September 23, 2022

Roughlock Falls

Color Change: 50% (Moderate)

Leaf Drop: Low

It is officially fall! We will likely see the peak color change in Spearfish Canyon this week. Of all the places in the Canyon, the swath of trees near the hydroplant building at Devil’s Bathtub trailhead, the bowl at Savoy, and Roughlock Falls are the closest to nearing peak color change.

Today is windy in Spearfish. It is disheartening to see leaf drop when we are nearing peak color change. Yet, science tells us it is not the wind making the leaves drop, it is the tree. As the nights get longer and the days get shorter, a hormone is triggered in the Canyon’s birch and aspen that sends a chemical message to the leaves to drop. A gust of wind may help the progress along, but wind is not the only factor. I am taking solace in the fact that we are not quite at peak color change yet. That means many of the leaves are not yet at their “drop” stage, and hopefully they will hang on! I will continue to report on leaf drop throughout my next leaf reports. Read more about the science behind leaf drop here: https://www.npr.org/2009/10/30/114288700/why-leaves-really-fall-off-trees

Do not let the wind stop you. It is a spectacular weekend to visit Spearfish Canyon!