Seeing Fall Color

Weather:  63°; sun and clouds

About this Hike:  It has been just over five years since I last visited See Canyon. Back then I did this steep climb on a hot, humid August afternoon. I'm not sure what I was thinking back then, although I do remember it being a beautiful hike...

We came out here today to experience some Arizona fall color, which thus far this year has been lacking. See Canyon did not disappoint. I was fortunate to get one of the last parallel parking spaces along the 284 road. The main lot was full. 

Upon arriving at the parking area we were greeted with red and orange maples. As we hiked into the canyon the scenery only got better. We did the side trip over to See Spring which was flowing nicely. It's fascinating to watch how these springs go underground and then re-emerge right out of the side of a rock pile. 

The higher we climbed into the canyon, the better the fall color became. While the reds, yellows, and oranges were mostly attributed to maples, a few aspens in the higher elevations also showed off their golden leaves. All of this fall color is complimented by evergreens, striking rim views, and dramatic dry creek beds. 

The final part of this hike is very steep. It's like the bulk of the 2,000+ feet of elevation gain all comes at once. Approaching the rim, the landscape changes. The rocks become a pale color with some rust spots. The soil gets rockier. The vibrant mix of colorful maples and evergreen firs gives way to spotty grassland and ponderosa pine. The few deciduous trees at this elevation were already bare of leaves.  We turned back at Forest Road 300 (Rim Road) and hiked back down the way we came. 

Despite only being about 3:30pm, the shadows were long in the canyon and the temperatures began to drop quickly, despite brilliant sunshine still lighting the cliffs above. We returned to a now almost empty parking area just as the sun began its final descent and the full moon began to rise.