Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Fall is the season locals guard. The canyons above the Wasatch Front turn from green to gold and scarlet, usually peaking in the last week of September and the first week of October, and the crowds that fill the national parks in summer thin out just as the desert finally cools off.
It is the best time of year to hike in southern Utah: daytime highs in Zion, Capitol Reef and Moab drop back into the 60s and 70s, and the light goes long and orange by late afternoon. Up north, the first snow usually dusts the peaks by late October, and resorts start making snow in November.
What to do
- Drive the Alpine LoopSR-92 climbs out of American Fork Canyon past Mount Timpanogos and drops to Sundance and Provo Canyon. Go on a weekday morning at peak color; it closes for the winter, usually by late October or early November.
- Hike the Mighty 5 without the heatAngels Landing, Delicate Arch and the Fairyland Loop are all far more pleasant in October than July. Book lodging early; fall weekends still sell out.
- Pick apples and peachesFruit stands along the Fruit Way (US-89) north of Brigham City and around Santaquin and Payson sell peaches into September and apples into October.
- Drive the Nebo Loop and Logan CanyonThe Nebo Loop Scenic Byway from Payson to Nephi and US-89 through Logan Canyon to Bear Lake are the two other great fall drives.
- Walk the corn mazesUtah County farms and Thanksgiving Point in Lehi put on corn mazes, pumpkin patches and harvest nights through October.
Good to know
- Peak color in the high canyons is usually the last week of September; lower canyons and the valleys peak a week or two later.
- Mountain roads like the Alpine Loop, Guardsman Pass and the Mirror Lake Highway close for the winter, often by early November. Check UDOT before you go.
- Hunting seasons run through fall. Wear something bright on national forest trails.
- Mornings in the desert can be near freezing even when afternoons are warm. Pack layers.