September 25, 2023
Color Change: 80% (High)
Leaf Drop: Low to Moderate
It’s officially fall! Spearfish Canyon is at 80% of its peak leaf color change. The deeper you drive into the Canyon, the more vivid colors you will see. Savoy and Roughlock Falls are spectacular sights right now. The golden hues of the birch and aspen seem to cascade amongst the Canyon rocks at Savoy. This is a great spot to view a season in transition, where many trees are at peak beauty while others will still reveal their colors throughout this week. Take advantage of the car pull-off spots as you enter Savoy to take in the fall splendor in all directions.
While hiking to Roughlock Falls on Saturday, I was reminded that each of the Canyon’s trails has its own unique treasures from unique creek views and sounds, to distinctive foliage and wildlife. Today at Iron Creek Trailhead, for example, my fellow leaf peepers (my son and aunt) spotted a chipmunk while I spied purple forget-me-nots near the waterway. We marveled at the golden birch lining the trail and sumac covering the castle-like rocks.
According to our calendars, the fall season started at 12:50 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23. Why is it that our fall equinox and peak leaf watching season seem to coincide? The fall equinox on Saturday was the exact moment when the sun’s rays shone over the equator. On the equinox, we have equal hours of daylight and dark night (12 hours each). The amount of daylight contributes to the extraordinary changes we see in the leaves in late September, when the fall equinox occurs.
There are three factors that influence autumn leaf color: Leaf pigments, length of the night, and the weather. Now that we are past the equinox, the Northern Hemisphere will get less hours of daylight. Longer and cooler nights in the fall signal to the trees to begin their biochemical processes to prepare for winter. Chlorophyll is what gives the leaves their green color and is necessary for photosynthesis, when sunlight is used to make leaf food. In the autumn, chlorophyll production slows down, then stops, and is eventually destroyed. When this happens, the leaf pigments become unmasked revealing their fall colors.
It's not too late to enjoy Spearfish Canyon’s fall beauty! Download the Leaf Watching Map to follow along with the spots mentioned in these leaf reports.
