall Colors in California Map
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