town in Utah
Honey bee forage in Alton, Utah
Estimated forage here is better than about 47% of sites in Utah. Against other Utah sites it stands out most in summer (54th percentile) and lowest in fall (39th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 1.2 mi NE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 1.4 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Alton?
- First forage: Apr 1 (native wildflowers, spring-flowering shrubs, dandelion)
- Main flow: May 16 to Aug 31, peaking early Jul (summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Alton, from what grows within flight range (about 3.7 miles) and when it blooms here. Dates are the model's estimate for a typical year; the spring index for this spot falls on May 20.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, rabbitbrush; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): spring-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, rabbitbrush; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Alfalfa: about 128 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi NE, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Sorghum: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi E, blooms late Jul – late Sep (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
From USDA's crop maps for 2021–2025; fields rotate, so a crop counts by how often it was grown. Listing a field says nothing about its owner.
The land and water around Alton
Mostly: Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Rocky Mountain Gambel Oak-Mixed Montane Shrubland; Inter-Mountain Basins Montane Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.21 mi E; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.5 mi NW.
How Alton ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 10th | 14th | 34th | 55th |
| Utah | 47th | 44th | 54th | 39th |
| Colorado Plateaus | 72nd | 46th | 77th | 62nd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 82% of the land here is scored with national averages for its vegetation type rather than measured plant cover, so the wild-plant part of this estimate is rougher than the crop part.
The national forage map around Alton: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Glendale 8 mi · Orderville 15 mi · Hatch 16 mi · Bryce Canyon City 26 mi · Brian Head 26 mi · Cannonville 27 mi
An estimate from public maps (USDA crop maps 2021–2025 averaged, LANDFIRE vegetation), not a survey of the ground. Maps can't see garden plantings, understory density, other beekeepers' hives, or this year's weather. The point is the Census Bureau's published center of Alton (37.4265, -112.5103); a yard a mile or two away can differ, so check your own spot. The FEMA flood map was not checked for this page. Benchmark 2026.5, built 2026-10-19. How this works · All sources.