From the East Valley, it takes about 2.5 hours driving to reach the top of the Pinal Mountain range, or about 90-minutes if you're driving there from the vicinity of Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior. The best color is found down the first half-mile of the Ice House Canyon hiking trail, and around Ferndell Spring and the Six-Shooter Trail. Forest Service outhouse toilets are at the Sulfide de Rey campground and also Ferndell; picnic tables and firepits are available. Check the Tonto National Forest website to verify seasonal fire restrictions.  Check out Jim Van Housen’s album
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cuesmacros/sets/72157636921524713

Getting there from the East Valley: take Highway 60 East past Superior and through the town of Miami and then through the smaller community of Claypool.  After milepost 247, just past the Walmart plaza, turn right (South) at the stoplight where you'll see a brown sign for the Pinal Mountain Recreation Area.  Now you're heading South on Russell Road; be sure to watch for a sharp right turn within a quarter-mile – and stay on Russell Road; after 2-3 miles Russell Road turns into Forest Road #55. Continue straight on FR55 another few miles as it winds through Russell Gulch Canyon uphill to the intersection of Forest Road 651.  At that intersection turn right at the sign which reads ‘Pinal Mountains 11 miles.’ This beautiful, winding mountain road ascends through low desert canyon country up into chaparral and then Ponderosa Pine forests. You'll pass the Sulfide del Rey campground - which has Forest Service toilets, campsites and fire rings. Just past Sulfide del Rey campground, bear left towards Signal Peak and Forest Road 651 winds around the south side of the mountain range – giving sweeping views across the Dripping Springs Valley below - and rows of dramatic mountain ranges extending to the south. Look to the East, when skies are clear on that far horizon you can see the Catalina Mountains looming and shadowy 100 miles away.        

Dave Langdon posted these after an Oct. 25 visit

https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=PaXhsglXSic%24&id=28C73D5E3993D648%21239&cid=28C73D5E3993D648

It takes about 10 miles of graded dirt road after you turn onto FR651, before you'll reach the Ice House Canyon trailhead. Watch for this at left, with a sign announcing trail #198. Park nearby and hike down the first half-mile of that trail, then back up again. Ice House Canyon holds the largest stand of aspen trees in the Pinals, and the steep trail winds through the heart of this forest and down in the drainage below. As you drive towards the trailhead that last quarter-mile of FR651 gives one particularly choice viewpoint where you'll see golden aspen color cascading down into Ice House canyon. Be aware that this is a steep trail; trekking poles and hiking boots are definitely advised.  

Want more? Check out John Aho’s gallery of Autumn color

https://www.flickr.com/photos/planetwrite/sets/72157631893185778

After hiking the Ice House Canyon Trail drive another mile east along the Pinal ridgetop, watching for signs for Ferndell, followed by 20 private cabins, then signs for Signal Peak and the Upper Recreation Site. Drive over to Signal Peak and also drive through Ferndell before you head back down to Globe. Both are quite scenic, and the Six Shooter Trail downhill below Ferndell is less steep than Ice House Canyon.

Photographers take note: aspen groves and maples mostly occur on the cooler North-facing canyons near the top 1,000 feet of the Pinal Mountain range, so consider about sunlight and back-lighting when planning your trip. October middays from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. are best for photos on the Ice House Canyon trail. Arrive much later and you'll find the sun has dipped low in the canyon and trees too backlit for colorful photography. Maps and hiking trails of the Pinal Mountain Range can be obtained from the Tonto National Forest Service Globe Ranger District office, for details call 928-425-7189 or https://www.fs.usda.gov/tonto.

Here's another gallery of Dave Langdon’s fall foliage

https://onedrive.live.com/?id=28C73D5E3993D648%21283&cid=28C73D5E3993D648

For a different experience of the Pinals, drive the Forest Service road that ascends the northeast side of the mountains to Pioneer Pass. General road directions are similar; take Hwy 60 East to Globe, once you reach town watch for the railroad overpass at the Broad Street signal light. Turn left on Broad Street, drive through downtown Globe, and follow signs to the Besh Ba Gowah archaeological park (or just set your GPS for Besh Ba Gowah). After the Besh turnoff (at right), turn right onto Kellner Canyon Road. Proceed a few miles to the Ice House Canyon Road intersection, then bear left (its actually straight, though) here, where Kellner makes a sharp right turn. Ice House Canyon Road takes you all the way up through Pioneer Pass. Pavement road turns to graded dirt after a few miles, near the DC Cattle ranch and Ice House campground. Continue on Pioneer Pass - a winding dirt road that ascends up-and-over the east side of the Pinals, complete with Forest Service outhouse toilets, campsites and fire rings.

Thanks, Trish Gunther Van Housen for posting this album

https://www.flickr.com/photos/danceswithtripods/sets/72157636914826443