Fall Colors - where to see it? (Santa Fe, Rio Rancho: rated, best)

[DonJuanQuixote]

I remember there was at least one place in northern New Mexico where the leaves change colors, creating a beautiful fall backdrop. Can someone help me recall?

[Poncho_NM]

Perhaps:

New Mexico Fall Foliage
Aspen Color This Fall - Santa Fe National Forest/ Pecos area
New Mexico Fall Foliage
Any Fall Color left in Jemez / Turquoise Trail?
I <3 Fall, Fall, Colors, Pictures
Aspen trees.... fall colors.... where and when to view?
Fall Color in Southern NM

But in the middle of the state:

Rio Grande. Rio Rancho Bosque, New Mexico. October 15th 2012, IMG_7373_1920_H1024wb by Ricardo, on Flickr.



Rio Grande at Rio Rancho, New Mexico, October 26, 2012, IMG_8274 h1024wb by Ricardo, on Flickr.



Corrales, New Mexico, October 26, 2012, IMG_8168 h1024wb by Ricardo, on Flickr.

[Cactus Hibs]

The cottonwoods along the northern Rio Grande are just starting to turn, but the aspens in the Sandias are peaking right now: huge patches of bright yellow trees along the north-facing slopes are visible from Placitas, Bernalillo, or I-25 near San Felipe Pueblo. I would think it'd be a great time for a drive or tram ride to the crest and walk among the turning leaves.

[Zoidberg]

An important thing to bear in mind is that deciduous trees are the only ones that change color, and with a few important exceptions, there are no deciduous trees native to New Mexico.

The exceptions are in river valleys like the Rio Grande, and sky islands that technically get too much precipitation to count as deserts, like the top of the Sandias.

Recommend Sandia Peak's trails for some good fall colors; they have Maple trees up there. Bosque trails are also good a little later in the season, though they always seem to underrepresent oranges and reds.

Of course, "native to" doesn't mean "present in", so a lot of places will have fall color that don't fall into the above categories.

[rwjoyak]

4th of July Canyon in the Manzanos has maples that turn red, a very rare sight in NM.

[joqua]

There is usually a lot of fall color in the Sacramento Mtns. of south central NM. Aspens are the major attraction at higher elevations, followed by various types of oak, cottonwood and poplars. Right now the chamisa is in bloom at lower elevations. Maples can be found at two small sites that I know of. The best bet for variety is along the highways at Cloudcroft. Another area of concentrated color is along the Tularosa river via US-70 and in the Hondo valley. Of course the weather plays a huge role in just how intense the color is in any given season, and the timing of when it peaks out.

[ABQConvict]

While New Mexico is no Northeast, there are several native deciduous species that turn color in the fall.

Aspen, cottonwood, gambel oak, willow, rocky mountain maple, bigtooth maple, box-elder (a maple sp.) and mountain ash being the major ones.

[mschrief]

I just returned Monday 10/10 from Santa Fe and the colors were gorgeous. Photo in my albums