Fall foliage in Utah
Utah’s aspen turns from the highest ridges downward over about three weeks. Cedar Breaks, Bryce and Mount Nebo lead in the first week of October; the Wasatch canyons above Salt Lake and Provo, Little Cottonwood and Mount Timpanogos follow in the second week; the canyon mouths, Ogden and the bench communities finish toward the end of the month. Bigtooth maple on the lower canyon walls gives the Wasatch a red that is unusual in the West, and it peaks a week or so after the aspen above it.
- Color somewhere in the state
- October
- Trees
- aspen and bigtooth maple
- Region
- Rockies
Those are the months when color is present somewhere in Utah, 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 Utah 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. Utah borders:
- Arizona fall foliage
- Colorado fall foliage
- Idaho fall foliage
- Nevada fall foliage
- Wyoming 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 Utah you would like covered? Write to fallcastapp@gmail.com.