New Arizona fall foliage map shows when, where to see changing leaves

While it only ever feels like spring and summer in Phoenix, a simple drive outside the city over the next few months will introduce you to autumn. Coconino National Forest/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0

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Someone who isn’t familiar with Arizona might be surprised to learn there is more to the state than sand and scorpions. In reality, more than a quarter of it is covered in forest.

While the forested regions mainly are dominated by evergreen pines, there also are enough deciduous trees to remind us of the changing seasons. With summer ending and autumn on the way, leaves in much of the northern and eastern parts of the state soon will turn crisp shades of yellow, red and orange.

And you can find prime leaf peeping just a short drive from Phoenix.

According to a map created by Explore Fall, autumn colors will spread across the state throughout October, with a tiny pocket beginning to form in the Apache National Forest east of Phoenix and on the state’s border with New Mexico as early as Sept. 21.

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Expected fall foliage on Oct. 1

Explore Fall

By Oct. 15, that area and the forests directly north of Phoenix will start to see a real shift into what the website calls “peak” fall foliage. That will be most noticeable in the higher elevations surrounding the Grand Canyon, as well as in cities such as Flagstaff and Sedona. It might be a good time for a trip up north.

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Expected fall foliage on Oct. 15.

Explore Fall

Between midmonth and Halloween, the change will be in full swing. Almost half of the state — essentially all of it north of Phoenix — will be awash in fall colors. This is the best time to catch the colder parts of the state as they transition to winter.

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Expected fall foliage on Oct. 31.

Explore Fall

By Nov. 15, most of the northern foliage will be past its peak, with leaves crumbling off trees and blanketing the ground in a brown layer.

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Expected fall foliage on Nov. 15.

Explore Fall

However, throughout November, trees in the southeastern part of the state will be transforming into peak fall colors. During this time, visitors to the area east of Tucson and south of the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation will catch the region going through its own autumn.

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Expected fall foliage on Nov. 30.

Explore Fall

And, of course, pockets of non-native trees in the Phoenix metro area begin changing color when temperatures lower in December. But to truly experience one of America’s most beautiful seasons, you’ll have to get out of the city and into Arizona’s mountains.