Fall foliage in Arizona

Elevation sets the order in Arizona. Aspen on the San Francisco Peaks above Flagstaff, at Lockett Meadow and the Snowbowl, turns in the first days of October, with the White Mountains and the Kaibab Plateau close behind. The change then steps down the Mogollon Rim into the canyons, where cottonwood and sycamore along Oak Creek and the Verde River turn gold through the last days of October. From the peaks to the creek bottoms the spread is close to a month.

Those are the months when color is present somewhere in Arizona, from its highest ground to its lowest. Any one location changes over a much shorter period than that.

Why the timing shifts from year to year

Shortening days start the process, so most places in Arizona change at close to their usual time each year. Within the state, elevation and latitude account for most of the difference: higher and more northern ground generally changes first, and lower, sheltered ground last. Weather has more effect on how strong the color is than on when it appears. Cool nights and sunny days favor the reds, a dry summer mutes them, and a hard freeze or a windstorm can strip a slope in a day. What determines the timing goes through this in detail.

Nearby states

Fall color does not follow state lines. Arizona borders:

• California fall foliage
• Nevada fall foliage
• New Mexico fall foliage
• Utah fall foliage

Timing for a specific place

This page describes a whole state, which is about as precise as a season can be described in words. Conditions at one overlook on one weekend are a narrower question, and that is the one Fallcast answers: an expected period of color for a specific location, with a confidence attached, updated through the season as the trees change. It is coming to iPhone this fall.

Questions, or somewhere in Arizona you would like covered? Write to fallcastapp@gmail.com.