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Wilderness Area·California·30,863 acres

Dinkey Lakes Wilderness

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorOct 5Aim for Oct 4 to 7
In the wilderness today, Nov 10Leaves down
SepOctNov

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

Weather Hard frost Wednesday night. Peak may come early and go fast.

Weather Wind to 35 mph Saturday. Color may come down before it turns.

No new reports from the ground here this week.

I-99I-168I-41AuberryMammoth LakesClovisSangerYokuts ValleyBishopOakhurstYosemite LakesSierrapeak Oct 22John Muir Wildernesspeak Sep 29Ansel Adams Wildernesspeak Oct 23Kings Canyonpeak Oct 14Inyopeak Oct 7Owens River Headwaters Wildernesspeak Oct 8Dinkey Lakes Wilderness
AuberryMammoth LakesYokuts ValleyMinklerSierrapeak Oct 22John Muir Wildernesspeak Sep 29Ansel Adams Wildernesspeak Oct 23Kings Canyonpeak Oct 14Inyopeak Oct 7Dinkey Lakes Wilderness
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Dinkey Lakes Wilderness Nearly all of the wilderness is in Fresno County, which is fading today. That’s the county as a whole, which peaks 21 days later than the wilderness’s own stands: the wilderness is leaves down.
Dinkey Lakes Wilderness fall foliage map 2026: the place and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 10. Peak forecast around Oct 5, best Oct 4 to 7.
Save or share this mapToday’s Dinkey Lakes 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 Dinkey Lakes Wilderness in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Dinkey Lakes Wilderness around Oct 5, and the four days to aim for are Oct 4 to 7.

The wilderness runs from about 8,292 to 9,831 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 10 days: the high stands around Sep 26, the low ground around Oct 6.

Dinkey Lakes Wilderness, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the wildernessElevation at peak
Sep 7 to Sep 13Still green
Sep 14 to Sep 20Starting to turn
Sep 21 to Sep 27Nearly peak9,500 to 10,000 ft
Sep 28 to Oct 4Peak color8,500 to 9,000 ft, 9,000 to 9,500 ft
Oct 5 to Oct 11Peak color8,000 to 8,500 ft
Oct 12 to Oct 18Just past peak
By elevation The wilderness runs from about 8,292 to 9,831 feet. That’s 10 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Sep 26, the low ground holds until about Oct 6, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 8,000 to 8,500 foot band.
  1. 9,500–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2619%
  2. 9,000–9,500 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 3038%
  3. 8,500–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 329%
  4. 8,000–8,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 613%

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.

Today from the NEON.D17.TEAK.DP1.00033 camera, 19 km from Dinkey Lakes Wilderness
See it now PhenoCam Network, Lower Teakettle camera, 19 km away, captured Nov 9.
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.

Sunday, October 4 to Monday, October 5

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

Up at 9,500 feet the stands peak around Sep 26; down at 8,500 feet they hold on until about Oct 6. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

  • 9,500–10,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 26
  • 9,000–9,500 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 30
  • 8,500–9,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 3
  • 8,000–8,500 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 6
Where to drive
Bishop Creek Road (Route 168), about 27 miles · US Route 395 (Eastern Sierra), about 32 miles · June Lake Loop (Route 158), about 42 miles
What turns
Fremont cottonwood, white alder, willow, bigleaf maple, California black oak

What turns, and when

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

Eastern Sierra aspens turn brilliant gold against granite walls, black oaks in Yosemite Valley go bronze and russet, and cottonwoods line the desert creeks in pale yellow.

Questions people ask about Dinkey Lakes Wilderness

When is peak fall foliage at Dinkey Lakes Wilderness?

Our forecast puts peak color at Dinkey Lakes Wilderness around Oct 5, and the four days to aim for are Oct 4 to 7.

Where is the best fall color at Dinkey Lakes Wilderness right now?

On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 8,000 to 8,500 feet, around Oct 6.

How long does peak last at Dinkey Lakes Wilderness?

About four days at the top, Oct 4 to 7, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 10 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 14 days.

Is Dinkey Lakes Wilderness past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 5, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.

What trees turn color at Dinkey Lakes Wilderness?

Quaking Aspen, Black Oak, Bigleaf Maple, Fremont Cottonwood, White Alder. Eastern Sierra aspens turn brilliant gold against granite walls, black oaks in Yosemite Valley go bronze and russet, and cottonwoods line the desert creeks in pale 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 California

Nearby, and when they turn

Ansel Adams Wilderness and Kings Canyon and Inyo and Owens River Headwaters Wilderness are on the map above, with their own date.

  1. Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Botanical AreaCA · about 51 miles
    Peak Oct 4 best Oct 3 to 6
  2. Sequoia National ParkCA · about 52 miles
    Peak Oct 2 best Oct 1 to 4

Fall color roads near Dinkey Lakes Wilderness

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

  • Bishop Creek Road (Route 168) · about 27 miles, CA · 18 miles of road

    Climbs from the Owens Valley to South Lake and Lake Sabrina. Aspens line the creek the entire way, peaking in early-to-mid October.

  • US Route 395 (Eastern Sierra) · about 32 miles, CA · 106 miles of road

    The stretch from Bridgeport to Lone Pine. Every canyon draining the Sierra's east side holds aspens, and the backdrop of 14,000-foot peaks is unmatched.

  • June Lake Loop (Route 158) · about 42 miles, CA · 16 miles of road

    A short loop off US 395 with dense aspen groves around four alpine lakes. The most concentrated aspen color in California.

  • Sonora Pass (Route 108) · about 86 miles, CA · 30 miles of road

    A remote Sierra crossing with scattered aspen groves and wide alpine meadows. Less visited than 395 but equally beautiful.