National Park·Arizona·88,759 acres
Saguaro National Park
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
Photograph: More Than Just Parks
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
3 reports came in from Pima County this week, 3 of them at peak. Our date held. See the county on the map.
When is peak fall foliage at Saguaro National Park in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Saguaro National Park around Oct 28, and the four days to aim for are Oct 27 to 30.
The park runs from about 2,326 to 7,238 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 14 days: the high stands around Oct 15, the low ground around Oct 29. That's 5 days earlier than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.
| Week | In the park | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Still green | |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Starting to turn | |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Starting to turn | 6,000 to 7,000 ft, 7,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Nearly peak | 4,000 to 5,000 ft, 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Peak color | 2,000 to 3,000 ft, 3,000 to 4,000 ft |
| Nov 2 to Nov 8 | Just past peak |
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 157%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1814%
- 5,000–6,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2116%
- 4,000–5,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2413%
- 3,000–4,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2725%
- 2,000–3,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 2924%
Height off 3DEP inside the park’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the park stands in it.
That’s 5 days earlier than our model alone would say. This season’s reports from the ground moved it, and they outrank us.
The place
Two districts flank Tucson like bookends, and both exist for the same reason. The saguaro cactus can live 200 years, grow 40 feet tall, and weigh 6 tons when full of water. In late spring the tops erupt with white flowers that open at night and close by the next afternoon. Driving through a saguaro forest at sunset, with thousands of them throwing long shadows across the bajada, is one of the more surreal experiences in the park system.
Established 1994. About 946,000/year visitors.
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.
Tuesday, October 27 to Wednesday, October 28
You’ll find it just past peak up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 6,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 18; down at 3,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 29. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 6,000–7,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 18
- 5,000–6,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 21
- 4,000–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 24
- 3,000–4,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 27
- 2,000–3,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 29
- What turns
- honey mesquite, velvet ash, Fremont cottonwood, willow, bigtooth maple
- Entrance
- $25
What turns, and when
- honey mesquite33%
- velvet ash12%
- Fremont cottonwood12%
- willow12%
- bigtooth maple9%
- Arizona walnut6%
Also named across Arizona, outside what the canopy read measures here: Quaking Aspen, Gambel Oak, 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 Saguaro National Park
- When is peak fall foliage at Saguaro National Park?
Our forecast puts peak color at Saguaro National Park around Oct 28, and the four days to aim for are Oct 27 to 30.
- Where is the best fall color at Saguaro National Park right now?
On Nov 10 the park is fading. The last band to peak was 2,000 to 3,000 feet, around Oct 29.
- How long does peak last at Saguaro National Park?
About four days at the top, Oct 27 to 30, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the park's elevations the color moves over about 14 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 18 days.
- Is Saguaro National Park past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 28, and on Nov 10 it's fading.
- What trees turn color at Saguaro National Park?
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.
- Is there an entrance fee at Saguaro National Park?
Entrance fee $25.
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
Nearby, and when they turn
Coronado is on the map above, with its own date.
- Peak Oct 31 best Oct 30 to Nov 2
- Peak Oct 17 best Oct 16 to 19
- Peak Oct 24 best Oct 23 to 26