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Forecast issued Nov 12, 5:26pm ET

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Wilderness Area·Arkansas·15,333 acres

Hurricane Creek Wilderness

Forecast issued Nov 12, 5:26pm ET

Peak color, most of the standNov 4Aim for Nov 3 to 6
In the wilderness today, Nov 13Just past peak

white oak and black oak

SepOctNov

shagbark hickory and sugar maple, peak Oct 29

SepOctNov

Peak color should arrive around Oct 29 for the shagbark hickory and sugar maple, and around Nov 7 for the white oak and black oak.

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

No new reports from the ground here this week.

I-40US 412LamarDoverRussellvilleClarksvilleHarrisonDardanelleAtkinsOzarkOzark-St. Francispeak Nov 4Buffalo National Riverpeak Nov 4Hurricane Creek Wilderness
I-40US 412LamarDoverRussellvilleHarrisonDardanelleLondonOzark-St. Francispeak Nov 4Buffalo National Riverpeak Nov 4Hurricane Creek Wilderness
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Hurricane Creek Wilderness Newton County holds most of the wilderness and is just past peak today. Johnson County, to the southwest, is 2 days behind. Pope County, to the south, is 3 days behind.
Hurricane Creek Wilderness fall foliage map 2026: the place and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 13. Peak forecast around Nov 4, oak Nov 7, best Nov 3 to 6.
Save or share this mapToday’s Hurricane Creek Wilderness 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 Hurricane Creek Wilderness in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Hurricane Creek Wilderness around Nov 4, and the four days to aim for are Nov 3 to 6. shagbark hickory and sugar maple peak later, around Oct 29.

The wilderness runs from about 908 to 1,925 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 3 days: the high stands around Nov 3, the low ground around Nov 5. That's 6 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.

Hurricane Creek Wilderness, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the wildernessElevation at peak
Oct 19 to Oct 25Starting to turn
Oct 26 to Nov 1Nearly peak
Nov 2 to Nov 8Peak color750 to 1,000 ft, 1,000 to 1,250 ft, 1,250 to 1,500 ft, 1,500 to 1,750 ft, 1,750 to 2,000 ft
Nov 9 to Nov 15 this weekJust past peak
By elevation The wilderness runs from about 908 to 1,925 feet. That’s 3 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Nov 3, the low ground holds until about Nov 5, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 1,250 to 1,500 foot band.
  1. 1,750–2,000 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 319%
  2. 1,500–1,750 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 331%
  3. 1,250–1,500 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 422%
  4. 1,000–1,250 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 516%
  5. 750–1,000 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 510%

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

That’s 6 days later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, which shifts peak color.

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, November 13 to Saturday, November 14

You’ll find it just past peak.

Peak color was 10 days before you arrive, around Nov 4.

  • 1,750–2,000 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 3
  • 1,500–1,750 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 3
  • 1,250–1,500 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 4
  • 1,000–1,250 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 5
  • 750–1,000 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 5
What turns
white oak, black oak, shagbark hickory, sugar maple

What turns, and when

Also named across Arkansas, outside what the canopy read measures here: Red Maple, Sweetgum, Blackgum.

The Ozark Mountains produce a warm-toned fall of gold oaks, bronze hickories, crimson blackgums, and the occasional sweetgum burning purple and red along the creek bottoms.

Questions people ask about Hurricane Creek Wilderness

When is peak fall foliage at Hurricane Creek Wilderness?

Our forecast puts peak color at Hurricane Creek Wilderness around Nov 4, and the four days to aim for are Nov 3 to 6. shagbark hickory and sugar maple peak later, around Oct 29.

Where is the best fall color at Hurricane Creek Wilderness right now?

On Nov 13 the wilderness is just past peak. The last band to peak was 750 to 1,000 feet, around Nov 5.

How long does peak last at Hurricane Creek Wilderness?

About four days at the top, Nov 3 to 6, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 3 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 7 days.

Is Hurricane Creek Wilderness past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Nov 4, and on Nov 13 it's just past peak.

What trees turn color at Hurricane Creek Wilderness?

White oak is 43 percent of the trees that turn here, then black oak (28 percent), shagbark hickory (15) and sugar maple (14). White oak turns russet; black oak and sugar maple turn red; shagbark hickory turns yellow or gold. What turns, and when

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. We score it here against 7 long-running forest cameras: two dates in three land within 13 days of the camera’s own peak. How this map is made

All of Arkansas

Nearby, and when they turn

Buffalo National River is on the map above, with its own date.

  1. Hercules-Glades WildernessMO · about 68 miles
    Peak Nov 3 best Nov 2 to 5
  2. Ouachita National ForestAR, OK · about 83 miles
    Peak Nov 8 best Nov 7 to 10
  3. Hot Springs National ParkAR · about 84 miles
    Peak Nov 9 best Nov 8 to 11
  4. Black Fork Mountain WildernessAR, OK · about 99 miles
    Peak Nov 6 best Nov 5 to 8
  5. Upper Kiamichi River WildernessOK · about 105 miles
    Peak Nov 6 best Nov 5 to 8

Fall color roads near Hurricane Creek Wilderness

Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.

  • Route 7 Scenic Byway · about 10 miles, AR · 160 miles of road

    Often called the most scenic drive in Arkansas. The section between Jasper and Harrison through the Buffalo River valley is the highlight.

  • Pig Trail Scenic Byway (Route 23) · about 31 miles, AR · 19 miles of road

    Twists through the Ozark National Forest between Ozark and Brashears. Tight switchbacks through dense hardwood canopy. Best in late October.

  • Talimena National Scenic Byway · about 109 miles, OK · 54 miles of road

    Runs the ridge of the Ouachita Mountains from Talihina, OK to Mena, AR. Ridgetop views of color-covered mountains in every direction. Peaks late October to early November.

  • Route 19 through Ozark National Scenic Riverways · about 144 miles, MO · 41 miles of road

    Missouri's Ozarks produce a warm-toned fall of oaks and hickories. The Current River section is the highlight.