fall foliage

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Colors in my backyard

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One of the great ironies of landscape photography is how easy it is to overlook what's closest to home.

I've traveled thousands of miles to photograph autumn colors across the Continent, from New England's maples to Colorado's aspens and Washington's alpine larches. Yet in more than a decade, I'd never taken the time to explore the fall colors just beyond my doorstep.

This weekend was a reminder of what I'd been missing. What began as a gray, chilly morning unfolded into a stunning display of color. Hillsides glowed gold, evergreens stood in contrast to brilliant aspens, and every bend in the road revealed another palette of yellow, green, orange and red. From sweeping vistas to intimate details, the entire forest seemed determined to put on a show.


Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest

WA USA

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From Fall to Winter

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In the Cascades, autumn doesn't arrive on a set date—it descends from the peaks.

Long before lower valleys turn, September coats the high alpine brush in striking scarlets and ambers. Golden larches shine for a brief, glorious moment, and then—almost overnight—the first snow of the season dusts the upper slopes.

There is something profoundly special about this transitional period where late fall meets early winter around Mount Rainier and the North Cascades.

Washington, USA

The Cascading Larches

Often times, the larch march in early October in the Pacific Northwest has felt like a maddening rush to capture the best of the colors. And everyone seems to have the same idea, leading to overcrowding on trails and trailheads (one trailhead had cars parked for an entire mile along the road on both sides).

So this trip focused on a more remote location in the North Cascades National Park. While it was not the crowning glory of larch colors, the region still presented many unique larch perspectives for photography which I really enjoyed. And I could count the number of souls I met on the trail on 2 hands!

North Cascades National Park
WA USA

March of the Larches

Its already October. For many, that signifies the long march towards winter. Out here in the Pacific Northwest, it represents peak fall colors, savoring hot soups, drinking pumpkin-spice everything, and catching up on life. The first week, however, is perhaps well known for the golden colors displayed by the larches. 

Over the last several years, I have had the pleasant opportunity to explore many of the classic locations to view larches in the Cascades backcountry. And although I can't tell one larch in full gold from another larch, seeing the collective glow from a grove of larches is something else. Especially when backlit or sidelit against a dusting of fresh snow.

Here is my tribute to larches. Hope they shine gold forever.

Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest
WA USA

Falling to Winter

Time is the one true constant—an invisible current that carries us forward, whether we’re ready or not. It’s the most honest measure of what we value: the hours we devote to work, the moments we share with loved ones, the days we steal away to travel and explore. Yet once spent, time is irretrievable. And as we age, its pace seems to quicken, propelling us ever faster toward the inevitable horizon.

In this digital age, one of the greatest thieves of time is doom-scrolling. I’ve succumbed to it more often than I’d like to admit—a habit I wrestle with, especially as the world around me slips by in fleeting seasons. The spring wildflowers I wandered among feel like they bloomed just yesterday, their colors still vivid in my memory. Summer hikes and backpacking adventures seem only moments ago. The joy of autumn’s fiery foliage still lingers. And tomorrow, surely, will be winter. The cycle spins faster now, each turn of the wheel a blur.

Sometimes I long to return—to the wide-eyed wonder of my teens, the boundless optimism of my twenties, the memory-rich tapestry of my thirties. But time doesn’t rewind. All I can do is move forward, carried by its current, hoping to make each moment count before it too becomes a memory.

Oregon
USA

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

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