For people in Tucson, fall is only a short drive away
Aspens and maples are showing off their leafy autumn splendor near Tucson.
Where to see colors in the Catalina Mountains
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Red maple leaves and other hues of autumn brighten the Bear Wallow area in the Catalina Mountains.
Vibrant hues of autumn — gold, amber and red — are heralding the season high in the Catalina Mountains this week.
The leaves of aspen and maple trees are the stars of the color show, but other trees and shrubs add to the mountains' palette.
"This is just one more thing to love about the Santa Catalina Mountains," said Heidi Schewel, spokeswoman for the Coronado National Forest, which includes the Catalinas. "You can start the day enjoying the desert warmth, and in a relatively short time find yourself on a mountainside surrounded by pine trees, blazing golden aspens and bursts of red maples. For some people that's priceless."
The expanse of colorful fall foliage might not rival what you could see in Vermont or Colorado. But here's the thing: Those places are far away. It's possible to reach the Catalinas' color in a drive of about an hour up the 25-mile Catalina Highway northeast of Tucson.
At this time of year, you'll see a fair amount of color near the highway and at pullouts along the way. But for a closer look, consider a short walk in the woods.
COLORFUL SITES
Here are some places for an on-foot, up-close look at autumn color:
• Bear Wallow — Drive to the 22-mile point on the Catalina Highway and watch for a right turnoff onto an unpaved road. There is no parking lot, but many leaf watchers park carefully on the side of the road after driving less than a quarter-mile. An unsigned trail leads down a slope to the bottom of the wallow. For some of the best views, follow a trail back toward the highway and walk through a large culvert under the highway to a forest with maple and aspen trees.
• Marshall Gulch — Drive about 25 miles up the Catalina Highway to the village of Summerhaven. Drive through Summerhaven and continue south about a mile to trailheads. The Marshall Gulch Trail winds through forests that often show autumn color in October.
• Mount Lemmon area — Take the Catalina Highway past mile marker 24 and watch for a right turnoff for Mount Lemmon Ski Valley, where aspen color often lasts until late October. To find more color, continue past Ski Valley uphill on a narrow road to trailheads near the top of Mount Lemmon.
Scroll down to see photos of the fall colors on Mount Lemmon:
Fall colors
A tiny deer grazes in the sunlight on a grassy section along one of the Mt Lemmon ski runs as some fall colors make their appearance in the Santa Catalina Mountains outside Tucson on Oct. 17, 2017.
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Bright yellow, red and green leaves make for a colorful hillside in Summerhaven on Mt Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains outside Tucson on Oct. 17, 2017.
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In Bear Wallow, a carpet of green grass is made more colorful as yellow and orange leaves are scattered all over just off the Mt Lemmon Highway outside Tucson on Oct. 17, 2017.
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Jordan McQuaig, a Pima Community College student, Starbucks barista and aspiring photograher, sits on the road as he takes time to frame a picture of some of the fall colors near the top of Mt Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains outside Tucson on Oct. 17, 2017.
Fall colors
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A brilliant red maple is hemmed with other fall foliage at Bear Wallow in the Catalina Mountains.
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Only a few aspens still have their yellowing leaves on the top of Mt Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains outside Tucson on Oct. 17, 2017.
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A cyclist rides under a streak of yellow leaves near the top of Mt Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains as fall colors make their appearance outside Tucson on Oct. 17, 2017.
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Jim Roder takes time to read surrounded by colorful leaves in the Bear Wallow area along the Mt Lemmon Highway in the Santa Catalina Mountains outside Tucson on Oct. 17, 2017.
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Glorious fall colors abound in some areas of Bear Wallow on Mt Lemmon as a hiker pauses on a downed tree trunk in the Santa Catalina Mountains outside Tucson on Oct. 17, 2017.
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A hiker takes in an autumnal landscape in the Catalina Mountains.
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Golden aspens stand out in an evergreen forest high in the Catalina Mountains.
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Hikers trek through a leaf-strewn forest in the Catalina Mountains.
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Autumn leaves carpet the forest floor high in the Catalina Mountains.
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A cluster of maple leaves in full autumnal splendor.
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Aspen trees play a starring role in the autumn color show high in the Catalina Mountains.
Fall colors
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A tower of autumn color in the Bear Wallow area of the Catalina Mountains.
