Fall color near Tucson
Saguaros don't change color, but Tucson's sky islands do. The Catalina Highway climbs from cactus to gold-leafed aspens near the top of Mount Lemmon, and down in Sabino Canyon the cottonwoods, sycamores and ash turn very late in the year — one of the last fall displays in the country.
Fall activities in Tucson
Little classic fall color reaches Tucson itself, so these are the closest real shows, ranked by distance.
Drag the date slider to see when color moves through the country around Tucson, or tap a pin for that stop’s own peak window.
Arizona
150 miPeak November 3
Aspens gild the San Francisco Peaks and White Mountains by late September, while bigtooth maples set Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona ablaze in red and orange through mid-to-late October at lower elevation.
New Mexico
319 miPeak October 21
Aspen gold blankets the Sangre de Cristo range along the Enchanted Circle near Taos and the Santa Fe Ski Basin, while Rio Grande cottonwoods turn later, lighting up the Bosque into late October and November.
Utah
490 miPeak October 14
Quaking aspen turns the Wasatch and high plateaus gold along the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway, while Fishlake National Forest hosts Pando, the massive aspen clone. Peak color typically falls in late September to early October.
In Tucson itself
Peak: November 22–November 26
Color builds from November 9 · mostly bare by December 18
Sampled at Tucson’s own coordinates rather than a regional average. Dates are computed for Tucson at 722 m, about 0.9 day later than the surrounding terrain. Street trees vary block to block, so check locally before you plan a weekend around it.
This window comes from 52 weather points across Arizona, nudged 4 days earlier to match 1 published peak date from flagstaffarizona.org and fs.usda.gov. This year's weather has the peak running 3 days earlier than a normal year. Peak dates spread about 31 days inside Arizona, so the high ground turns well before the valleys. How the forecast works
Where locals go
Things to do in fall in Tucson
Orchards, cider, haunts, and harvest season. These are the iconic fall stops within a day trip of Tucson.
Tucson Meet Yourself
Fall festivalColor nearby peaks November 24
Tucson Meet Yourself takes over downtown for a free weekend of food, music, and craft demonstrations from the dozens of cultures that call…
Nightfall at Old Tucson
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks November 23
Old Tucson, the Western movie set turned theme park west of town, trades its stunt shows for Nightfall once the sun goes down in October…
Haunted attraction
Color nearby peaks November 23
Run by the Buckelew family, who farmed Three Points for 30 years before moving the haunt closer to town, this Marana cornfield is now in…
in Arizona
Ghost tour
Color nearby peaks November 20
The Ghosts & Legends Tour walks you through Tombstone after dark, from the Campbell and Hatch Saloon to an old undertaker's parlor and out…
in Arizona
Rex Allen Days
67 miFall festival
Color nearby peaks November 11
Willcox throws its whole downtown open for Rex Allen Days, a western heritage weekend named for the town's singing-cowboy son, running…
in Arizona
Guides
Frequently asked
- Does Tucson get fall colors?
- Some, but it stays understated. Expect scattered street trees rather than a hillside, with the color worth planning around out toward Arizona and New Mexico.
- Where's the closest good foliage to Tucson?
- Arizona, about 150 mi away, peaking around November 3. Aspens gild the San Francisco Peaks and White Mountains by late September, while bigtooth maples set Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona ablaze in red and orange through mid-to-late October at lower elevation.
- When does Tucson see what color it gets?
- The model predicts the area's late-season change around November 22–November 26. It stays subtle in town, and it is no match for a trip toward Arizona and New Mexico.
- What are the best things to do in fall in Tucson?
- Beyond the leaves: Tucson Meet Yourself (0 mi); Nightfall at Old Tucson (9 mi); Tucson Terror in the Corn (20 mi); Ghosts & Legends Tour of Tombstone (64 mi); Rex Allen Days (67 mi). All of them are mapped on this page.