Fall at The Arboretum

Recommended Fall Color Scenic Drive near Flagstaff

This information is adapted from the Flagstaff Visitor Center's fall color flyer.  

Hart Prairie Road

The premier Fall Colors Tour!  Hart Prairie Road winds through blazing yellows and golds of the shimmering aspen groves.  Peak times are usually late September/early October.

Distance:  50 miles.  Approximate driving time without stops:  two hours.

Roads:  Paved and good dirt roads.

Take US 180 (Humphreys Street) which starts at Route 66, the main thoroughfare in Flagstaff.  Head north on Route 180 toward the Grand Canyon for 10.8 miles to Forest Service Road 151 (Hart Prairie Road).  Hart Prairie Road loops around through the aspen groves back to Route 180.  Turn left on Route 180 and head back to Flagstaff.

Photo taken along Hart Prairie Road on 9/28/03, submitted by Malinda.

Hart Prairie is one of the best places in the Flagstaff area to see fall colors! Visit the Nature Conservancy website for more information on the guided nature walks offered at Hart Prairie through mid-October. This is another great way to witness nature's changing colors.

Fall colors in the courtyard garden were at their height when this photo was taken on Thursday, September 30, 2004.
 

Fall Color Report for San Francisco Peaks

Friday, September 29, 2006

Large swaths of aspens are turning on the sides of the San Francisco Peaks, and it looks like it will be the first great weekend for leaf-peeping.  The photo below (taken Sept. 29, 2006) shows aspens turning on the east side of the Peaks as viewed from Highway 89 about 7 miles northeast of the Flagstaff Mall.

Sept. 29, 2006

Visit the Coconino National Forest website for more information and updates on fall colors in the area.

Consult the National Weather Service website for information regarding the weather conditions before viewing fall colors in the area, as heavy wind and rain can change the status of fall colors rapidly.

sumac leaf - August 19, 2005

For the most up-to-date info about what's happening on our grounds, call our Visitor Center at (928) 774-1442.

For regional fall color information, call the US Forest Service's Fall Color Hotline at (800) 354-4595 (press 3 for Arizona information).

The species listed below show fall color each year at The Arboretum, which generally peaks from the end of September through the beginning of October.  

grasses
ash
box elder
amur maple
New Mexican locust
fireweed
smooth sumac
aspen
oak
willow
geranium
golden currant
chokecherries

Past Reports:

Sept. 16, 2007

Sept. 7, 2006

Sept. 12, 2006

Sept. 28, 2006

Oct. 3, 2006

Oct. 10, 2006