Early fall color at Lost Maples Natural Area
In the past week, I’ve had the pleasure of embarking on two lovely adventures specifically aimed at photographing the stunning fall colors. First, I traveled to the enchanting East Texas region to capture the serene beauty of the Cypress swamp, where vibrant hues of orange, yellow, and red reflected beautifully in the still water. This week, I had the opportunity to explore the picturesque hill country of Southwest Texas at Lost Maples Natural Reserve, where the diverse foliage painted a breathtaking landscape that was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Who knew Texas could be so incredibly beautiful?
Spooky alcove in the cypress swamp from last week’s adventure.
It was somewhat surprising to me when the park ranger at Lost Maples mentioned that I was a little early for peak color this year. In the places where I’ve experienced fall colors before, specifically the eastern Sierra of California and Colorado, the vibrant hues have typically faded by now, falling into late November. He explained that due to this year’s weather patterns, it’s been unusually warm, and they haven’t had sufficiently cold nights to trigger the leaf change process properly. Interestingly, I was there just two nights ago, and we recorded the lowest temperature yet, which dipped down to 38 degrees. This should be enough to begin the change and initiate the stunning transformations I was looking forward to witnessing.
Even though I arrived a bit early for the peak color season, there was still an abundance of breathtaking beauty to be discovered during my hikes at Lost Maples. The vibrant hues of the foliage, although not at their most vivid, still created a stunning backdrop that enhanced the natural splendor of the area.
If you don’t mind, I’d also like to offer a shameless plus for my 2025 calendar, now available. It includes my favorite photos from epic locations I’ve captured in the past year!
Lost Maples Gallery
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Scrambling off the paved trail at Olmsted Point revealed a stunning, elevated view of Tenaya Lake framed by Yosemite's iconic granite domes. Click to read the full story and photography details!