KSL Outdoors Show: Last minute rides in fall colors

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s fall season has officially begun, but people don’t have long to admire the state’s fall-colored trees before the leaves fall.

During the recent KSL Outdoors Show, two photographers revealed the best places for last-minute fall trips in Utah. These guest speakers were photographers Mark Wade and Bob Grove, who travel throughout Utah taking photos of the state’s landscape, animals and their off-road adventures.

The first place Wade mentioned for fall riding is Cottonwood Canyon on 70th South in Salt Lake City. Wade said he saw bright fall colors and a little extra surprise during his ride.

“On the way up we saw a moose crossing the road right next to us. “Beautiful…that was about halfway up the canyon,” Wade said. “And then we came to the Donut Falls area. And the leaves and the aspens were just beautiful all over the mountainside.”

According to Wade, now is the perfect time to admire the fall colors in Utah.

“The aspens above and the scrub oak below are turning red and orange,” Wade said. “It’s the perfect time for this [drive] Nebo loop.”

Wade said Boulder Mountain and Capitol Reef National Park were among his favorite fall drives in southern Utah. As for northern Utah, Wade mentioned the Bear Lake and Logan Canyon region.

Grove lives in southern Utah, where most people don’t expect to see much fall color.

“Around Brian Head, Cedar Breaks and Tushar Mountains, [the colors] come out at the same time as up north,” Grove said. “Typically they peak, you know, at the end of September, the first half of October. Down in the lower regions, like in Zion, we will not see it [the fall colors] until the end of October or beginning of November.”

Grove said his favorite spots for last-minute fall trips included Highway 143, Navajo Lake, Highway 14 and Kents Lake.

Grove says the highland areas have already reached their peak and the fall colors won’t last much longer.

Tim Hughes is co-anchor of Utah’s Morning News on KSL NewsRadio and host of “KSL Outdoors.” Tune in to KSL NewsRadio every Saturday from 6 to 8 a.m. to hear more about “KSL Outdoors.”