Compared to New England or the Midwest or Colorado, the Southwest may not get a lot of fanfare when it comes to fall colors, but we have our highlights — you just have to know when and where to look.
For example, in Sedona the leaves are currently turning in Oak Creek Canyon, and by the time Thanksgiving rolls around we’ll likely see yellow in the trees at the base of Cathedral Rock, like in this photo I took last November — which happens to be featured in my Arizona 2025 Calendar. These Fremont Cottonwoods really do put on show!
And you should know, autumn is happening all over the region right now too! In fact, my friend Bret Edge just shared some fall imagery from in his “backyard” of Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. November is also prime time for color along the North Fork of the Virgin River in Zion National Park.
But those are just examples of well-known, iconic places to catch the colors. For those willing to get off the beaten path, there are hundreds — perhaps thousands — of canyons in the Southwest showing off for autumn as I write this. My current phase of dad life keeps my mostly out of the hardcore canyon exploration game, but someday I’ll get back at it. In the meantime, I’ll be sure to share a few more fall canyon scenes in this space in the coming weeks.
That’s your daily dose. Peace.
-Jake
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