Mt. Nebo and Fall Colors in Utah

The fall color in Utah, at least in the parts I have seen, is yellow unlike in New England where colors are a mix of reds, oranges, yellows all mixed in. Fall in Utah around Mt. Nebo is an intense, vibrant, almost light-emitting yellow.

Yellow is unique in the color spectrum. It is naturally luminous, almost up there with white. Most colors have lighter and darker tints and shades, but not yellow. The dark yellow sounds odd since it becomes brownish!

Yes, there are other colors but all are dominated by the intense yellow. This was even more pronounced on Mt. Nebo near Nephi aided by the gorgeous weather. The Mt. Nebo Scenic Trail is a recommended attraction, especially in the fall.

The Wasatch Range & Mt. Nebo

I prefer mountain views to ocean views. There is a far more visible variation in the mountains whereas the exciting part of the ocean lies beneath the surface. The Wasatch Range stretches about 160 miles and dominates the settled areas of the state of Utah. Apparently, about 85% of Utah’s population lives within a short distance from the range on the western side. And, Mt. Nebo is the tallest one in the range on the southern edge of it.

Named after the Biblical Mount Nebo overlooking Israel, it is the centerpiece of the Uinta National Forest. Its peaks are a hair under 12,000 feet and they seem to be covered with snow probably much of the time. (Thanks to Wikipedia for much of this information.)

The Mt. Nebo Scenic Byway

I enclosed a small segment of the map from the Lightroom Map module. It shows the spots where I took photographs. Elif drove us to the north edge of the trail so that we could drive over Mt. Nebo to reach the south edge and stop at the Devil’s Kitchen. We drove on the trail for a while, stopping to take a few photographs until we came to the closed gate.

The two orange rectangles on the top right mark that spot. The trail was closed due to forest fires from that point forward. So, we spent some time at that location, took photographs of the golden yellow foliage all around, on the trees, on the ground, even on the stream running with the water. 

Elif decided that we could try the south end of the trail to reach the Devil’s Kitchen and we started the drive back on the freeway. A little while later we were climbing on the trail from the south end. The climb was steep and I could feel the thinning air. The marker on the road showed 11,000 feet! The orange rectangles going down on the left to make a hook show our path to and from the Devil’s Kitchen.

The Devil’s Kitchen

The park at the Devil’s Kitchen was accessible from a short walk on a path. At the end of the path was an overlook to enjoy the rock formations along the hillside. We enjoyed the view, took quite a few photographs and headed back to the car stopping here and there for more photographs of Mt. Nebo with its snowy tops. During this trip, we saw Mt. Nebo from both sides!

After a few more photographs, it was time to head back since the rest of the trail was closed. But even this much was quite a treat for the eyes. The bright yellow created a great experience for us and allowed us to capture its luminous qualities. Even the photographs I took from the car on the way back show the everpresent yellow on the fading grass near the road. We returned to Salt Lake City in mid-afternoon and stopped to have a late lunch/early supper at a nice burger joint. A nice way to end a good day on the hills of Mt. Nebo.

Now, put on your sunglasses and enjoy a trip to Mt. Nebo!