Posted by Rodney Ninow on August 15, 2012 at 11:34 AM
When are the call colors typically at peak in Zion?
Posted by Howard Cihak on August 15, 2012 at 12:59 PM
I know of a couple of pros who have scheduled a photo tour in the first week of November. Seems kinda late to me, but what do I know?
You could put in a phone call to the park rangers and ask them. That would be getting it from the horse's mouth, or at least the mouth closest to the horse.
Posted by Doug Beezley on August 15, 2012 at 1:41 PM
Zion is consistently the same and not as seasonally/weather dependent as other locations such as Colorado for fall color. Color in Zion typically peaks the second week of November. You will find most workshop groups schedule November 07 - 14.
It depends on what part of the park you visit. Colors in Eastern Zion and the Subway area of the park turn before the foliage in the Narrows. Also, the maples turn a week to 10 days before the cottonwoods. Yes, I would agree with Doug's advice if you are looking to capture the iconic shot of the Watchmen from the bridge and are just going to be spending time in the valley. To give you some perspective, I was in the park the night of the presidential elections 4 years ago. At that point, the subway was slightly past peak and the valley was just about perfect. Temps dropped to below freezing at night and the maples were completely gone.
Posted by John Mumaw on August 15, 2012 at 7:08 PM
You can always check the dates among dozens of 'Zion Experience' photography 'workshops' and figure out the best times.
Posted by Karl Buiter on August 16, 2012 at 3:42 AM
All great advice.
A couple additional notes -
Within the main canyon, you can drive in to all the locations starting November 1. Before then, you got to use the shuttle. There are some good things about the shuttle, but personally having the ability to park near where I plan to photograph is a benefit, especially for those Dawn and Sunset opportunities.
Some of the iconic locations, especially Patriarchs at Dawn, resemble the same photo crowds found at places like Mesa Arch. Heh, I found myself in the background of several candid group photos of a workshop on one of those mornings.
Zion has plenty of trails and you can find some really killer colors off the main route. An infinite number of view opportunites there.
Bring footwear to walk in the relatively shallow Virgin River. The water is quite cold around that time - I found a pair of New England Overshoes (NEOS) that work work great. In the summer, I guess you can wear open watershoes for the warmer water.
Watch out for the Tarantulas! And the Turkeys!
I expect to be there most every weekend during this year's fall cycle.
Posted by Rodney Ninow on August 16, 2012 at 4:14 PM
Thanks for the GREAT replies! I want to do the subway with fall colors. I did it in Feb and really want to go back. Right now I am looking at the weekend of Oct 27/28. I hope that is not too early for color in the subway area. It coincides with the full moon, making a double whammy.
While Zion seems less climate-dependent than other mountain locations, I wonder if things might not be different this year. Weather last winter was dramatically warmer and drier than normal, and this summer has been the same. I'm already seeing yellows and reds in some of the undergrowth at higher elevations. Way earlier than normal. I don't know if that will transfer down to Zion or not. I have no way of predicting when things will change or when color will peak this year, but there may be more unpredictability than in most years.
Discussion
7 repliesYou could put in a phone call to the park rangers and ask them. That would be getting it from the horse's mouth, or at least the mouth closest to the horse.
A couple additional notes -
Within the main canyon, you can drive in to all the locations starting November 1. Before then, you got to use the shuttle. There are some good things about the shuttle, but personally having the ability to park near where I plan to photograph is a benefit, especially for those Dawn and Sunset opportunities.
Some of the iconic locations, especially Patriarchs at Dawn, resemble the same photo crowds found at places like Mesa Arch. Heh, I found myself in the background of several candid group photos of a workshop on one of those mornings.
Zion has plenty of trails and you can find some really killer colors off the main route. An infinite number of view opportunites there.
Bring footwear to walk in the relatively shallow Virgin River. The water is quite cold around that time - I found a pair of New England Overshoes (NEOS) that work work great. In the summer, I guess you can wear open watershoes for the warmer water.
Watch out for the Tarantulas! And the Turkeys!
I expect to be there most every weekend during this year's fall cycle.
I wonder if I should wait a week....
While Zion seems less climate-dependent than other mountain locations, I wonder if things might not be different this year. Weather last winter was dramatically warmer and drier than normal, and this summer has been the same. I'm already seeing yellows and reds in some of the undergrowth at higher elevations. Way earlier than normal. I don't know if that will transfer down to Zion or not. I have no way of predicting when things will change or when color will peak this year, but there may be more unpredictability than in most years.