One of my best friends and I recently took a trip to Page, Arizona to check a couple of things (namely Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend) off our bucket lists. To get there, it's a 5-hour drive each way. After my friend got off of work, we packed the car with our luggage and road trip snacks and started our journey north. The plan was to stay at Lake Powell Resort in Page for two nights with a stop in Flagstaff on the way back on Sunday to see fall foliage. I wanted to recreate the experience I had last year when the aspens were in their full fall glory!

About an hour outside of Page, while driving in the pitch dark in our 2WD rental car, it started to snow pretty hard. My friend was white-knuckle driving as we made our way along the winding road in the dark. While the unexpected snowfall was certainly nerve-wracking, as the passenger I decided to distract myself and look up the conditions at Snowbowl in Flagstaff where we intended to see fall foliage in a couple of days. To my surprise, the ski resort had received 8 inches of snow that night. This was the first snowfall of the season.

Since we planned to see the yellow-leafed aspens in Flagstaff on our way back to Scottsdale, it was even more of an incentive to go. Seeing both foliage and snow together in perfect harmony was quickly added to my bucket list that weekend! And the scenery did not disappoint! The vibrant leaves of the aspens along with the newly fallen powder made for some gorgeous scenery. And how cool is it to see such a collision of two seasons — fall and winter?

So, here it is October 2024, and we were able to see golden aspens and snow at the same time in Arizona, of all places! As we wound our way for 7 miles up the mountain, the higher the elevation got, the more fall foliage we saw. And we couldn't believe the hoards of people who turned up at Snowbowl just to see the gorgeous fall and winter scenery. The parking lot was incredibly crowded but, luckily, we found a spot straight away.

For comparison, this is what the fall foliage looked like a year ago in Oct. 2023:

And this is what it looked like in October 2024:

As you can see, the fall foliage took on a much different appearance this year with the arrival of the first snowfall of the season. This precursor to the skiing and snowboarding season at Snowbowl brought nature, fall foliage, and snow lovers out in droves...and what a remarkable experience!

We walked from the main parking lot of the ski resort, then through the snow-covered field to get to the Aspen Nature Loop Trail. My friend and I were ill-prepared as far as clothing was concerned. Luckily I had a jacket as it was only in the mid-50s. However, wearing sneakers instead of snow boots made for a slippery walk. My feet were also soaked from snow getting into my shoes. But was it worth it? Indeed, it was!

I loved seeing how happy everyone seemed on the mountain. Adults were acting like children as they threw snowballs at each other and laughed excitedly at, what I assume, seeing snow for the very first time. And my friend and I were smiling from ear to ear as we took dozens of photos, took videos, and threw snow at each other!

Seeing fall foliage and snow together in this rare event in Arizona was an incredible experience, and one I hope to have again. Maybe next year...