Utah’s reputation for outdoor beauty has drawn countless visitors to the state year after year in every season to enjoy dozens of national parks, camp sites, beautiful lakes, endless hikes, mountain biking opportunities, skiing, fishing, photography and all kinds of recreational adventures during any time of the year. Not surprisingly, fall is one of the favorite times of year for visitors and locals to Utah, with miles and miles of brilliant fall foliage covering the landscape in the mountains and valleys of Park City Utah and in various canyons and surrounding cities.
The best times of the season to catch the leaves in their full glory will vary slightly year to year depending on how quickly winter decides to make its first debut, but generally the leaves can be best enjoyed from mid to late September into early October. These couple of weeks when the colors are at their best don’t last very long, so be sure to be prepared and check out some of these prime places for viewing the fall leaves while they last:
Parley’s Canyon/Emigration Canyon
This popular route along the I-80 for 25 miles up through Emigration Canyon is sure to produce lots of scenic spots for pictures. Beginning near Utah’s own Hogle Zoo and “This Is the Place Heritage Park” the route continues upward east toward Park City where you can visit the area’s many beautiful resorts and see the leaves near the Olympic Park. Park City itself, being surrounded by mountains and the charm of a ski resort town has many perfect places to see the leaves. In Park City itself you can visit the Canyons Resort to see fall leaves or Deer Valley Resort and take a picnic, a camera or a hiking backpack to explore. Park City has many trails that are perfect for families who want to take a hike in the leaves together as well as hikes and trails for more advanced hikers and bikers.
Alpine Loop
The Alpine Loop is one of Utah’s most spectacular drives for viewing the fall foliage as it makes its way over 25 miles, including through Utah’s Uinta National Forest. The Alpine Loop drive can be accessed by exiting #275 off of I-15 in Orem, Utah and then taking UT 52 and heading East toward US 189 to UT 92 and beyond.
Big Cottonwood Canyon
For those who will be searching for leaves near the greater Salt Lake City area, taking exit 6 off of I-215 and following UT 190 south toward Big Cottonwood Canyon is a beautiful route for fall colors. At the top of the canyon are Brighton ski resort as well as Solitude Mountain resort which both have pretty leaves during autumn.
Comments(0)