Fall in Arizona

Fall in Arizona arrives in stages. In the high elevations like The San Francisco Peaks, The White Mountains, and some of The Sky Islands such as Mt. Lemon it arrives as early as September. As the temperatures begin to cool down into the lower elevations such as Phoenix and the desert, fall can last into December. We will show you fall colors from September through December.

The San Francisco Peaks

On the north side of The San Francisco Peaks
Inside The Inner Basin
Looking into The Inner Basin from Lockett Meadow
Lockett meadow with Humphrey’s Peak dominating. Humphrey’s is the highest point in Arizona.
The Inner Basin
I wonder if this couple made it?

Flagstaff and Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University. The campus is absolutely beautiful. It has four distinct seasons and sits at the foot of the The San Francisco Peaks.
Flagstaff Christian Fellowship

Mount Lemon

Mt. Lemon Ski Valley
Aspens turning color atop Mt. Lemon.

Oak Creek & Sedona

The first subway at West Fork of Oak Creek
Remains of the Mayhew Homestead and Lodge. This was the chicken coop. The lodge was originally built in 1925 when Carl Mayhew, a photographer working on the filming of the Zane Grey film ‘The Call of the Canyon’ being filmed here bought the property and opened the lodge in the years to follow. Many famous people stayed here including; President Herbert Hoover, Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart and Walt Disney to name a few. By 1968 the family could no longer keep the lodge and sold it to the forest service. Fire destroyed much of it in the 1970’s.
West Fork of Oak Creek reflecting fall.
The orchard at the entrance of West Fork of Oak Creek.
Inside the canyon at West Fork of Oak Creek.
New growth in West Fork of Oak Creek.
The Maples turning bright yellow near Pumphouse Wash.
The cliffs new Pumphouse Wash
This herd of deer cross a meadow in Red Rock State Park. I made this one a little nervous.
Trail crossing of Oak Creek in Red Rock State Park.
Leaf litter in Red Rock State Park.
Crescent Moon Picnic Site with Oak Creek and Cathedral Rock.
Remains of the Crescent Moon Ranch along Oak Creek with Cathedral Rock in the background.

Verde Valley

Montezuma Well. Central Arizona is filled with prehistoric ruins. These ruins happen to be at Montezuma’s Well.
Cottonwood. Every now and then you come across these old irrigation ditches still in use. This canal carries water to some unknown ranch(s) or farm(s). Built a long time ago and still in use. I think that is pretty neat.
A carpet of leaves along the Verde River.

The Valley of the Sun

Gilbert. Fog days in The Valley of the Sun are very rare and the vapor burns off quickly with the sun. So when we have fog one must work quickly to capture it.
This is Morrison Brothers Ranch. Fall shows up here November/December.
The grain silos of Morrison Brothers remain even though most of the ranching operations have ceased. The ranch land is mostly housing developments. However the HOA’s have done a great job by keeping the silos and creating great open space and parks.