Leaf peeping

Fall colors in Utah

Typical peak runs Sep 26 – Oct 12. Pick the week, then the place.

Photo: Rattlesnake Mountain

Fall color in Utah typically peaks between Sep 26 and Oct 12, with the middle of the season around Oct 4. Color starts in the high country (White Pine-Bunchgrass Canyon around Sep 13) and finishes lower (Grandeur Peak West around Oct 13). We track 2,718 places here: 1,506 hikes, 673 mountain biking trails, 466 campgrounds, 64 summits, and 5 waterfalls. Above 11,000 ft, color typically peaks around Oct 3; between 5,000 and 6,000 ft, around Oct 10.

When to go

Week by week

How many places are in their typical peak window each week, with the top pick. Today’s week is highlighted.

  1. Sep 1 – 7

    1 places
    COOP CREEK SNOMO GROOMEDTop pick · hike

  2. Sep 8 – 14

    81 places
    White Pine-Bunchgrass CanyonTop pick · hike

  3. Sep 15 – 21

    552 places
    Grandview PeakTop pick · summit

  4. Sep 22 – 28

    1,591 places
    Rattlesnake MountainTop pick · summit

  5. Sep 29 – Oct 5

    Busiest

    2,402 places
    Powerhouse MountainTop pick · summit

  6. Oct 6 – 12

    This week

    2,161 places
    Horse Ranch MountainTop pick · summit

  7. Oct 13 – 19

    1,126 places
    Grandeur Peak WestTop pick · hike

  8. Oct 20 – 26

    235 places
    Red ButteTop pick · summit

  9. Oct 27 – Nov 2

    4 places
    Pharo-Willow Creek Peak SpurTop pick · mountain biking trail

Elevation

Color walks downhill

In Utah, the higher the ground, the earlier the turn. Each row is a 1,000-foot band.

  1. 11,000+ ftOct 3
  2. 10,000–11,000 ftSep 30
  3. 9,000–10,000 ftOct 2
  4. 8,000–9,000 ftOct 1
  5. 7,000–8,000 ftOct 4
  6. 6,000–7,000 ftOct 9
  7. 5,000–6,000 ftOct 10

Dot = median typical peak for places in that band. Bands with fewer than 10 places are left out.

This week

In typical peak now in Utah

Places whose usual window includes today.

Plan ahead

Coming up next

Typical peak starts within the next three weeks.

Where

By park and forest

Typical timing for the public lands with the most places, and the best-known spots in each.

Hikes

Best fall hikes

Trails ranked by how much hardwood forest surrounds them and how consistent the timing is across years.

Camp

Campgrounds in the color

Wake up in it. Check availability and any seasonal closures before you go.

Views

Summits and waterfalls

Overlooks for the big picture, falls for the doubled-up reflection.

Ride

Mountain biking through the color

Singletrack with a canopy overhead.

Everything

Map and full list

Every place we track in Utah, grouped by where it is in its typical window.

  • In typical peak now (100)

In typical peak now

Today falls inside the usual peak window for these places.

Questions

Fall colors in Utah: FAQ

When is peak fall color in Utah?

Across the 2,718 places we track in Utah, typical peak runs from Sep 26 to Oct 12, with the middle of the season around Oct 4. Where you are in the state matters: higher elevations come earlier and valleys later.

Where do leaves change first in Utah?

Among the places we track in Utah, White Pine-Bunchgrass Canyon has the earliest typical peak, around Sep 13. The latest is Grandeur Peak West, around Oct 13. Above 11,000 ft, color typically peaks around Oct 3; between 5,000 and 6,000 ft, around Oct 10.

What are the best fall hikes in Utah?

Hikes with strong typical color in Utah include Deer Creek Trail, Friskey Trail, Long Neck Trail, Right Fork Maple Canyon, and Great Western Trail. They are ranked by how much of the surrounding forest is hardwood and how consistent the timing has been across years.

Is this a forecast?

No. These dates are typical timing: when leaves have usually reached peak in past years, from NASA satellite vegetation data from 2017 to 2024 and USGS forest cover. A warm, dry or very wet year can shift them by a week or more, so treat them as a planning window, not a prediction for this year.

Keep going

Nearby states

Typical timing from NASA MODIS vegetation data (2017–2024) and USGS NLCD 2021 forest cover. Not a forecast. Timing is typical, not a forecast. How we time it.