The Under-The-Radar Destination In Arizona With The Most Beautiful Fall Foliage In The State
By Melissa Mahoney|Published October 05, 2023
×
Melissa Mahoney
Author
I'm an east coast girl living in a west coast world. I grew up in New England before moving to SoCal for several years. I then lived in NYC or a year before moving to AZ in 2009. I worked in the entertainment industry for many years of my adult life and have a deep love for photography, writing, and traveling around the U.S. as well as to far-flung locations around the world. Travel is my life and writing about it is a dream!
What’s your favorite season in the Grand Canyon State? For those who enjoy spending time on the slopes, it’s certainly winter. For most of us though, it’s a toss-up between spring and fall. These are the best seasons to enjoy the weather and go hiking. But if you’re like me, you find fall to be the most wonderful, the most enchanting, and the most enjoyable season of all! What I love most about the fall, aside from pumpkin spice everything and the cooler weather, is the fall foliage in Arizona. And I’m going to share a lovely underrated spot in the state that offers some of the best leaf peeping.
Southeastern Arizona seems to be quite an underrated part of the state. So, naturally, you can find an under-the-radar destination like Ramsey Canyon Preserve to do some leaf peeping come autumn.
Part of The Nature Conservancy, the 380-acre Ramsey Canyon Preserve is home to a diversity of species as well as landscapes that include mountains, a stream, and pine, sycamore, and maple trees.
One of the best things you can do when visiting Ramsey Canyon Preserve is to go for a hike. This preserve has two trails: Ramsey Canyon Trail and the Hamburg Trail. Each one will lead to wondrous views and the opportunity to enjoy the crimson and gold hues of the fall.
At 1.3 miles, the Ramsey Canyon Trail is mainly a flat and easy loop. It will take you to an overlook where you can see more of the gorgeous landscape and fall foliage colors.
Perhaps you'll want to take a seat on one of the benches around the preserve to observe nature and the colors of the season. It's a wonderful way to live in the moment.
And then there's the 7.5-mile out-and-back Ramsey Canyon and Hamburg Trail that's rated as hard with an elevation gain of nearly 3,000 feet. While it takes quite a bit of physical stamina for this hike, it won't matter once you see all the fall foliage along the way!
Have you ever explored Ramsey Canyon Preserve during the fall months? Do you know of another underrated place to see fall foliage in Arizona? Let us know in the comments. To learn more about Ramsey Canyon Preserve, visit The Nature Conservancy website.
For Ramsey Canyon Preserve trail information, head to AllTrails, and don’t forget to download the AllTrails+ app to help guide you on your hike.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.