As we head into fall, we're all gonna want to know where the best fall colors are and when they're happening. I found a very easy way to track just that so you're never left guessing, and you can plan ahead for your day trip!
We're so lucky in Northern California to have diverse terrain and climate, which play a huge role in when and where the leaves change color. Sacramento is typically one of the last places to change color, but by the time we've changed color here, many other spots in NorCal have already passed their peak fall color.
So here's how NOT to miss those fall peeping opportunities.
Google has a California Fall Color Map which reports colors all over Sacramento and surrounding cities. At the time I'm writing this, colors have not been reported anywhere. But, as the leaves change color, so will the digital maple leaves on the map.
When the leaf colors aren't reported, the digital leaves are a dark green color. They turn light green when our leaves are just starting to change color, yellow when colors are patchy, orange when they're near-peak (which means GO SEE THEM NOW!), red when they're FULL peak (also, GO SEE THEM NOW!), and then brown when the colors are past peak and you've completely missed the pretty colors.
Google's California Fall Color Map is updated on Fridays in Autumn, so you'll want to make sure you're checking weekly to make sure your trip to other parts of NorCal is worth it.
Access the map here.