Summer season’s excessive temperatures took their time leaving the celebration, and fall is slowly overlaying the Wasatch Entrance. Quickly to be decked out in vibrant reds, greens, oranges and yellows, autumn is head-turning within the Beehive State—particularly in Utah Valley.
Whereas totally different neighborhoods and areas of the valley can have altering leaves of their very own, there are various drives by way of the mountains which are properly well worth the gas. Listed here are a number of of the perfect leaf-peeping spots all through Utah Valley.
Hobble Creek Canyon
For drivers who take pleasure in a extra peaceable and fewer crowded scenic drive, Hobble Creek Canyon is a superb choice. Situated close to Springville, this canyon street takes you deep into the colourful mountains.
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Hobble Creek Parkway Path
There are a number of trailheads alongside Highlands Drive that result in the Hobble Creek Parkway Path. The path is eighteen miles lengthy and runs from the mouth of Hobble Creek Canyon as much as the highest of the Wasatch Mountains.
Views alongside the best way are breathtaking! This path is widespread amongst each hikers and mountain bikers. The path is open year-round, although circumstances range primarily based on the season. You should definitely examine the climate earlier than setting out on this path, because it will get very chilly within the winter months.
Kelly’s Grove Park
Kelly’s Grove Park, alongside Hobble Creek Highway, is a serene park to relaxation and luxuriate in the great thing about Hobble Creek Canyon. There are a number of trails that journey by way of the forest, with a number of scenic overlooks alongside the best way.
There are numerous picnic areas, playgrounds and some small lakes the place you may fish. This park is open throughout daylight and is a superb place to spend a day with the household.
Photograph: Discover Utah Valley
Alpine Loop
Maybe the most well-liked Utah Valley fall drive is Alpine Loop. Freeway 92 has a great deal of autumn treasures, together with Cascade Springs–a phenomenal spring with waterfalls and bridges dotting the again of Mount Timpanogos. There are additionally a number of trailheads alongside the freeway with a few of the finest fall hikes within the state.
You may entry Alpine Loop both by way of Provo Canyon or American Fork Canyon. When you’re getting out of the automotive to discover the forest or wilderness areas, you may have to pay a small $6 payment—nevertheless it’s good for 3 days!
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Stewart Falls
Stewart falls is a favourite 3.6-mile hike ranging from Aspen Grove alongside the Alpine loop. The falls are accessed by a brief and straightforward (however considerably rocky) path. There are well-marked switchbacks and a gradual ascent with a complete elevation acquire of 160 toes. The falls themselves are very picturesque with a pool of water at their base.
Mount Timpanogos
This hike is a strenuous one, however the view is totally breathtaking. The hike begins in Aspen Grove with a 7-mile trek ascending to the highest of Mount Timpanogos, with an elevation acquire of about 4,875 toes.
It is a widespread hike for a lot of within the fall when the bushes are altering. The path may be very properly marked, and also you cross the Stewart Falls path alongside the best way. There are a number of stream crossings, however nothing too troublesome.
The reward on the prime is totally well worth the climb and properly well worth the views. There are numerous locations to view the Alpine Loop alongside the best way, so you may cease at numerous factors to absorb the surroundings.
Cascade Springs
The street to Cascade Springs from the Alpine loop branches off to the appropriate towards Heber Valley. The boardwalk is brief and straightforward and is a superb place for individuals of all ages in addition to canines. The path is huge and largely flat with a number of steps and rocks alongside the best way. There are a number of small waterfalls alongside the path, in addition to some distinctive rock formations.
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Tibble Fork
Tibble Fork is a superb spot for fishing, picnicking, and mountaineering, however it’s a very small space. There are a number of mountaineering trails, together with one which results in Timp Falls (about 2.4 miles spherical journey). Tibble Fork is a superb place to chill out and luxuriate in nature, however it’s small and simply accessible.
Photograph: @gerardo_jimenez
Provo Canyon
There may be nothing fairly just like the drive up Provo Canyon as the enormous Utah mountains encompass the winding street on either side. There are a number of issues to do off of the primary street within the canyon.
Squaw (Kyhv) Peak
Squaw peak is a brief drive from Provo Canyon with a surprising view on the prime. You may simply spend the day driving alongside the canyon and nonetheless have time to make it to the height.
Bridal Veil Falls
That is the most important and most well-known waterfall within the canyon. It is lovely, very easy to get to, and an excellent place to go throughout any season. There’s a parking zone proper close to the falls, and you’ll stroll proper as much as the sting to benefit from the view. There are additionally trails that result in the highest of the falls, however they are often muddy and slippery throughout sure instances of the 12 months.
