{"id":2552,"date":"2013-06-27T21:15:06","date_gmt":"2013-06-27T21:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.backroadswest.com\/blog\/titus-canyon-road-trip-copy\/"},"modified":"2022-09-14T04:32:20","modified_gmt":"2022-09-14T04:32:20","slug":"fall-colors-utah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.backroadswest.com\/blog\/fall-colors-utah\/","title":{"rendered":"Fall Colors in Southern Utah"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Some of the best fall colors can be found in Southern Utah<\/strong>. When people think of where to go to see the fall colors, they often think about visiting the states of New England or eastern Canada. But if you don\u2019t have the time or budget to travel that far, then there is an alternate place to go and that place is Southern Utah.<\/p>

Utah may not have the brilliant orange and red maple leaves like Canada but it does have something that New England or Canada doesn\u2019t \u2013 lots of cottonwood trees \u2013 more than we have in Southern California. And, because Utah\u2019s cottonwoods get more water than ours, their fall colors tend to be brighter. Utah also has large stands of aspen trees that produce brilliant displays of yellow in the fall.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Plan Your Trip<\/h3>

When planning a trip to see Utah\u2019s fall colors, there is one important thing to keep in mind. Different trees change colors at different times, places and altitudes. And those changes typically happen soon after the first snap of cold weather. For instance, aspen trees are found at altitudes above 7,000 feet so it gets colder there sooner in the season, typically in mid to late September. On the other hand, Utah\u2019s cottonwoods grow at altitudes of 4,000 to 6,000 feet so the cold air reaches them later in the season, typically mid October to early November. This can make it tricky to schedule a trip if you want to see both types of trees wearing their fall colors. We think that going the last week of September and\/or first week of October is your best bet.<\/p>

Getting to Southern Utah is easy.\u00a0 Much of the areas we mention are quickly accessed from the I-15 Freeway.\u00a0 Coming from California, taking I-15 would be a 4-6 hour drive.\u00a0 From Las Vegas, it’s only a 2-3 hour drive.\u00a0 If you are looking to fly in, either fly into Las Vegas or St. George.\u00a0 From St. George, many places we mention are only 1-2 hours away.<\/p>

Watch The Weather<\/h3>

If your schedule is flexible and you can take off on short notice, then we suggest paying attention to the weather in Southern Utah and watch for days when the overnight lows drop below 32 degrees (freezing). That would be your clue to leave for your trip in the next few days. The best way to monitor for those low temperatures is by using the ten-day forecast predictions at the Weather.com website. Search for Utah towns such as Duck Creek Village (highest), Panguitch (next highest), Escalante and Springdale (lowest).<\/p>

When planning your trip, it\u2019s important to know where to go to have the best chance at seeing the fall colors and during which weeks. We\u2019ll do our best to reveal both to you in this article and our accompanying YouTube virtual video tour. We\u2019ll also include a Google map showing details of where to find stands of trees that turn colors.<\/p>

Aspen Trees<\/h3>

As mentioned, the first trees to start the show in Utah are the aspens. These are the same aspen trees that are famous in Colorado and they change color at about the same time. Stands of aspens can be found in the mountains between Cedar City and Panguitch and near the towns of Brianhead and Duck Creek Village. We discovered a large stands of aspens north of the town of Escalante, along a scenic road named Hell\u2019s Backbone Road, and along Hwy 12 between Boulder and Capital Reef National Park, north of Escalante.<\/p>

More…<\/p>

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Pictures<\/h3>

Below are some pictures of what you will see along the way.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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