This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As fall approaches and nature paints mountains and canyons in hues of red, orange and gold, getting outdoors to enjoy the show is almost mandatory in Utah.
Whether you plan to take a hike, enjoy a canyon drive, go picnicking or play golf at a canyon course such as Mountain Dell, Wasatch Mountain or Hobble Creek, autumn ranks among the best times of the year to be outdoors.
Fall colors usually are best in Utah from mid-September through early October, with leaves in northern Utah changing first. In fact, indications are that the season might be starting even earlier than normal.
According to Kathy Jo Pollock, of the U.S. Forest Service, the maples and aspens have already began to turn at lower elevations along Mirror Lake Highway.
She said the fall shows are also beginning near Cascade Springs and on the Alpine Loop east of Utah County and in Sardine Canyon near Logan.
"They usually begin changing in the middle of September, but are starting a little early this year," she said.
One of the best places to view the fall colors and learn more about the different types of foliage and plant processes is Red Butte Garden, located east of the University of Utah.
Red Butte, which serves as Utah's state botanical garden and arboretum, offers almost 4 miles of hiking trails.
Naturalists there suggest taking a stroll down Floral Walk, which wends underneath a fiery tunnel of orange, yellow and red serviceberry and pear trees. Smokebrushes in the Rose Garden add to the color. The Natural Area offers views of bigtooth maples and scrub oaks.
Red Butte Garden is open from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. until Sept. 30. It closes at 5 p.m. from Oct. 1 through March 31. Admission is $10 for adults; $8 for seniors 65 and over, military and University of Utah faculty and staff; $6 for children 3 to 17; and free for kids under 3. For information, log on to http://www.redbuttegarden.org or call 801-585-0556.
Because of the popularity of golf in the fall, especially at canyon courses, getting a tee time is a good idea, especially on weekends.
State courses such as Wasatch Mountain, Soldier Hollow and Palisade are especially popular this time of year. So are city courses such as Birch Creek in Smithfield, The Hideaway in Monticello, Mountain Dell in Parleys Canyon, Hobble Creek near Springville, Spanish Oaks at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon, the privately owned Sherwood Hills in Sardine Canyon, or Bear Lake near Laketown, to name just a few.
Twitter: @tribtomwharton 1. Sardine Canyon/Logan Canyon • Start in Brigham City and drive U.S. 89 to Logan through Sardine Canyon. After driving through downtown Logan, take U.S. 89 up Logan Canyon to Bear Lake.
2. Ogden Canyon/Monte Cristo • Drive Utah 89 east from Ogden past Pineview Reservoir to Woodruff.
3. Big and Little Cottonwood and Mill Creek Canyons • These close-to-home Salt Lake favorites feature places to camp, dine or picnic.
4. Alpine Loop • This narrow 24-mile road connects American Fork and Provo canyons. Consider taking a side road to Cascade Springs.
5. Nebo Loop • This National Scenic Byway connects Payson with Utah Highway 132, just east of Nephi, and offers great views of the east-facing side of Mt. Nebo.
6. Brian Head/Panguitch Lake/Cedar Breaks • Access this area by driving east from Parowan or Cedar City or west from Panguitch or Long Valley Junction. The rocks at Cedar Breaks are as colorful as the leaves.
7. Beaver Canyon • Located east of the town of Beaver, this pretty canyon offers great views of the Tushar Mountains. Consider driving down the other side of the canyon to Junction.
8. Skyline Drive • This high-elevation road requires 4-wheel drive in places. It is 87 miles long, connecting Spanish Fork Canyon and U.S. 6 with I-70 east of Salina, but can be accessed in a number of places from Sanpete or Emery Counties.
9. Thousand Lake Mountain • Though there are actually few lakes on this mountain, the 37-mile Utah Highway 72 that connects Utah 24 with Interstate 70 offers some stunning fall scenery.
10. Mirror Lake Highway • Because of its high elevation, Highway 150 between Kamas and Evanston, Wyo., is often among the first places where leaves begin to turn. —
Why do leaves change colors?
The timing of color changes and the onset of falling leaves is primarily regulated by the calendar as nights become longer. None of the other environmental influences such as temperature, rainfall, and food supply are as unvarying as the steadily increasing length of night during autumn. As nights grow longer and cooler, biochemical processes in the leaf begin to pain the landscape with Nature's autumn palette.
Source: U.S. Forest Service —
U.S. Forest Service autumn leaf hotline
Call 1-800-354-4595. Press #4 for Utah report.