Skip the crowds: 6 underrated places to experience fall in Utah
by Brooke Nally ksl contributor · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- Utah offers underrated fall destinations beyond popular routes like Alpine Loop and Big Cottonwood.
- Fish Lake's Pando, Scenic Byway 12 and Capitol Reef's orchards offer unique experiences.
- Logan Canyon, Brian Head and Water Canyon provide diverse fall activities and scenic views.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns don't exactly keep fall a secret.
The first hint of red in the maples can turn the Alpine Loop and Big Cottonwood Canyon into something resembling rush hour — but with a better view. And while those popular leaf-peeping routes have earned their reputations, they're hardly the only places in Utah worth visiting when the temperature drops.
In fact, some of the state's best fall days may be a little farther off the usual route.
"Something that's unexpected is southern Utah," said Sorell Grow with the Utah Office of Tourism. "Despite being among the red rocks and in the desert, you can still experience some of the incredible fall colors, especially with the yellow aspens."
From a 13-million-pound aspen clone to apple picking among the red rocks, here are six places to experience a different side of fall in Utah.
Fish Lake and Pando
If your mental picture of southern Utah is mostly sandstone, Fishlake National Forest might change it.
Just southwest of Fish Lake sits Pando, an enormous colony of genetically identical quaking aspens connected by a single root system. The grove includes roughly 47,000 stems and is believed to weigh nearly 13 million pounds. By mid-September, its green leaves begin turning gold.
Grow specifically recommended Fishlake National Forest for travelers looking for fall color outside the usual Wasatch Front routes.
The Fish Lake Scenic Byway runs along state Route 25, and Pando can be reached from the Old Spanish Trailhead. There's also an easy 1.4-mile out-and-back trail through the colony for those who want to get out of the car.
It's one of those rare Utah fall destinations where the thing you're looking at is arguably as interesting as the view itself.
Scenic Byway 12 and Boulder Mountain
For anyone who can't decide between red rock and fall color, Scenic Byway 12 offers both.
The road stretches between the Panguitch area and Torrey, passing through landscapes that shift from slickrock and sandstone to pine and aspen forests at higher elevations.
Grow recommends the route near Hell's Backbone and Boulder Mountain in particular.
"Yes, you're in southern Utah, but you're still at higher elevation," she said, noting there are plenty of hikes and other stops along the route for getting out among the leaves.
This one is less about driving to a single viewpoint and more about making a day — or weekend — out of the road itself.
Logan and Logan Canyon
If the Alpine Loop is already packed by the time you remember it's fall, keep driving north.
The Logan Canyon National Scenic Byway follows U.S. 89 from Logan to Bear Lake, winding alongside the Logan River through maples, aspens, limestone cliffs and mountain scenery. The route climbs to a viewpoint above Bear Lake before dropping into Garden City.
Grow said it's one of her favorite alternatives to the more heavily traveled canyons around Salt Lake and Utah counties.
But the appeal isn't just the drive.
Logan's agricultural roots give the whole area a distinctly autumnal feel, with harvest-season activities and a downtown that Grow describes as taking on a bit of a "Hallmark town" quality in the fall.
For hikers, the Wind Cave trail is a popular option off the byway. Or skip the agenda entirely, drive the canyon, grab something to eat in Logan and call it a fall day.
Capitol Reef's historic orchards
Fall color is nice. Fall color with an apple you picked yourself is arguably better.
The Fruita orchards at Capitol Reef National Park date back to the pioneer community that settled the area in the late 1800s. Today, the National Park Service maintains approximately 1,900 fruit and nut trees there.
When orchards are posted as open, visitors can pick ripe fruit, eat fruit inside the orchard for free, and pay by weight for anything they take with them. Apple season typically runs into October, although availability varies with weather and growing conditions.
As of mid-September, apples were being harvested in the park. Conditions can change quickly, so check Capitol Reef's current orchard updates before making the drive.
Grow called the contrast one of the most unusual fall experiences in the state: red cliffs surrounding a green, fruiting orchard planted generations ago.
Pair it with nearby Torrey, and you've got a fall weekend that looks very different from the traditional drive up a Wasatch canyon.
Brian Head and the high country
Ski resorts don't have to wait for snow to be worth the drive.
Grow recommends looking to Utah's mountain resorts for fall activities, from scenic lift rides and mountain biking to festivals and other seasonal events. And while resorts closer to Salt Lake City get plenty of attention, Brian Head offers a southern Utah version of the same experience.
At roughly 9,600 feet in elevation, the town sits high above the desert landscape surrounding it, making the transition from red rock country to mountain forests part of the appeal.
It's also an easy jumping-off point for a broader fall road trip through the high country around Cedar Breaks and southern Utah's scenic byways.
Just check resort operations before leaving home. Fall hours and activities vary as summer operations wind down and ski season approaches.
Water Canyon and Hildale
Not every great Utah fall day needs to revolve around leaves.
For something completely different, head toward Hildale and Water Canyon near the Arizona border.
The Water Canyon Arch Trail travels 3.2 miles through the canyon, following a small stream before climbing higher into a landscape of hoodoos, pinnacles, ravines, domes and waterfalls, according to the Bureau of Land Management. The route is rated as "moderate" difficulty.
Fall's cooler temperatures make southern Utah particularly appealing after the heat of summer, and there's an unusual reward waiting back in town.
Water Canyon Winery, a family-owned winery in Hildale, produces natural wines on its property and offers tastings, charcuterie and an outdoor winery cafe.
Visiting the winery is less "leaf peeping" and more of a slow fall afternoon: hike a quiet canyon, trade your boots for a patio chair, and finish the day with a glass of Utah-made wine.
Timing matters
Wherever you go, avoiding the crowds may have less to do with where you visit than when.
Grow recommends weekdays when possible, or heading out earlier in the morning or later in the day to miss peak traffic. And because Utah's elevations vary so dramatically, there isn't one universal weekend when fall color peaks.
"Just keep an eye on elevation and kind of what the leaves-changing forecast is looking like," she said.
Higher elevations can begin changing while lower elevations, particularly in southern Utah, still have weeks to go — which means if you miss peak color in one part of the state, you probably haven't missed fall.
You may just need to keep driving.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.