Fall Colors

Fall colors are popping right now in northern Utah. I drove through several canyons last Saturday and really enjoyed seeing the brightly colored foliage. This is the perfect time of year to auto-tour our scenic byways and backways.

Dates for peak colors vary a bit around the state, depending on latitude and elevation. Here's a rough guide to the best viewing times:

Early October for the Logan area
Mid October for canyons near Salt Lake
Mid to late October for the Cedar City area
Late October and early November for Zion Park

Alpine Loop Drive
Several of our byways are renowned for beauty during the fall, and none more than the Alpine Loop. It is always a great drive, and is one of my favorites for autumn scenery. I enjoy seeing a variety of colors, and this drive offers a smorgasbord. In some spots you drive through a sea of golden aspen, some with orange-fringed leaves. You also pass bright red maple and yellow-red birch, and the brush along streams offers a rainbow of colors.

From the north, the Alpine Loop runs up American Fork Canyon and then loops around Mt Timpanogos, past Sundance Resort and down Provo Canyon. Scenery is spectacular on every leg. If you have time, hike up to Timpanogos Cave or to Stewart Falls, and enjoy the colors along the trail. (Timp Cave is open Fri-Sun through Oct 16. After that the cave closes for the winter, but hiking is still enjoyable in the area.)

Here are links to info on scenic byways that are particularly good for viewing fall colors

• Logan Canyon
• Mirror Lake
• Alpine Loop
• Nebo Loop
• Energy Loop
• Highway 12
• Capitol Reef
• Brian Head-Panguitch Lake
• Zion Park

Fall In Zion National Park
We are enjoying exceptionally nice, warm, dry fall weather. Daytime temperatures have been summer-like, but will now start to cool. With cooler temperatures, conditions become ideal for exploring the southern Utah red rock country.

The scenic drive up Zion Canyon is particularly beautiful in the fall, when the cottonwoods turn yellow and riverside brush colors up. The scenery can be stunning, with multicolored vegetation set against the red canyon walls.

The Zion area offers a variety of terrain, with options suitable for every season. When air temperatures are warm, I enjoy hiking the narrow slot canyons where you are shaded from the sun. Right now it is still warm enough to enjoy hiking the water-filled slots.

As temperatures cool, it is good to hike more open country, where sunlight feels nice on your skin. The Rim Trails on both sides of Zion Canyon and Angels Landing are great fall hikes. They are popular trails during summer, even though mid-day heat can feel oppressive. Now, with temperatures cooling, these areas are very pleasant.

Our other parks also offer great conditions this time of year. Fall is a particularly good season to hike in Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches national parks.

SUBSCRIBE / UNSUBSCRIBE / UPDATE

Join our free monthly newsletter, or send it to a friend