The Bigleaf Maple, a Deciduous Delight

This morning I took to wandering into The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park and trekked down to the edge of Aptos Creek to take in the water burbling past.  Looking up from the creek bed into the primarily-evergreen forest canopy brought streams of sunlit fog and glowing yellow leaves of the Bigleaf Maple, or Acer Macrophyllum, into vision.  I took to the rocks amid the creek and found a place to sit on one of the larger boulders to sit under one of these deciduous delights and take in the scene for a while. 

Bigleaf Maple along Aptos Creek

While most of the trees in the coastal mountains keep their thick canopy of greens throughout the winter season, the Bigleaf Maple gives us a nice touch of fall time through October and into early December when the winter winds will have blown all but the most stubborn of their giant leaves down to the forest floor.  There they will form a fluffy layer of tan leaves for a few weeks before decomposing into the forest floor.  Keep an eye on them as they turn to dirt.  The lace-like patterns can be quite beautiful to take in!

BIgleaf Maple above Maple Falls in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. Aptos, CA

The big yellow leaves are easy to make out even amongst the dense canopy, but they don’t only stand out in color!  These trees truly live up to their name - boasting leaves up to 12 inches wide⁽¹⁾.  No other tree’s leaf in the area comes in anywhere near as large. 

If you’re looking to spend some time under the changing leaves of a Bigleaf Maple you’ll need to find yourself in a coastal and or mountainous region of Northern California, Oregon, Washington, or British Columbia⁽²⁾.  From there, wander down to where the soil is damp.  Creeks and rivers are an easy indicator they might be nearby.  

Range map of Bigleaf Maple. Credit USGS (3)

What are your favorite trees to sit underneath in the fall time? 

Do you have any favorite maples near you?

For more resources on the bigleaf maple check out my sources below.  You can also check out where people have been identifying bigleaf maples near you on inaturalist.org:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_id=48227 

1. Sonya Daw. Bigleaf Maple. US National Park Service. April 2021 https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/bigleaf-maple.htm

2. Acer macrophyllum Pursh.  USDA Plants Database Plant Profile.  November 2025. https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/plant-profile/ACMA3

3. Bigleaf Maple Range Map. USGS. https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/acemac/map.jpg