Fall foliage in Nevada
Nevada’s color is scattered and mostly high, and elevation rather than latitude sets the order. Aspen in the Ruby Mountains and around Lamoille Canyon turns in the last week of September and the first week of October; the groves on Mount Charleston above Las Vegas follow in the second week; cottonwoods along the Truckee, Carson and Walker rivers close the season in late October.
- Color somewhere in the state
- September and October
- Trees
- aspen and cottonwood
- Region
- Southwest
Those are the months when color is present somewhere in Nevada, 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 Nevada 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. Nevada borders:
- Arizona fall foliage
- California fall foliage
- Idaho fall foliage
- Oregon 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 Nevada you would like covered? Write to fallcastapp@gmail.com.