Short, yes - but stunning - Utah - includes trip planner to Alpine Scenic Loop - Cover Story

Sunset, Sept, 1996 by Peter Fish

Mount Timpanogos, anchoring the south end of the Wasatch Range, is beautiful any time of year. But come autumn, it's a stunner. Here glow aspens brassy as trumpets, ostentatious as gilt, golden as the tresses of a princess in a fairy tale.

Mount Timpanogos's aspens can be appreciated on the short but choice Alpine Scenic Loop, which runs along the mountain's east and north flanks for 19 twisting and turning miles. Though they vary with the season's rainfall and temperatures, peak aspen displays generally begin in late September (maples precede them by a week or so) and last through October. Early birds may not see the most colorful displays, but they'll be in time to enjoy this loop's other attractions, including Timpanogos Cave National Monument and the trails to Timp's summit, which are most comfortably traversed before October.

From Provo, drive northeast on U.S. 189, which plays hopscotch with the Provo River through steep-walled Provo Canyon. In 9 miles you'll reach Nunns Park; stop there to admire Bridal Veil Falls, whose aerial tram is currently closed. Vivian Park, 2 miles from the falls, is the southern terminus of the Heber Valley Historic Railroad; its locomotives pull vintage railcars through upper Provo Canyon.

Three miles above the falls, State 92 branches off to the north. The highway climbs, and the show soon begins - the cottonwoods and maples of Timpanogos's lower slopes giving way to aspens, which in turn contrast with the dark green spruces and firs of the mountain's higher slopes. Two miles north of the highway junction, Robert Redford's Sundance resort provides a plush but rustic roost for aspen fanciers; this year you can even ride a chair lift up the mountain for a close-up view of turning leaves. Another good stop is the Forest Service picnic area at Aspen Grove: from here, a 6-mile trail leads to the summit of the mountain. Above Aspen Grove, a side road runs east and downhill to Cascade Springs, where water pools over lovely limestone terraces, viewable on boardwalks.

Timpanogos Cave National Monument requires a steep, 1.5-mile climb to the entrance, but the stalactite- and stalagmite-dotted grottoes make the effort worthwhile. (Note that the monument is slated to stay open only through September 20.) From the caves the highway descends west through American Fork Canyon. Steeply walled and titanic in scale, the canyon offers the kind of scenery that demands that you put something noble in your tape deck - say, Beethoven's Eroica - and crank that sucker up loud.

RELATED ARTICLE: TRIP PLANNER: ALPINE SCENIC LOOP

Just 19 miles long, the Alpine Scenic Loop is short enough to do as a day trip. But it easily merits an overnight stay, particularly if you want to do some hiking on Mount Timpanogos. Consider visiting for a day or two during the week, for this drive lies relatively close to the populous Wasatch Front and receives lots of weekend visitors.

Provo - 50 miles south of Salt Lake City via Interstate 15 - is the natural base for the trip. Best known as home to Brigham Young University, Provo has the usual complement of chain motels, but more cosmopolitan cuisine than you might expect. To get closer to the aspen action, book one of the 92 rooms at Sundance (800/892-1600); rates range from $150 to $275 a night through September 30, and from $125 to $250 a night starting October 1. Even if you don't stay overnight, the area's best dining options are here: the Tree Room (elegantly good for dinner), Foundry Grill (regional Western cuisine in a less formal setting), and the new Owl Creek Saloon. Another good lodging possibility lies about 20 miles north: the Homestead Resort (800/327-7220; $85 to $129), a gracious, turn-of-the-century hostelry in Midway, in the Swiss-settled Heber Valley.

Useful telephone numbers include the Utah Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, (800) 222-8824; the Uinta National Forest, (801) 377-5780; Timpanogos Cave National Monument, (801) 756-5238; and the Heber Valley Historic Railroad, (801) 654-5601.