Provo River Parkway
The Provo River Parkway Path begins at Vivian Park and continues for 15 miles all the best way out to Utah Lake. You may typically see individuals strolling, biking, and longboarding alongside the paved path that continues out of the canyon.
The Federal Freeway Administration classifies Nebo Loop as a Nationwide Scenic Byway. With that form of identify, there isn’t any surprise why it is a widespread fall drive. The U.S. Forest Service says this 35-mile paved street is dwelling to aspens, oaks, junipers, and spruce-fir bushes, making a fiery and colourful palette.
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Begin from Payson after grabbing some ice cream from Eli’s for the street. The primary focal point alongside the Nebo Loop is Payson Lakes, a collection of small lakes which are nice for paddleboarding, kayaking, or taking a stroll.
Satan’s Kitchen Viewpoint
This viewpoint is a must-see alongside the Nebo Loop. It’s situated about midway by way of the drive, so be certain that to put aside sufficient time to get right here. There’s a small parking zone on the viewpoint, which may get crowded rapidly on a fall Saturday.
Satan’s Kitchen is a bowl-shaped basin of sandstone that will get its pink coloration from iron deposits. That is the perfect viewpoint alongside the byway to see the autumn colours because the pink rock contrasts properly with the yellows, oranges, and greens of the leaves.
The most effective instances to go to are within the morning or late afternoon when the solar is decrease within the sky and casts an orange glow on the panorama.
Grotto Falls
Grotto Falls is a small cascade that flows right into a small grotto. The falls are alongside a brief path that’s accessible to most individuals. This quick path is a superb place to stretch your legs and discover the great thing about the autumn foliage. The grotto is a small cavern that the water flows into, making a small pool that’s nice for photos.
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Photograph: Discover Utah Valley
Spanish Fork Canyon
Situated on US-6 heading towards Worth is Spanish Fork Canyon. Not solely will your drive by way of the canyon be stuffed with dazzling autumn colours, however you’ll take a number of routes on the fork between Freeway 89 and Freeway 6.
Fifth Water Sizzling Springs
When you make a aspect journey up Diamond Fork Canyon you may go to Fifth Water Sizzling Springs. Most individuals wish to hike to the springs when the climate is cooler, however within the fall, you may get heat water with a view.
Freeway 68, west of Utah Lake
The drive alongside Freeway 68 presents a view that is simply as spectacular as these canyon roads, nevertheless it has one thing most different Utah drives do not have: a panoramic view of Utah Valley in autumn.
When you will not see groves of colourful bushes on this drive, you may see all of Utah Valley’s colours from a distance—with a lake view.
Utah Valley shines within the autumn months and there isn’t any higher strategy to expertise the intense colours than to go for a drive and immerse your self in them. For extra info on every of those scenic drives, go to utahvalley.com.
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SALT LAKE CITY — After taking the official oath of office on Wednesday, Derek Brown has become Utah’s newest attorney general.
Now that he’s in office, what’s next? He joined Inside Sources to talk more about his priorities for office.
Below is a partial transcript of this interview as well as the full podcast.
KSL NewsRadio modified this interview for brevity and clarity.
HOST TAYLOR MORGAN: What are your priorities as you take office?
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GUEST DEREK BROWN: I think the key to that is transparency. When I served in the House of Representatives, I learned that people appreciate when you are open and you make it clear to them what you’re doing. And as people understand what we’re doing in the Attorney General’s Office, we’ll see successes, there will be an increase in trust … That’s just the natural outgrowth of transparency, and I’m going to be doing a number of things proactively so that we build that feeling of not just transparency but [also] trust.
MORGAN: My understanding is that you and your family have put your assets into a blind trust … and you have officially stepped down from any non-profit boards. Is that correct?
BROWN: That’s correct… I just feel like it makes sense, in light of this position, to just eliminate any potential conflicts of interest in advance. I’m a little sad to do it because these are great people. I love being there, making a difference. But at the same time, I feel like we’ve got those organizations onto a good footing.
People make Utah great, not government, says Gov. Cox at inauguration
MORGAN: [How] would you explain your role to listeners? What does the Utah attorney general do primarily?
BROWN: We have 280 attorneys, and they provide legal counsel for all the boards, commissions, and agencies of the state. Everything from the University of Utah to UDOT to DMV… So there’s literally 280 attorneys that do every conceivable area of the law… It is the largest law firm in the state of Utah, so my job is to make sure it’s also the best, most efficient, most well-funded, and well-respected law firm in the state of Utah.
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Listen to the podcast below for the entire interview.
We want to hear from you.
Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here.
“Sometimes they go in, and sometimes not,” Boqvist said. “I feel like our line played pretty well. We’re working hard and winning a lot of pucks down low, trying to play with speed. When we have time and space to do stuff, we will.”
