Answered from today's forecast, not last year's.
When is peak fall foliage in 2026?
It depends on where you stand. Region by region, the middle park or forest peaks around Oct 1 in the Rocky Mountains, Oct 9 in the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest, Oct 11 in the Pacific Northwest, Oct 11 in the New England, Oct 14 in the Northern Plains, Oct 17 in the Desert Southwest, Oct 17 in the California, Oct 20 in the Mid-Atlantic, Oct 25 in the Southeast Appalachia, Oct 26 in the Capital Region, Oct 29 in the Central Midwest, Nov 1 in the Ohio Valley, Nov 6 in the Southern Plains and Nov 16 in the Gulf South. Inside any region the high ground goes first and the low ground last, which is why every state page carries a county-by-county map rather than one date.
Where is fall foliage peaking right now?
As of Oct 26, 49 of the parks and forests we forecast are at peak, among them Gila National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, George Washington and Jefferson National Forests and Los Padres National Forest. Assateague Island National Seashore is next, around Nov 3. The weekend report names where color is at peak this weekend, region by region.
Is fall foliage early or late this year?
Across the 48 states with a September temperature reading, this autumn runs about 3 days late, latest in Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky and earliest in Washington. That shift is already in every date on this map. It’s a real signal but a modest one: temperature explains under a tenth of how much peak moves year to year.
Where’s the best leaf peeping this weekend, Oct 31 to Nov 1?
At peak this weekend: Tonto National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Los Padres National Forest and Coronado National Forest. The weekend report ranks every region on Friday, and the map above lets you scrub to any day of the season.
Is there a fall foliage map for my state?
Yes, one for each of the 48 states in the lower 48, listed above with the date its middle turns. Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin call it a fall color map, New Hampshire calls it a foliage tracker, and every one has its county map as a picture you can save or embed.
How is this map made?
From the trees, not the latitude: the species in every county and every park, its elevation, this September’s weather, live forest cameras, reports from the ground and a decade of our own frames from the field. How this map is made shows the working, including what it got wrong.
