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Forecast issued Nov 11, 7:48am ET

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National Forest·California·1,068,351 acres

Lassen National Forest

Forecast issued Nov 11, 7:48am ET

Peak colorOct 20Aim for Oct 19 to 22
In the forest today, Nov 11Leaves down
SepOctNov

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

Weather Wind to 40 mph Thursday. Color may come down before it turns.

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

No new reports from the ground here this week.

US 101I-80I-5I-299WestwoodChicoRenoSusanvilleYuba CityRed BluffOrovilleCarson CityLassen Volcanicpeak Oct 12Plumaspeak Oct 18Whiskeytown Shasta-Trinitypeak Oct 17Shasta-Trinitypeak Oct 30Modocpeak Oct 10Tahoepeak Nov 3Lassen
I-5I-80I-299I-395ChicoSusanvilleRenoRed BluffYuba CityOrovilleAndersonEast QuincyLassen Volcanicpeak Oct 12Plumaspeak Oct 18Whiskeytown Shasta-Trinitypeak Oct 17Shasta-Trinitypeak Oct 30Modocpeak Oct 10Tahoepeak Nov 3Lassen
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Lassen National Forest Lassen County holds most of the forest and is leaves down today. Tehama County, to the west, is 14 days behind. Shasta County, to the northwest, is 10 days behind.
Lassen National Forest fall foliage map 2026: the unit and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 11. Peak forecast around Oct 20, best Oct 19 to 22.
Save or share this mapToday’s Lassen National Forest 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 Lassen National Forest in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Lassen National Forest around Oct 20, and the four days to aim for are Oct 19 to 22.

The forest runs from about 2,551 to 6,690 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 13 days: the high stands around Oct 9, the low ground around Oct 26.

Lassen, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the forestElevation at peak
Sep 21 to Sep 27Still green
Sep 28 to Oct 4Starting to turn
Oct 5 to Oct 11Starting to turn6,000 to 7,000 ft
Oct 12 to Oct 18Nearly peak5,000 to 6,000 ft
Oct 19 to Oct 25Peak color4,000 to 5,000 ft
Oct 26 to Nov 1Just past peak2,000 to 3,000 ft, 3,000 to 4,000 ft
Nov 2 to Nov 8Fading
By elevation The forest runs from about 2,551 to 6,690 feet. That’s 13 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 9, the low ground holds until about Oct 26, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 4,000 to 5,000 foot band.
  1. 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 920%
  2. 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1438%
  3. 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 2117%
  4. 3,000–4,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2815%
  5. 2,000–3,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 266%

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.

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.

Monday, October 19 to Tuesday, October 20

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

Up at 6,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 9; down at 4,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 28. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

  • 6,000–7,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 9
  • 5,000–6,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 14
  • 4,000–5,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 21
  • 3,000–4,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 28
What turns
willow, black cottonwood, California black oak, blue oak, Fremont cottonwood

What turns, and when

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 Lassen National Forest

When is peak fall foliage at Lassen National Forest?

Our forecast puts peak color at Lassen National Forest around Oct 20, and the four days to aim for are Oct 19 to 22.

Where is the best fall color at Lassen National Forest right now?

On Nov 11 the forest is leaves down. The last band to peak was 3,000 to 4,000 feet, around Oct 28.

How long does peak last at Lassen National Forest?

About four days at the top, Oct 19 to 22, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 13 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 17 days.

Is Lassen National Forest past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 20, and on Nov 11 it's leaves down.

What trees turn color at Lassen 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

All of California

Nearby, and when they turn

Plumas and Whiskeytown Shasta-Trinity and Shasta-Trinity and Modoc and Tahoe are on the map above, with their own date.

  1. Mendocino National ForestCA · about 101 miles
    Peak Nov 2 best Nov 1 to 4