Photograph: More Than Just Parks
Peak color lands around Oct 29 in most of Arizona, but it moves 29 days across the state. Here’s where, and when, and how sure we are.
Arizona fall foliage map for the week of Nov 9
When is peak fall foliage in Arizona in 2026?
Most of Arizona peaks between Oct 20 and Nov 7: the high country first, around Oct 21, and the low ground last, around Nov 5. The first county to peak is Apache County, around Oct 12, and the last is Yuma County, around Nov 10.
Elevation does most of the work here. Color runs down a mountain at roughly a day per 100 meters, so a ridge and the valley below it can be a week or two apart in the same county. This fall is running 1 day late on September's temperatures, and the dates here already include it.
| Week | Where it peaks | Most of the state |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Petrified Forest National Park, Mount Baldy Wilderness and 1 county | Starting to turn |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Coconino National Forest, Kaibab National Forest, Grand Canyon National Park and 2 counties | Nearly peak |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Tonto National Forest, Coronado National Forest, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and 7 counties | Peak color |
| Nov 2 to Nov 8 | Prescott National Forest, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Mazatzal Wilderness and 4 counties | Just past peak |
| Nov 9 to Nov 15 this week | Imperial Refuge Wilderness Area, Cibola National Wildlife Refuge and 1 county | 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 publish what the model got wrong, region by region.
6 of 15 counties here are corrected by people who have actually looked at the trees this season. 142 reports from official state sources have moved those dates off the model and narrowed their windows. Counties with neither keep the model forecast and say so. Which is which is marked in the table below.
Late September at high elevations, mid-October in the canyons is how Arizona is usually described.
Arizona’s season place by place
The 24 places closest to their peak in Arizona, each set on the calendar at its peak and painted by how far along it is today, Nov 10.
First: Mount Baldy Wilderness, Oct 12. Last: Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, Nov 9.
The dashed rule is today; the solid one is the median of the places on this chart, Oct 21. The date at the top of the page is the median county, which includes the low ground between them.
Where to go in Arizona
The destinations we cover in Arizona, in the order their color arrives. Each carries its own forecast and its own band, because a state isn’t one place.
- Imperial Refuge Wilderness AreaNear peakPeak Nov 9 best Nov 8 to 11
- Cibola National Wildlife RefugeNear peakPeak Nov 9 best Nov 8 to 11
- Mount Baldy WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 12 best Oct 11 to 14
- Phelps Botanical AreaPast peakPeak Oct 12 best Oct 11 to 14
- Escudilla WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 13 best Oct 12 to 15
- Hubbell Trading Post National Historic SitePast peakPeak Oct 13 best Oct 12 to 15
- Past peakPeak Oct 17 best Oct 16 to 19
- Past peakPeak Oct 17 best Oct 16 to 19
- Navajo National MonumentPast peakPeak Oct 19 best Oct 18 to 21
- Past peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Saddle Mountain WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Kachina Peaks WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Bear Wallow WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Kendrick Mountain WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Sunset Crater Volcano National MonumentPast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Walnut Canyon National MonumentPast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- C Hart Merriam Scenic AreaPast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Past peakPeak Oct 22 best Oct 21 to 24
- Sycamore Canyon WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 22 best Oct 21 to 24
- Strawberry Crater WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 22 best Oct 21 to 24
- Wupatki National MonumentPast peakPeak Oct 24 best Oct 23 to 26
- Mount Tipton Wilderness AreaPast peakPeak Oct 24 best Oct 23 to 26
- Oak Creek Canyon Recreation AreaPast peakPeak Oct 24 best Oct 23 to 26
- Past peakPeak Oct 25 best Oct 24 to 27
Also forecast in ArizonaCoronado National ForestGlen Canyon National Recreation AreaLake Mead National Recreation AreaPrescott National ForestSaguaro National ParkTonto National Forest
Questions people ask about Arizona fall foliage
- When is peak fall foliage in Arizona?
Most of Arizona peaks between Oct 20 and Nov 7: the high country first, around Oct 21, and the low ground last, around Nov 5. The first county to peak is Apache County, around Oct 12, and the last is Yuma County, around Nov 10. This fall is running 1 day late on September's temperatures, and the dates here already include it.
- Where is the best fall foliage in Arizona right now?
As of Nov 10, Imperial Refuge Wilderness Area and Cibola National Wildlife Refuge are at peak.
- How long does peak last in Arizona?
In any one place, about four days at the top, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across Arizona as a whole, peak moves 29 days from Apache County to Yuma County, so there's peak color somewhere in the state for about 33 days.
- Is Arizona past peak?
Mostly. As of Nov 10, 14 of Arizona's 15 counties are past peak, 1 is at it and 0 are still ahead. Yuma County is the last to peak, around Nov 10.
- How far along is Arizona's fall foliage today?
On Nov 10, 1 of Arizona's 15 counties (7 percent) is at peak and 14 (93 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 Arizona?
The first color shows in Apache County around Sep 21 and peaks there around Oct 12. Yuma County is the last of Arizona's 15 counties, peaking around Nov 10. Most of the state turns through the weeks around Oct 29.
- What's the best time to visit Arizona for fall foliage?
The week of Oct 29 catches the most of the state at once, and the four days we'd aim at there are Oct 28 to 31. That's the leaf peeping window for Arizona as a whole. For Apache County and the counties around it, aim for the week of Oct 12; for Yuma County and its neighbors, the week of Nov 10.
What actually turns
Aspens on the San Francisco Peaks turn gold above 8,000 feet, Gambel oaks go orange and russet at mid-elevations, and cottonwoods line the creek bottoms in butter yellow.
- Quaking Aspen
- Bigtooth Maple
- Gambel Oak
- Arizona Sycamore
- Fremont Cottonwood
The Inner Basin Trail on the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff walks through one of the densest aspen groves in the Southwest, peaking in early October.
Every county by peak week
Apache observed
Navajo
Coconino observed, Graham, Greenlee corrected
Cochise, Gila, Mohave, Pima observed, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai corrected
La Paz, Maricopa observed, Yuma
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.