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Forecast issued Nov 9, 7:48am ET

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National Forest·Arizona·1,257,248 acres

Prescott National Forest

Forecast issued Nov 9, 7:48am ET

Peak colorOct 31Aim for Oct 30 to Nov 2
In the forest today, Nov 9Just past peak
SepOctNov

Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.

17 reports came in from Yavapai County this week, 13 of them patchy color and 3 of them near peak. They moved our date 3 days later. See the county on the map.

I-40I-10I-17US 180Chino ValleyGlendaleDeer ValleyCamp VerdeAnthemWest SedonaPauldenPaysonCoconinopeak Oct 22Tontopeak Oct 31Kaibabpeak Oct 21Grand Canyonpeak Oct 25Prescott
I-40I-17I-10US 180Chino ValleyDeer ValleyGlendaleCamp VerdePauldenWest SedonaAnthemCordes LakesCoconinopeak Oct 22Tontopeak Oct 31Kaibabpeak Oct 21Grand Canyonpeak Oct 25Prescott
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Prescott National Forest Nearly all of the forest is in Yavapai County, which is just past peak today.
Prescott National Forest fall foliage map 2026: the unit and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 9. Peak forecast around Oct 31, best Oct 30 to Nov 2.
Save or share this mapToday’s Prescott National Forest fall foliage map as a picture, redrawn every morning. Free to reuse with credit to More Than Just Parks and a link back; the terms.Save the mapPin itFacebookXEmail

When is peak fall foliage at Prescott National Forest in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Prescott National Forest around Oct 31, and the four days to aim for are Oct 30 to Nov 2.

The forest runs from about 3,550 to 6,576 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 9 days: the high stands around Oct 25, the low ground around Nov 3. That's 8 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.

Prescott, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the forestElevation at peak
Oct 5 to Oct 11Starting to turn
Oct 12 to Oct 18Starting to turn
Oct 19 to Oct 25Nearly peak6,000 to 7,000 ft
Oct 26 to Nov 1Peak color4,000 to 5,000 ft, 5,000 to 6,000 ft
Nov 2 to Nov 8Peak color3,000 to 4,000 ft
Nov 9 to Nov 15 this weekJust past peak
By elevation The forest runs from about 3,550 to 6,576 feet. That’s 9 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 25, the low ground holds until about Nov 3, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 4,000 to 5,000 foot band.
  1. 6,000–7,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2517%
  2. 5,000–6,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 2837%
  3. 4,000–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 3135%
  4. 3,000–4,000 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 311%

Height off 3DEP inside the forest’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the forest stands in it.

That’s 8 days later than our model alone would say. This season’s reports from the ground moved it, and they outrank us.

Plan this trip

If you can only come on certain days

Set the days you can be here. Everything under them answers for those days, not for peak.

Friday, October 30 to Saturday, October 31

You’ll find it just past peak up high, nearly peak lower down.

Up at 6,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 25; down at 4,000 feet they hold on until about Nov 3. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

  • 6,000–7,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 25
  • 5,000–6,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 28
  • 4,000–5,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 31
  • 3,000–4,000 ftNearly peakpeak Nov 3
What turns
willow, velvet ash, Fremont cottonwood, Gambel oak, bigtooth maple

What turns, and when

Also named across Arizona, outside what the canopy read measures here: Quaking Aspen, Arizona Sycamore.

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.

Questions people ask about Prescott National Forest

When is peak fall foliage at Prescott National Forest?

Our forecast puts peak color at Prescott National Forest around Oct 31, and the four days to aim for are Oct 30 to Nov 2.

Where is the best fall color at Prescott National Forest right now?

On Nov 9 the forest is just past peak. The last band to peak was 3,000 to 4,000 feet, around Nov 3.

How long does peak last at Prescott National Forest?

About four days at the top, Oct 30 to Nov 2, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 9 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 13 days.

Is Prescott National Forest past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 31, and on Nov 9 it's just past peak.

What trees turn color at Prescott National Forest?

Quaking Aspen, Bigtooth Maple, Gambel Oak, Arizona Sycamore, Fremont Cottonwood. 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.

This forecast is built from the species that stand here, their elevation and this September’s weather, and corrected in season by cameras, foresters and our own crew. Out here we score it against NASA's satellite record of when the canopy shuts down, read inside each unit’s own boundary: two dates in three land within 12 days of it. How this map is made

All of Arizona

Nearby, and when they turn

Coconino and Tonto and Kaibab and Grand Canyon are on the map above, with their own date.

  1. Lake Mead National Recreation AreaAZ, NV · about 142 miles
    Peak Oct 26 best Oct 25 to 28
  2. Petrified Forest National ParkAZ · about 150 miles
    Peak Oct 17 best Oct 16 to 19