Fabulous Fall Colors

Arizona Office of Tourism

Arizona boasts towering saguaros, awe-inspiring canyons, and bustling city life; but come late September and early October, our state becomes a fantastic fall destination, complete with trees painted by the brush of fall colors.

In Flagstaff, a best bet for spotting yellow and gold aspen is near the Arizona Snowbowl ski area. Enjoy the colors from the ski area's chairlift ride. The Arboretum at Flagstaff is a good place to view the auburn hues of sumac and bigtooth maple trees and the golden tones of willow trees. Visitors are also rewarded with the reddish-orange shades of the currant bush and the brilliant red display of Virginia creeper.

In Arizona's White Mountains, reds, oranges, and yellows peak in mid-October. The small communities of Greer and Alpine afford great viewing.

At the north edge of Payson, color hunters should take State Highway 87 to Houston Mesa Road or take State Highway 260 northeast toward Kohl's Ranch or Whispering Pines. For views from atop the Mogollon Rim, take State Highway 87 beyond Pine and Strawberry to the General Crook Trail, which is now paved State Highway 260.

Sedona's Oak Creek Canyon along highway 89A north of town offers especially scenic fall colors with the rainbow of rusts and golds worn by the oak, sycamore, and aspen trees. The pink color of sugar maples also is found in the red-rock region.

Not far from Tucson, Madera Canyon, the village of Summerhaven, and Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains usually provide their fall color displays in early October. Around the same time, changes are also found in the Patagonia area (Mount Wrightson, for instance), south on State Highway 83 off Interstate 10.

In the Chiricahua Mountains (located about 120 miles east of Tucson), autumn leaf hunters will usually catch oak, ash, maple, and aspen changing in early October. It's also a good place to search for the vermilion of Virginia creepers. The area's canyons—Miller, Ramsey, and Carr—are also good spots to glimpse crimson.

To receive a free packet of Arizona travel information, call the Arizona Office of tourism toll-free at 1-866-298-3312 or visit www.arizonaguide.com.