Autumn Tour of Oak Creek Canyon

Autumn in Oak Creek Canyon. © Creative Commons

Are you an autumn enthusiast? If so the explosion of brilliant fall colors signals the best time to take a scenic drive up and down Sedona's Oak Creek Canyon. And the best way to experience this visual feast is to take Silver Spur's "Magical Day in Sedona" tour so you can focus your entire attention on breathtaking scenery.

The Autumn Season. Autumn in Sedona usually begins in early October and crescendos into the full brilliance of reds, yellows and golds from the middle to end of October. The show is usually over by mid-November. So plan a visit to Sedona during that period. The Sedona weather during October has average high temperature in the 70's which falls to the 60's in November. Blue skies and sunshine is mostly abundant. The sun sets just before 6:00 PM during October and night-time temperatures drop to the mid-40's.

Why Autumn Leaves Are So Colorful

© Mele Florez-Avellan

The leaves' swan song is their gift to the trees that gave them life. The increasing periods of darkness sends a signal to trees that fall is coming and reminds the Oak and Aspens that winter and freezing temperatures is not too far away. Unlike evergreens that protect its leaves from freezing with waxy coatings, Oaks and Aspens provide no natural protection and will begin the process of shedding leaves.

Before shedding, trees begin salvaging nutrients from the leaves including nitrogen and phosphorus. The trees need nutrients to sustain harsh winter conditions. Few know that the colors of autumn are always present in the leaves. We just can't see them during the spring and summer months. That's because chlorophyll masks the fall colors that reside within the leaves with the color of green.

As autumn approaches and periods of daylight diminish. broadleaf trees begin to stop producing chlorophyll. As the production of "green" diminishes, the leaves begin to expose their brilliant and muted shades of red, orange, yellow, brown and gold.

Autumn is a great time to visit Sedona. Many Sedona resorts and bed and breakfast inns in Sedona feature lodging discount packages during the fall months.

*This leaf is not a depiction of Sedona. It is a paper mache creation by Mele Florez-Avellon.

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