Archive All Issues October 2025

HELLO, AUTUMN. IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU.

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In most places in the Northern Hemisphere, spring is the season of rebirth. In the arid Southwest, it's autumn that brings inhabitants out of hibernation.

Featured in the October 2025 Issue of Arizona Highways

BY: Jeff Kida and Keith Whitney (Portfolio Editors)
Maple trunks frame a view of autumn hues and evergreens on the Mogollon Rim, an escarpment that cuts across much of Arizona from northwest to southeast. This spot is along Forest Road 208, near Bear Canyon Lake. | Paul Gill | CANON EOS 5D MARK III, 1/2 SEC, F/22, ISO 100, 16 MM LENS
Maple trunks frame a view of autumn hues and evergreens on the Mogollon Rim, an escarpment that cuts across much of Arizona from northwest to southeast. This spot is along Forest Road 208, near Bear Canyon Lake. | Paul Gill | CANON EOS 5D MARK III, 1/2 SEC, F/22, ISO 100, 16 MM LENS

 

Fallen maple leaves surround a reflection of the Chiricahua Mountains, glowing in afternoon light, in the South Fork of Cave Creek Canyon, near Portal. This spot in Southeastern Arizona is renowned not just for fall color, but also for birding opportunities. | Joel Hazelton | CANON EOS 5DS R, 2.5 SEC, F/20, ISO 100, 38 MM LENS
Fallen maple leaves surround a reflection of the Chiricahua Mountains, glowing in afternoon light, in the South Fork of Cave Creek Canyon, near Portal. This spot in Southeastern Arizona is renowned not just for fall color, but also for birding opportunities. | Joel Hazelton | CANON EOS 5DS R, 2.5 SEC, F/20, ISO 100, 38 MM LENS

 

Morning sunlight illuminates fall foliage, primarily aspens, in the Inner Basin of the San Francisco Peaks in a view from Humphreys Peak, the highest point in the range (and Arizona). Autumn in the Inner Basin typically is most vibrant in late September or early October. | Joel Hazelton | CANON EOS 6D, 1/200 SEC, F/11, ISO 400, 75 MM LENS
Morning sunlight illuminates fall foliage, primarily aspens, in the Inner Basin of the San Francisco Peaks in a view from Humphreys Peak, the highest point in the range (and Arizona). Autumn in the Inner Basin typically is most vibrant in late September or early October. | Joel Hazelton | CANON EOS 6D, 1/200 SEC, F/11, ISO 400, 75 MM LENS

 

Maple leaves mingle with lichen-accented granite boulders on Bassett Peak, the highest point in the Galiuro Mountains. A “sky island” range, the Galiuros are southeast of the Phoenix area, midway between Tucson and Safford. | Claire Curran | CANON EOS 5DS R, 3.2 SEC, F/29, ISO 100, 50 MM LENS
Maple leaves mingle with lichen-accented granite boulders on Bassett Peak, the highest point in the Galiuro Mountains. A “sky island” range, the Galiuros are southeast of the Phoenix area, midway between Tucson and Safford. | Claire Curran | CANON EOS 5DS R, 3.2 SEC, F/29, ISO 100, 50 MM LENS

 

“I think this is one of the best fall photographs I’ve ever made,” the photographer says of this image from See Canyon on the Mogollon Rim. “This maple branch was very symmetrical, the wind was still, a cascade formed the backdrop, and a few leaves in the creek provided added color.” | Claire Curran | CANON EOS 5DS R, 0.6 SEC, F/10, ISO 100, 180 MM LENS
“I think this is one of the best fall photographs I’ve ever made,” the photographer says of this image from See Canyon on the Mogollon Rim. “This maple branch was very symmetrical, the wind was still, a cascade formed the backdrop, and a few leaves in the creek provided added color.” | Claire Curran | CANON EOS 5DS R, 0.6 SEC, F/10, ISO 100, 180 MM LENS

 

The mottled bark of Arizona sycamores contrasts with maple leaves in Miller Canyon, near Sierra Vista in the Huachuca Mountains of Southeastern Arizona. Fall color often lingers into late October in this part of the state. | Claire Curran | CANON EOS 5DS R, 5 SEC, F/22, ISO 400, 81 MM LENS
The mottled bark of Arizona sycamores contrasts with maple leaves in Miller Canyon, near Sierra Vista in the Huachuca Mountains of Southeastern Arizona. Fall color often lingers into late October in this part of the state. | Claire Curran | CANON EOS 5DS R, 5 SEC, F/22, ISO 400, 81 MM LENS

 

Maple leaves glow yellow, orange and red amid evergreens along the West Fork of Oak Creek, near Sedona. The best time to see fall color in Oak Creek Canyon is mid-October through mid-November, according to locals. | Byron Neslen | CANON EOS 5DS R, 1/5 SEC, F/22, ISO 100, 24 MM LENS
Maple leaves glow yellow, orange and red amid evergreens along the West Fork of Oak Creek, near Sedona. The best time to see fall color in Oak Creek Canyon is mid-October through mid-November, according to locals. | Byron Neslen | CANON EOS 5DS R, 1/5 SEC, F/22, ISO 100, 24 MM LENS