From there, penalties proved costly for the Panthers.
After coming up short on their first two trips to the power play in the period, the third time was the charm for Utah as Logan Cooley lit the lamp to cut Florida’s lead to 2-1 at 13:41.
Stomping out any would-be comeback for Utah, Boqvist regained the two-goal cushion for the Panthers when he cashed in on the empty net from deep in his own zone to make it 3-1 at 17:59.
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At 19:38, Eetu Luostarinen tacked on another empty-netter to make it 4-1.
Finishing strong, the Panthers led 12-3 in scoring chances at 5-on-5 in the third period.
“I liked the bench,” Maurice said. “I liked the mood of it. They’re pulling for each other, supporting each other, battling and grinding. Understanding we come into this building, these teams come wired for us and are ready. Get out of the first period even. We’re good on the road like that. Then I thought we built. Halfway through the first period we got our game going.”
THEY SAID IT
“He’s earned it. We’ve used him at left and right wing, and he’s played center for us. He’s played with different people. He’s a really competitive guy.” – Paul Maurice on Jesper Boqvist
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“Speed, skill, hard work. He works really hard, but he also has that ability to take over games with his speed and skill. He has a great shot. We’ve seen that all year in practices and games. He’s fun to watch. He’s one of those players where it’s just a matter of time until he breaks out, and he’s breaking out right now. It’s been fun to watch.” – Aleksander Barkov on Jesper Boqvist
“He’s so good, right? It’s so fun to watch. Playing against him for a couple years, it’s not easy.” – Jesper Boqvist on Sergei Bobrovsky
CATS STATS
– Carter Verhaeghe extended his point streak to three games.
– The Panthers are 7-for-8 on the penalty kill over their last two games.
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– The Panthers have four players with at least 30 points this season.
– Sergei Bobrovsky is the third goaltender to earn a win against 33 NHL franchises.
– Sam Bennett won a team-high nine faceoffs.
– Matthew Tkachuk and Jesper Boqvist each recorded five hits.
– The Panthers held Utah to just eight shot attempts at 5-on-5 in the third period.
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WHAT’S NEXT?
Grab your popcorn.
Meeting for the third time this season, the Panthers will try to improve to 3-0-0 against the Boston Bruins when the two rivals clash at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.
Gov. Spencer Cox plans to discuss unlocking energy potential on public lands among other issues as he heads to Mar-a-Lago on Thursday along with Republican governors from across the country to pitch their priorities to President-elect Donald Trump.
“I plan to talk to him, if I get the opportunity, about energy and about public lands and how we can unleash the energy potential, especially in the West,” Cox told reporters Wednesday after his ceremonial inauguration. “We need significant reform in the energy space, especially when it comes to nuclear, being able to permit nuclear.”
One of Cox’s main goals for his second term is doubling energy production within the next decade, and his vision for achieving that includes bringing nuclear power to the Beehive State for the first time.
Utah’s history with all things nuclear has been fraught, since an untold number of residents were sickened by exposure to fallout from atomic bomb tests in neighboring Nevada. Utah was later targeted as a site for a high-level nuclear waste repository — a plan that ultimately was abandoned.
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Cox said he expects discussions to arise on housing affordability, border security and inflation — topics that are concerns for all of the GOP governors.
Utah’s chief executive said he also anticipates raising the status of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National monuments — which were created by Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, respectively, slashed to a fraction of their size during the first Trump presidency, and then restored under President Joe Biden.
Utah has sued the federal government over those monuments, and Cox said he would like to see the lawsuit progress.
“I don’t love the pingpong game that’s going back and forth,” he said. “That’s not good for anybody and it’s not helpful. And so, ultimately, we need the Supreme Court to decide some of those major issues.”
Cox has had an evolving relationship with the incoming president. He did not vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020, but, after an assassination attempt on candidate Trump in July 2024, the Utah governor wrote the former president a letter saying he believed he could unite the country.
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He later appeared alongside Trump at Arlington National Cemetery, spurring controversy because political campaigning is not allowed in the hallowed space, and Cox’s campaign sent out a fundraising email featuring an image from the meeting.
(@GovCox via X) Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, far right, poses for a photograph with the family of Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover and Republican candidate for president Donald Trump at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. Trump and Cox joined the Hoover family to commemorate the passing of Hoover, who was killed three years ago during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Cox later apologized, calling it a mistake.
Since Trump won the election in November, the governor has expressed an eagerness to work with the incoming administration, particularly when it comes to deporting criminal migrants.
He said he has been “working very closely” with Utah legislators who presented a suite of bills aimed at “making sure that we’re getting rid of the offenders who are here and trying to fix legal immigration,” a move that Cox said would require a federal solution.
