fall colors

The last of Fall

In the blink of an eye, autumn’s brilliance has faded into the mist of early winter. The Pacific Northwest, once draped in vibrant foliage and crisp air, now braces under atmospheric rivers and dwindling daylight.

As nature slows, so do we—retreating indoors to rest, reflect, and recalibrate. This seasonal shift invites a deeper pause: to acknowledge the personal transformations we've weathered, and the seismic shifts felt across our communities and country.

In these uncertain times, I’m leaning into the beauty that remains. The fiery hues of fall, like those captured here in the North Cascades, remind me that even fleeting moments can offer lasting comfort.

Here’s to finding light in memory, and strength in stillness.

Mt Baker Wilderness
WA USA

Silver Linings

Expectations: A crisp autumn weekend hiking through the Cascade Mountains, chasing golden larches and postcard-perfect vistas.

Reality: A fierce and unannounced winter storm barreled through the region, plunging temperatures into the low 20s and unleashing winds strong enough to flatten tents. The landscape was blanketed in a fresh inch of snow—beautiful, but brutal.

None of the forecasts hinted at the severity we encountered in the high country. The mild conditions at the trailhead gave no warning of what lay ahead. As we climbed, thick banks of clouds rolled in swiftly, unloading icy rain and snow across the peaks. We knew then: the night would be unforgiving.

By morning, the storm had passed. In its wake, it left behind a breathtaking scene—crisp air, golden larches dusted in snow, and light that danced across the ridges. A photographer’s dream, even if our fingers were numb.

North Cascades National Park
Washington, USA

Larch Madness

The mark of fall in the Pacific Northwest is undoubtedly the synchronized color show put on by the larches. 

As per the Washington Trails Association: Larches are a pot of gold in the fall hiking season as their flaming yellow needles turn the Cascade mountain landscape into something ethereal and otherworldly. The few short weeks when the larches’ needles turn golden—typically late September into early October—make them all the more precious to spot. It’s no wonder we call our annual search “Larch Madness.”

With Larch Madness hitting the mountains over the next couple of weeks, it is primetime for landscape and nature photographers seeking to capture landscapes with swathes of gold coat all over. And while I missed the prior years, I am excited to go this time and indulge in this spectacle of nature.

Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness
WA USA

Shades of Fall

Its officially fall in the Pacific Northwest. After a long spring where the average temperature slowly meanders up, and a blissful long summer where the mountains showcase all their splendor, the mercury drops in a matter of a few weeks in the mountains as the weather becomes wetter thanks to the storms from the Pacific. The vegetation responds to the changes in weather rather dramatically, as short brush in the high-alpine terrain turn to a scarlet red, while the larches in the drier reaches of the PNW switch to gold. And before long, they are replaced by a coat of white as winter sets in the mountains. All within a span of 4-6 weeks.

Naturally, it is one of the best times to be out there to capture this dramatic change in colors. Here are a few examples from the North Cascades range.

Mt Baker Wilderness

WA USA

Cloud strokes

While exploring the countryside of New England many years ago, I forced myself to really slow down and enjoy the scenery. Driving through the backroads and avoiding the high-speed turnpikes  proved fortuitous as I chanced upon this beautiful scene at a small rural pond. Its still waters mirrored the vibrant hues of a New England autumn, creating a breathtaking double image. In the sky above, wisps of clouds stretched across the canvas like artful brushstrokes, adding another layer of beauty to this serene scene. This was the epitome of tranquility, even though I was but a few minutes away from a fairly major town. It was a reminder of the simple beauty that surrounds us, even if we are sometimes not aware of it.

Mohawk Trail
MA USA

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Framed by Gold

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The showstealer for fall in the PNW northwest is undoubtedly the golden larches. That is probably why I try to squeeze one trip every calendar year. This year was the only exception. Between travel, work, and recovery from a knee surgery, backpacking to the higher slopes of the Cascades during the one weekend of peak color was just out of the question.

Thankfully I had plenty of archival content from prior years that I could utilize for my 2025 calendar, which I feel would be incomplete without a landscape featuring larches. This specific photo caught my eye due to the elegant framing provided by the backlit larches, which, in my opinion, is one of the best ways to capture fall foliage. See this large in my 2025 calendar, available for purchase at this link.

Okanogan National Forest
WA USA

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Last of the Fall

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Its the time of the year that I start working on the photography calendar. I have had plenty of adventures this year yielding many keepers, despite the fact that I was bedridden for about half the year. That said, I had to revisit the archives to get a bit of variety.

That opened up the choices quite a bit more, and I had to make many difficult decisions to keep some and discard others. This was one of those that I had to discard from the 2025 calendar. I still like the image for what it captures: a slice of the fall in the mountains in the North Cascades. Clumps of short blueberry add vibrant reds and oranges to the subalpine meadows in this fragile landscape dominated by glaciated mountain peaks. It lasts but for a very short time, but it leaves an impression like no other.

North Cascades National Park
WA USA

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Larch Madness

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I missed out the Larch Madness of 2024, for the reason that I was in a completely different continent at the peak of the larch season. Larch madness, so named for the precise and synchronous change of color by the Western larches, whose needles take on a amber hue as the temperatures start to dip in early October. Walking in a larch forest at this time is a surreal experience, with backlit trees exhibiting a golden hue. And since they grow in large clusters, the color is very pronounced both up close and from a distance.

This is one such larch grove at one of my favorite destinations for the larches. I happened to arrive at the right time to capture beautiful reflections at this golden lake in the eastern eaves of the Cascade range.

Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest
WA USA

Nature's Palette

This crisp fall day out in the Pacific Northwest showcases the best of nature's color palette: blue skies with the right amount of haze, a foreground of vibrant reds amidst lush green vegetation interspersed by the dark green of the conifers and the emerald blues of an alpine lake. The balmy temperatures and the receding scent of a misty morning proved to be the perfect antidote for a stressful week. And even though I was huffing and puffing my way up there, the airy views of the sublime PNW scenery more than made up for it.

North Cascades National Park
WA USA

Still Waters

As the kayak drifted slowly through the shallow waters of Cedar creek, I passed by baldcypress trees with their broad ribs and towering tupelo trees cradling the riverbank. The morning light of late fall lit up the faded yellows and orange of the swamp cottonwoods. The still waters of the creek created a sublime and moving reflection of the entire scene. The gentle chorus of songbirds as they were starting their morning flight echoed throughout the forest.

The everchanging pattern of colors, light and sound captured, in my mind, the essence of Congaree National Park, which preserves the last old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the United States. This scene from Cedar creek in the National Park is the featured image for November in my 2024 calendar available at this link.

Congaree National Park
SC USA