September brings a close to summer and ushers in the fall season. The daytime temperatures begin dropping, and the nights are cool. In Arizona, our weather is elevation dependent. The higher the elevation, the cooler the temperature. The higher elevations are also where you can find the most vibrant fall colors in the state. The San Francisco Peaks are the highest points in Arizona and are usually the first to have their groves of aspens turning color. Heading north on US 89 out of Flagstaff, on the left you have access to the east side of the San Francisco Peaks and Lockett Meadow lying directly below the Inner Basin and the beauty of the aspen groves within it. On the west side of the San Francisco Peaks going north on US 180 you access Arizona Snowbowl and have amazing views looking west at Kendrick Peak and Sitgreaves Mountain. Many hiking trails originate at Snowbowl and off the road leading up to it.
The photo above is a shot looking up into the Inner Basin from Lockett Meadow, and the two main peaks visible in the photo from left are Doyle and Fremont Peaks.
Just below this is an aerial shot taken at roughly the same spot, but 1,000 feet higher and encompassing more of the peaks. From left to right is Doyle, Fremont, Agassiz and Humphreys Peak on the far right.
The hikers pictured here are on a trail just off Snowbowl Road on the other (west) side of the peaks and about two thirds of the way up to Snowbowl. The photo below it is an aerial shot from the northwest side of the San Francisco Peaks looking to the southwest. Color is everywhere, and you can see Kendrick Peak with the trees in full color and draped in snow.
This last photo was taken on AZ-89A on the way down to Sedona from Flagstaff. The leaves are just beginning to turn color. This is a road to travel as it is one of the most scenic roads in the United States. The elevation here is about 6,000 feet less than at the peaks. Fall colors typically begin in September in the Flagstaff area and early to mid-October in Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona.
