Ok, maybe I don’t live in Arizona anymore, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t spend enough time there to figure out the best places to get even just a little taste of fall. What can I say? I love fall just as much as any other girl.
Spending most of my life on the Southern West Coast, it’s easy to say I’m a bit fall deprived. Between Southern Arizona and Southern California, it doesn’t leave much season change for those beautiful fall colors. Living in Reno, Nevada had it’s potential, but the season seems to change from summer to winter so quickly that the leaves fall from the trees before they get a chance to change color. In fact, I didn’t even really get the hype around fall until I started traveling other places with gorgeous seasons.
So if you’re in Arizona – here are the best places to visit for some beautiful fall foliage.
Arizona Snowbowl
One of the places I’ve frequented in the fall is the Golden Aspens in Flagstaff. As far as fall foliage in Arizona goes, this one is a classic. The leaves of these Aspens in Coconino National Forest turn a gorgeous yellow in the fall. The best time of the year to visit is late September through October with the peak time being early October.
To get there:
You can see the Golden Aspens by driving up to Arizona Snowbowl. It’s about 7 miles North of Flagstaff on US 180 and then another 7 miles along Snowbowl road. Snowbowl Road is often lined with these yellow Aspens but once you get to the parking lot, you can park and hike to additional views or stay there and walk around.
It’s a pretty popular location in the fall for photoshoots, so I’d be prepared to get there early to make sure you can get parking!
Mount Lemmon
Mount Lemmon was one of my favorite places to visit in Tucson when I was there for college! It’s such a quick drive up from downtown and has super easy lookout points if you don’t want to hike.
To get there:
Mount Lemmon is about 45 miles Northeast of Tucson. Start on Tanque Verde and turn onto Catalina Highway. Honestly – just go as far as you’d like! There are a ton of lookout points, camping spots, and picnic spots along Catalina Highway.
If you go far enough, you’ll get to few small businesses – I highly recommend stopping at the Cookie Cabin!
Oak Creek Canyon
Oak Creek Canyon might be my favorite fall spot in Arizona. I only went once while I lived there but it was absolutely breathtaking and I’d go again in a heartbeat. It’s close to Sedona, where I used to visit frequently. In the summer, this is a great place to hike and swim too!
To get there:
Drive south from Flagstaff on AZ 89A 14 miles to Oak Creek Canyon Vista and then 13 miles more to Sedona. Turn east 11 miles on AZ 179 to I-17 and then 40 miles back to Flagstaff.
You may want a high-clearance vehicle for this trip! It’s recommended by the US Forest Service!
If you’re interested more in Sedona, check out these posts!
Devil’s Bridge: Sedona’s Iconic Hike
If you’ve been to any of these places, let me know which is your favorite!
