Perfect weather, beautiful scenery, holiday prep and sweet treats. These are just some of the best things about fall, and unfortunately it always seems to be the shortest season of the year. I knew we needed to take advantage of it before it was too late! If you live in the Utah County area, there’s a good chance driving the Alpine Loop is on your fall bucket list. It’s a beautiful scenic drive between AF Canyon and Provo Canyon. There are a lot of places you can stop along the way. We always see photographers up there, and it’s a popular location for family photos, engagements, bridals, etc.
There can be a lot of traffic on the Alpine Loop roads in October. This is because there’s so much to see, there’s only a small time frame to see it, AND it’s free. We decided to go early this year (late September), so we didn’t get to see the leaves completely transformed yet. But we did still get to see some fall color without the traffic on the canyon roads. We also decided to stop at a new area we hadn’t been to this year. Cascade Springs is beautiful! It was more of a walk than a hike, and it was really easy to do with two toddlers. We parked at the upper lot and walked down to the springs, which only took about 10 minutes. Driving the Alpine Loop will give you access to a lot of beautiful stops, like Bridal Veil Falls, Sundance, and Tibble Fork.
Driving the Alpine Loop without the crowds is a much quicker trip. But if you do hit traffic on the canyon roads, at least you have a beautiful view from every angle while stopped in your car.
Most of my fall hiking experience is limited to Utah County. There are so many other good hikes in the Salt Lake area that I’d love to explore as well.
