Fall colors?

Stuart · Joined: 11 Feb 2004 Posts: 2 Location: Gold Canyon

Icehouse Canyon Pinal Mtns Leaf Peeper Report.
Leaf peeper hike 27 Oct 2005 found colors pretty well developed.
Aspen & walnut are full yellow. Maple are a mixture of yellow, orange, pink, scarlet & burgundy. All have varying small amounts of green. Also plenty of pines providing contrasting darker green.
Sunlight filtering through the yellow leaves accentuates the reds, pinks & yellows that have fallen. Best estimate is about 25% have dropped at highest altitudes.
Most color is in the top mile. Remainder of hike down to the cabin ruins at Telephone Trail was a very nice walk in the woods.
The trail is pulverized by cattle traffic which made for easy walking on the soft dirt with step holes on the steep parts.
Our group of 5 had a very enjoyable trip including lunch at the top of Pinal Peak with it’s wide open views to everywhere. Adios, Stuart

RedRoxx44 · Queen of the Walkabout Joined: 15 Jan 2004 Posts: 1167

Peak Maples and some Aspen still along the Swift Trail to Mt Graham. FYI--they will close the road to the top of the mountain in preparation for winter usually mid November. Won't open back up until April. All hikes will be from lower TH's.

Ash Creek in the Galiuros is very good, what I saw also. With my hip injury I can only walk/stand about an hour now, better than 5-10 minutes earlier this week.

I plan to car camp near the Ash Creek TH this coming Sat (nov 5) afternoon and do more hiking/photo in the area. If anyone is interested colors should still be pretty good. This canyon is a favorite of the Az hwys photogs.
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You can rest when you're dead

Nighthiker · Joined: 05 Jan 2003 Posts: 1714

Sorry to read about your hip injury. Every thought about a winter hike up to Mt. Graham in the middle of winter ?

outside1 · Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Posts: 366 Location: Mesa, AZ

I just spent Saturday at West Fork (Sedona) the colors / weather is perfect, RIGHT NOW. There easily had to be 50 tripod carrying professional photographers out getting the perfect shot.
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Tony

paintninaz · Joined: 06 Jan 2003 Posts: 3515

GeorgAz · Joined: 04 Jan 2003 Posts: 815 Location: Scottsdale

I was at West Fork today, and a lot of the leaves have fallen,especially from my favorite trees! There was quite a lot of wind Sunday night according to the ranger, and more today, so a lot was lost. There are still some vibrant areas left and West Fork is always beautiful anyway. Wish I could bottle the aroma in there and bring it home! The lower canyon is only starting to turn.