FALL

Here are winds in the mountains now, colder and brisker than those of summer, telling of the change in seasons. Autumn is here. The clouds above the mountain are in a greater hurry, and from the north comes the bite of frost.

Lifeless trunks of trees, their dead roots held by the strong earth, bend in the wind, and rheumatic old branches creak and groan as if crying aloud for liniment. On one of the slopes of the San Francisco Peaks, a forest fire long ago laid waste to all living things, and these tree trunks are evidence of the bitter drama of fire and wind and weather. The years brought rains and snows, erasing the charred black marks left by the flames. Now the trees are white in the sunlight on the mountainside and the scorched grass is green again. Now the winds in the mountains in autumn rattle the dried branches like skeletons in a closet.

The winds of autumn are sweeping across Northern Arizona, announcing the departure of summer. Along Route 66 between Ash Fork and Kingman, the winds cross the plateau, piling the tumbleweeds against the drift fences. Two ponies near Wetherill's store at Kayenta stand facing away from the wind, their manes and tails pointing the direction of the wind itself.

There is the annual transformation of the green of the aspen, the sycamore and the cottonwood to gold and all shades of brown. You have seen it ever so many times before, as you have seen autumn before, but each year you are so struck by autumn's touch that you feel you have seen it just now for the first time.

The leaves change in color and one by one fall to the ground so the ground is covered with the gold and brown leaves and the trees become bare. But winter does not come until the leaves are all gone from the trees.

The brown leaves on the ground have lost their softness and are dry and crisp, skippetyhopping along the ground, hurried by the wind. Where they lay deep on the ground, they crunch under your feet and have a sound all their own before the rake.

Autumn is the wind in the mountains and the gold and brown leaves and the smell of the earth in the mornings and the harvest. Autumn is grand.

-Editor Raymond Carlson, October 1942

► PAUL GILL

Snow-covered maples, still displaying their autumn colors, weather a snowstorm on the Mogollon Rim. The Rim is an escarpment that stretches some 200 miles from Yavapai County, in Central Arizona, to the New Mexico state line.

◄GUY SCHMICKLE

Oak Creek, near Sedona, tumbles over small waterfalls beneath a forest of autumn oranges and yellows. Late October and early November are usually the best times to see Oak Creek Canyon in peak fall color.

▲ PAUL GILL

Cottonwoods on the floor of Canyon de Chelly, on the Navajo Nation, display their vibrant autumn hues. The canyon is the centerpiece of Canyon de Chelly National Monument, jointly managed by the Navajo Nation and the National Park Service.

► PAUL GILL

▲RUSTY CHILDRESS

Ferns begin to adopt their autumn hues amid a thick forest of oaks near George's Lake, a small reservoir near Alpine. This area, accessible via a moderate hiking route, is known for having one of the Alpine area's highest concentrations of oaks.

► GUY SCHMICKLE

Considered for Autumn Leaves, November 2023 An autumn storm looms over Munds Mountain, one of the Sedona area's bestknown landmarks, and fall foliage at lower elevations. The 18,000-acre Munds Mountain Wilderness is famous for its sandstone formations and high mesas.

Considered for Falling for Arizona, October 2023 A solitary aspen clings to its summer greenery amid surrounding golden leaves near Arizona Snowbowl, a ski area in the San Francisco Peaks. Aspen colors in the Peaks typically are their most vibrant in early October.

JACK DYKINGA

Miller Canyon, in the Huachuca Mountains of Southern Arizona, cradles fall maple leaves and several healthy agaves. The Coronado National Forest recommends visiting in midto late October to see fall color at its peak in Miller Canyon.

LAURENCE PARENT

Considered for Falling for Arizona, October 2023 A vine shows off its fall hues in the Granite Dells, which cradle the Prescott area's Watson Lake. The Dells are much longerlasting than the leaves of deciduous plants - their rocks are some 1.4 billion years old.

BYRON NESLEN Considered for Falling for Arizona, October 2023

A large cottonwood glows with autumn yellows at Boyce Thompson Arboretum, near Superior. Formerly a state park, the arboretum, the state's largest botanical garden, now is an independent entity.

CLAIRE CURRAN

Considered for Let There Be Light, September 2023 The East Verde River reflects lateafternoon light as it flows over polished granite near Payson. This view is from the Second Crossing Day Use Area, which is just off Houston Mesa Road (Forest Road 199).

Considered for Falling for Arizona, October 2023 Maple leaves decorate a tree trunk along Workman Creek, part of the Sierra Ancha Wilderness. The remoteness and spectacular fall color of the Sierra Ancha make this range a popular destination for experienced leaf-peepers.

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