National Forest·California, Oregon·1,674,558 acres
Klamath National Forest
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
Fremont cottonwood and California black oak
Oregon white oak and bigleaf maple, peak Oct 26
Peak color should arrive around Oct 5 for the Fremont cottonwood and California black oak, and around Oct 26 for the Oregon white oak and bigleaf maple.
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Hard frost Monday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Klamath National Forest in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Klamath National Forest around Oct 14, and the four days to aim for are Oct 13 to 16. Oregon white oak and bigleaf maple peak later, around Oct 26.
The forest runs from about 1,967 to 6,308 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 8 days: the high stands around Oct 5, the low ground around Oct 13.
| Week | In the forest | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Starting to turn | |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Nearly peak | 6,000 to 7,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Peak color | 1,000 to 2,000 ft, 4,000 to 5,000 ft, 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Just past peak | 2,000 to 3,000 ft, 3,000 to 4,000 ft |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Just past peak | |
| Nov 2 to Nov 8 | Fading |
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 59%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1220%
- 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1829%
- 3,000–4,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2521%
- 2,000–3,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2416%
- 1,000–2,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 135%
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.
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 just past peak up high, starting to turn lower down.
Up at 6,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 5; down at 3,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 24. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 6,000–7,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 5
- 5,000–6,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 12
- 4,000–5,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 18
- 3,000–4,000 ftStarting to turnpeak Oct 25
- 2,000–3,000 ftStarting to turnpeak Oct 24
- What turns
- Oregon white oak, Fremont cottonwood, California black oak, blue oak, bigleaf maple
What turns, and when
- Oregon white oak25%
- Fremont cottonwood14%
- California black oak13%
- blue oak12%
- bigleaf maple10%
- willow9%
Also named across California, outside what the canopy read measures here: Quaking Aspen, 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.
Questions people ask about Klamath National Forest
- When is peak fall foliage at Klamath National Forest?
Our forecast puts peak color at Klamath National Forest around Oct 14, and the four days to aim for are Oct 13 to 16. Oregon white oak and bigleaf maple peak later, around Oct 26.
- Where is the best fall color at Klamath National Forest right now?
On Nov 10 the forest is leaves down. The last band to peak was 3,000 to 4,000 feet, around Oct 25.
- How long does peak last at Klamath National Forest?
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 forest's elevations the color moves over about 8 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 12 days.
- Is Klamath National Forest past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 14, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Klamath National Forest?
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
Nearby, and when they turn
Six Rivers and Smith River and Shasta-Trinity and Whiskeytown Shasta-Trinity and Rogue River-Siskiyou are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 26 best Oct 25 to 28