In a previous blog post, Professional Photographer Patrick Wilkes and hiker Tom Flack shared photos showing the progress of the fall foliage at Spooner Lake – Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park on October 14, 2022.
Based on the photos you’ll see here in this new post, what a difference a day makes! Phil Farrell took these photos on Saturday, October 15, 2022. They show the trees have taken on even more dramatic coloring since Patrick was there less than 24 hours before.
Phil took a more rambling route than many other hikers. He started at the Spooner Lake Trailhead, went up canyon on the Marlette Lake Trail on the slopes of the west side of the canyon and then crossed over to the fire road at the head.
From there he went up the Snow Valley Peak jeep trail for about ¼ mile to look out over the whole canyon then returned on the fire road that mostly runs on the east side of the canyon, near the creek—about an eight-mile hike all together.
Phil describes the color as “Near Peak,” but found a lot of aspen groves that were still fully green. “A lot of orange and red leaves this year compared to our hikes here in previous years,” Phil says.
Phil believes peak color will occur this weekend (October 22 – 23). However, the bad news is that Saturday there’s rain, snow, and wind in the forecast, which could cause the trees to lose their leaves. We recommend you take Phil’s advice. He says, “There is so much color already, go now!”
Spooner Lake State Park Fall Color Report
October 15, 2022
Spooner Lake – Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park: Near Peak (70%)
