Falls Trail Tour - Stop 8

Oak leaves and acorns.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Amenities

1 listed

Information Kiosk/Bulletin Board

Note: Post 8 is currently lying down on the trail, so look carefully!

Look at the small group of oaks here. Several species of oaks can be found not only in riparian areas like this one, but also in the piñon-juniper woodland and mixed conifer forests of the mesatops. In the canyons, oaks grow into small trees up to 60 feet tall, but usually remain short and shrubby on the drier mesas. The acorns of these trees are an important food for wildlife such as black bears, jays, and rock squirrels. The Ancestral Pueblo people ate these acorns too. Acorns are usually boiled before eating to remove acid that makes them taste very bitter. In autumn, oaks turn yellow or red. However, the dead brown leaves do not fall until the next spring, when new growth begins.