This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It seems a bit early this season, especially after a hot summer, but leaves are starting to show off their autumn colors in many Utah canyons.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, leaves change in early autumn in response to the shortening days and declining intensity of sunlight.
That causes the veins that carry fluids in and out of the leaf gradually close off as a layer of cells form at the base of each leaf.
Two recent drives revealed that these changes are beginning, meaning the Labor Day weekend is a good time to go look at nature's annual paintbrush.
Leaves are changing on the Mirror Lake Highway between Kamas and Evanston, Wyo.
But the real show right now can be found in the Heber Valley, where the several hundred thousand Labor Day visitors going to Midway's annual Swiss Days celebration will be treated to quite a show.
I drove up Big Cottonwood Canyon, over Guardsmen's Pass and down Pine Creek Canyon Tuesday and the leaves are changing rapidly.
Views are beautiful, especially at Wasatch Mountain State Park, where now is also a great time to enjoy a round of golf as well.
So those who are going to get into the mountains for a Labor Day trip should expect to see northern Utah at its finest.