Autumn's Splendor Starting To Emerge In Utah's High Country
The annual leaf-peeping season at Utah's mountain resorts is upon us, but a drier-than-normal summer mean's Nature's autumnal display will likely come earlier and somewhat muted.
Aspens, maples and oaks are expected to change hues in mid-September at the highest elevations, then descending into October. The choice of where to go leaf-peeping in Utah is as much about underlying terrain (cliffs, steep slopes, rolling hills) as it is about autumn's colorful foliage.
Most of Utah's 15 ski and snowboard resorts keep their gates open during the off-season. Some run lifts, but there are always a myriad of hiking and biking trails up onto the higher ground -- plus restaurants decks to soak in the beauty without the effort. Here's a sampling of resort that run lifts:
In Little Cottonwood Canyon, Alta and Snowbird color up early as forested elevations top out at 10,000 feet. Snowbird's tram runs to the summit to Oct. 12, providing a bird's-eye view of aspen groves on the mountain's precipitous slopes. No lifts run at Alta, but there's a mountain road open up Albion Basin to upper trails.
Atop Big Cottonwood Canyon, Brighton offers a palette of fall colors up to its 10,500-foot summit. The Majestic chair runs through September. Next door, Solitude's two chairs run into the fall (date not determined yet) to get folks onto the sharp top ridge.
At Park City Mountain, most of the evergreens were cut to build the old silver mining camp, so aspens and maples dominate the lower mountain. Four chairlifts bifurcate the brilliant stands into mid-September.
To the south, Sundance Resort spins two lifts into October. While main slopes have aspen groves, the headliner is Mount Timpanogos (11,750) where aspen forests creep up to gnarly scree slopes.
And in the southwest corner, Brian Head boasts blankets of aspen forests that turn brilliant yellow and oranges that are offset by the hardy red rocks of nearby Cedar Breaks National Monument. Chairlift runs Friday-Sunday until Sept. 29.
