The Best Places to See Utah’s Fall Colors — And How to Make a Weekend of It
There’s something special about fall in Utah.
For a few spectacular weeks each year, the Wasatch Mountains trade their summer greens for brilliant shades of gold, orange and red. Quaking aspens turn entire mountainsides yellow, maples add bursts of crimson and orange, and the evergreens provide the perfect backdrop.
And one of the best parts? Some of Utah’s most beautiful fall scenery is remarkably close to Salt Lake City.
Instead of making fall colors a quick afternoon drive, make a weekend of it. With a comfortable vacation rental in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Cottonwood Heights or Park City, you can spend your days exploring mountain roads and trails and your evenings relaxing with family or friends.
Here are some of our favorite places to experience autumn in Utah.
1. Big Cottonwood Canyon
If you only have time for one fall drive, Big Cottonwood Canyon should be near the top of your list.
The Big Cottonwood Canyon Scenic Byway winds approximately 15 miles through the Wasatch Mountains toward Solitude and Brighton. Along the way, the combination of aspens, maples, scrub oak, evergreens, granite cliffs and mountain streams creates an incredible display of fall color.
Utah's official tourism site specifically recommends Big Cottonwood Canyon as one of the state's premier scenic drives for fall foliage.
And don't feel like you have to experience the canyon entirely from your car.
Pack a picnic, take a walk through the aspens or stop for a hike. Donut Falls is a popular, relatively easy option, while Willow Lake offers a short walk through an aspen forest that is particularly beautiful when the leaves turn gold.
Make it a getaway
This is where staying in Big Cottonwood Canyon itself can completely change the experience.
Wake up surrounded by the mountains, enjoy a slow breakfast, spend the day exploring the canyon and then come home to a comfortable Alpenglow vacation rental rather than fighting traffic back to the valley.
There's no need to rush. That's the point.
2. Silver Lake at Brighton
Continue toward the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon and you'll arrive at Silver Lake, one of the easiest ways to enjoy high-alpine scenery without committing to a strenuous hike.
The lake sits near Brighton and features a boardwalk and trail around the water. In autumn, the surrounding aspens and mountains make this an especially beautiful place for photographs and a leisurely walk.
Bring a jacket—the higher elevation means temperatures can be noticeably cooler than they are in the Salt Lake Valley.
3. Guardsman Pass
From the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, continue toward Guardsman Pass for one of our favorite fall drives in Utah.
Guardsman Pass connects Big Cottonwood Canyon with the Park City and Heber Valley areas, making it an ideal centerpiece for an autumn weekend.
The higher elevations generally begin changing first. Visit Utah notes that colors can begin at high elevations such as Guardsman Pass around mid-September, with fall color continuing into early October in many areas. Exact timing varies each year with elevation and weather.
Stop at an overlook, take some pictures and enjoy the mountain views before continuing down toward Park City.
Even better, turn the drive into a loop:
Cottonwood Heights → Big Cottonwood Canyon → Brighton → Guardsman Pass → Park City.
That's a pretty great Utah fall day.
4. Park City
Park City isn't just a ski destination.
Fall is one of our favorite times to visit.
The summer crowds begin to thin, temperatures cool and the mountains surrounding town become covered in autumn color. Spend the afternoon walking historic Main Street, find a great restaurant, explore a trail or simply enjoy the mountain atmosphere.
And rather than driving home after dinner, stay for the weekend.
Alpenglow offers vacation rental options in the Park City area that give couples, families and groups room to spread out and relax. A private home or condo also gives you something a hotel room doesn't: a comfortable place to gather at the end of the day.
Cook breakfast together.
Sit by the fire.
Watch a movie.
Enjoy your morning coffee with a mountain view.
Then head out and do it all again.
5. Cottonwood Heights: The Perfect Fall Base Camp
You don't necessarily have to stay high in the mountains to have a great fall weekend.
Cottonwood Heights is one of the best home bases for exploring the Wasatch.
You're positioned right below Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons, making it easy to head into the mountains during the day while still having convenient access to restaurants, shopping and the rest of the Salt Lake Valley.
The Cottonwood Canyons are also surprisingly close to downtown Salt Lake City and Salt Lake City International Airport, despite feeling worlds away once you're surrounded by the mountains.
That makes an Alpenglow property in Cottonwood Heights especially appealing for visitors who want to combine outdoor recreation with everything else the Salt Lake area has to offer.
6. Little Cottonwood Canyon
Don't overlook Big Cottonwood's next-door neighbor.
Little Cottonwood Canyon climbs toward Snowbird and Alta and offers another spectacular combination of granite peaks, aspens and colorful mountain vegetation.
The two Cottonwood Canyons contain similar flora but offer very different scenery. Visit Utah recommends both for fall foliage and notes the opportunity to hike through aspens to alpine lakes and look down over the changing colors from higher elevations.
If you're staying in Cottonwood Heights, you can easily explore Big Cottonwood one day and Little Cottonwood the next.
7. Alpine Loop
If you're willing to venture a little farther south, the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway is another Utah fall classic.
The roughly 20-mile seasonal road connects American Fork Canyon and Provo Canyon, passing through spectacular mountain scenery and large stands of aspens near Mount Timpanogos and Sundance.
Combine it with stops around Sundance, Cascade Springs or Provo Canyon and you have another full day of fall exploration before returning to your vacation home.
Our Perfect Utah Fall Weekend
If we were planning a fall weekend for someone visiting Utah, we'd keep it simple.
Friday: Check into an Alpenglow property in Cottonwood Heights, Big Cottonwood Canyon or Park City. Grab dinner, settle in and enjoy a relaxing evening.
Saturday: Start with breakfast and head up Big Cottonwood Canyon. Stop for a short hike or picnic, walk around Silver Lake, continue over Guardsman Pass, and spend the afternoon and evening exploring Park City.
Sunday: Sleep in. Make breakfast at the property and enjoy a slower morning. Then explore Little Cottonwood Canyon, take another fall hike or simply enjoy a scenic drive before heading home.
The beauty of staying for a couple of nights is that seeing the leaves doesn't have to feel like another item on your weekend checklist.
It becomes the weekend.
When Is the Best Time to See Fall Colors in Utah?
There isn't one perfect weekend every year.
Utah's dramatic changes in elevation actually help extend the fall-color season. Higher-elevation areas generally change first, followed by lower elevations as temperatures cool. Utah's tourism office notes that high-elevation areas such as Guardsman Pass can begin showing color around mid-September, with the season generally extending into early October across much of the state.
That makes mid-September through early October a great window to plan a Wasatch fall getaway, while remembering that Mother Nature ultimately controls the schedule.
Your Utah Fall Weekend Is Waiting
Utah's fall colors don't last long—and that's part of what makes them so special.
For a few weeks, the mountains surrounding Salt Lake City and Park City put on one of the most beautiful displays of the year.
So don't just drive up the canyon, snap a picture and drive home.
Stay awhile.
Book an Alpenglow vacation rental in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Cottonwood Heights or Park City, bring someone you love, and give yourself an entire weekend to enjoy crisp mountain air, brilliant fall colors, good food, beautiful hikes and a comfortable place to come home to each night.
Explore Alpenglow Property Rentals and start planning your Utah fall getaway today.
