National Park·California·459,216 acres
Kings Canyon National Park
Forecast issued Nov 11, 7:48am ET
Photograph: More Than Just Parks
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Hard frost Thursday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
Weather Wind to 40 mph Saturday. Color may come down before it turns.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Kings Canyon National Park in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Kings Canyon National Park around Oct 14, and the four days to aim for are Oct 13 to 16.
The park runs from about 6,891 to 12,344 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 33 days: the high stands around Sep 29, the low ground around Oct 19. That's 5 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.
| Week | In the park | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Still green | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Still green | |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Starting to turn | 10,000 to 12,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Starting to turn | 12,000 to 14,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Nearly peak | 8,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Peak color | |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Just past peak | 6,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Just past peak |
- 12,000–14,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2911%
- 10,000–12,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2651%
- 8,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 726%
- 6,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1910%
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 later than our model alone would say. This season’s reports from the ground moved it, and they outrank us.
The place
Kings Canyon drops over 8,200 feet from Spanish Mountain to the confluence of the South and Middle Forks of the Kings River. That makes it one of the deepest canyons in North America, deeper than the Grand Canyon by some measurements. First protected in 1890 under a different name, it spent fifty years as General Grant National Park before FDR expanded it into something worthy of the geography.
Established 1940. About 699,000/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 13 to Wednesday, October 14
You’ll find it fading up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 12,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 29; down at 8,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 19. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 12,000–14,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 29
- 10,000–12,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 26
- 8,000–10,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 7
- 6,000–8,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 19
- Where to drive
- Bishop Creek Road (Route 168), about 25 miles · US Route 395 (Eastern Sierra), about 50 miles · June Lake Loop (Route 158), about 67 miles
- What turns
- Fremont cottonwood, California black oak, blue oak, white alder, willow
- Entrance
- $35
What turns, and when
- Fremont cottonwood21%
- California black oak18%
- blue oak15%
- white alder14%
- willow14%
- valley oak7%
Also named across California, outside what the canopy read measures here: Quaking Aspen, Bigleaf Maple.
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 Kings Canyon National Park
- When is peak fall foliage at Kings Canyon National Park?
Our forecast puts peak color at Kings Canyon National Park around Oct 14, and the four days to aim for are Oct 13 to 16.
- Where is the best fall color at Kings Canyon National Park right now?
On Nov 11 the park is leaves down. The last band to peak was 6,000 to 8,000 feet, around Oct 19.
- How long does peak last at Kings Canyon National Park?
About four days at the top, Oct 13 to 16, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the park's elevations the color moves over about 33 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 37 days.
- Is Kings Canyon National Park past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 14, and on Nov 11 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Kings Canyon National Park?
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.
- Is there an entrance fee at Kings Canyon National Park?
Entrance fee $35.
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
Sequoia and Inyo and Dinkey Lakes Wilderness and Sierra and Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Botanical Area are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 23 best Oct 22 to 25
Fall color roads near Kings Canyon National Park
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the park, so allow more by road.
- Bishop Creek Road (Route 168)
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)
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)
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)
A remote Sierra crossing with scattered aspen groves and wide alpine meadows. Less visited than 395 but equally beautiful.