Peak color lands around Nov 13 in most of Alabama, but it moves 13 days across the state. Here’s where, and when, and how sure we are.
Alabama fall foliage map for the week of Nov 9
When is peak fall foliage in Alabama in 2026?
Most of Alabama peaks between Nov 8 and Nov 16: the north first, around Nov 8, and the south last, around Nov 16. The first county to peak is DeKalb County, around Nov 6, and the last is Mobile County, around Nov 19.
Latitude does most of the work here: color moves south at about two days per degree, so the north of the state turns a week or more ahead of the south. This fall is running 4 days late on September's temperatures, and the dates here already include it.
| Week | Where it peaks | Most of the state |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2 to Nov 8 | William B. Bankhead National Forest, Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, Sipsey Wilderness and 14 counties | Nearly peak |
| Nov 9 to Nov 15 this week | Talladega National Forest, Natchez Trace Parkway, Tuskegee National Forest and 39 counties | Peak color |
| Nov 16 to Nov 22 | Conecuh National Forest, Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge and 14 counties | Just past peak |
Each date is the middle of the four days we’d aim a trip at, and each place page names them. We score the model against 7 long-running forest monitoring sites in this part of the country and publish what it got wrong.
Late October through mid-November in the north, late November in central Alabama is how Alabama is usually described.
Alabama’s season place by place
Every place we forecast in Alabama, each set on the calendar at its peak and painted by how far along it is today, Nov 10.
First: Little River Canyon National Preserve, Nov 6. Last: Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Nov 20.
The dashed rule is today; the solid one is the median of the places on this chart, Nov 8. The date at the top of the page is the median county, which includes the low ground between them.
Where to go in Alabama
The destinations we cover in Alabama, in the order their color arrives. Each carries its own forecast and its own band, because a state isn’t one place.
- PeakPeak Nov 10 best Nov 9 to 12
- PeakPeak Nov 11 best Nov 10 to 13
- Horseshoe Bend National Military ParkPeakPeak Nov 11 best Nov 10 to 13
- Grand Bay National Wildlife RefugePeakPeak Nov 12, sweetgum Nov 20 best Nov 11 to 14
- PeakPeak Nov 13 best Nov 12 to 15
- Cahaba River National Wildlife RefugePeakPeak Nov 13 best Nov 12 to 15
- PeakPeak Nov 17 best Nov 16 to 19
- Fern Cave National Wildlife RefugeNear peakPeak Nov 7 best Nov 6 to 9
- Near peakPeak Nov 8 best Nov 7 to 10
- Wheeler National Wildlife RefugeNear peakPeak Nov 8 best Nov 7 to 10
- Sipsey WildernessNear peakPeak Nov 8 best Nov 7 to 10
- Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife RefugeNear peakPeak Nov 8 best Nov 7 to 10
- Dugger Mountain WildernessNear peakPeak Nov 8, oak Nov 11 best Nov 7 to 10
- Cheaha WildernessNear peakPeak Nov 8, oak Nov 11 best Nov 7 to 10
- Bee Branch Scenic AreaNear peakPeak Nov 8 best Nov 7 to 10
- Key Cave National Wildlife RefugeNear peakPeak Nov 8, oak Nov 11 best Nov 7 to 10
- Sauta Cave National Wildlife RefugeNear peakPeak Nov 8 best Nov 7 to 10
- Bon Secour National Wildlife RefugeNear peakPeak Nov 20, sweetgum Nov 28 best Nov 19 to 22
- Little River Canyon National PreservePast peakPeak Nov 6 best Nov 5 to 8
- Russell Cave National MonumentPast peakPeak Nov 6 best Nov 5 to 8
Questions people ask about Alabama fall foliage
- When is peak fall foliage in Alabama?
Most of Alabama peaks between Nov 8 and Nov 16: the north first, around Nov 8, and the south last, around Nov 16. The first county to peak is DeKalb County, around Nov 6, and the last is Mobile County, around Nov 19. This fall is running 4 days late on September's temperatures, and the dates here already include it.
- Where is the best fall foliage in Alabama right now?
As of Nov 10, Talladega National Forest, Natchez Trace Parkway, Horseshoe Bend National Military Park and 15 more are at peak, with Conecuh National Forest within a week of it. Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge follows around Nov 20.
- How long does peak last in Alabama?
In any one place, about four days at the top, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across Alabama as a whole, peak moves 13 days from DeKalb County to Mobile County, so there's peak color somewhere in the state for about 17 days.
- Is Alabama past peak?
Not yet for most of it. As of Nov 10, 6 of Alabama's 67 counties are past peak, 23 are at it and 38 are still ahead.
- How far along is Alabama's fall foliage today?
On Nov 10, 23 of Alabama's 67 counties (34 percent) are at peak, 38 (57 percent) are turning and 6 (9 percent) are past peak. The county map above paints each one, and the live map lets you scrub the day.
- When do the leaves change in Alabama?
The first color shows in DeKalb County around Oct 16 and peaks there around Nov 6. Mobile County is the last of Alabama's 67 counties, peaking around Nov 19. Most of the state turns through the weeks around Nov 13.
- What's the best time to visit Alabama for fall foliage?
The week of Nov 13 catches the most of the state at once, and the four days we'd aim at there are Nov 12 to 15. That's the leaf peeping window for Alabama as a whole. For DeKalb County and the counties around it, aim for the week of Nov 6; for Mobile County and its neighbors, the week of Nov 19.
What actually turns
Sweetgums produce a kaleidoscope of purple, red, and orange on individual trees, while hickories and oaks turn the ridges of the Appalachian foothills gold and bronze.
- Sweetgum
- Red Maple
- Tulip Poplar
- Hickory
- White Oak
Talladega National Forest along the Talladega Scenic Byway (Route 281) produces the best concentrated color in the state, peaking in the first two weeks of November.
Worth the drive
Fayette County in north-central Alabama contains the western edge of Talladega National Forest and the rolling Southern Appalachian foothills. Alabama is not the first state people think of for fall color, but the Talladega Scenic Byway through the forest produces a warm, unhurried display of sweetgums, oaks, and hickories that peaks in early-to-mid November, well after the eastern marquee destinations have gone bare.
Covington County in south-central Alabama is a less obvious pick, but Cleburne County on the eastern Talladega range and Blount County north of Birmingham also produce excellent late-season color. The real Talladega powerhouse is Cleburne County, where Cheaha Mountain, the highest point in Alabama at 2,413 feet, rises above a sea of hardwood forest that peaks in the first two weeks of November.
Every county by peak week
Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega, Winston
Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Chambers, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Dallas, Elmore, Escambia, Fayette, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jefferson, Lamar, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Russell, Sumter, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox
Baldwin, Mobile
Every date on this site is a forecast: a model corrected by ground reports, carrying a measured error, published in full. Check conditions with the land manager before you travel. Last reviewed September 2026. Open the live map
See it on the map
The live map covers every county in the country, with a timeline you can scrub through the season, the nearest forest monitoring camera, and the long-term record where we hold one. If you’re going this weekend, the weekend report names where color is at peak right now, region by region.
Before you drive, it’s worth checking fire and smoke conditions for the same forests. A perfect color week is no good under a smoke plume.