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Forecast issued Nov 11, 7:48am ET

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National Forest·California·929,122 acres

Mendocino National Forest

Forecast issued Nov 11, 7:48am ET

Peak colorNov 2Aim for Nov 1 to 4
In the forest today, Nov 11Just past peak
SepOctNov

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

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

No new reports from the ground here this week.

US 101I-5I-80I-299CoveloWillitsChicoSanta RosaUkiahYuba CityClearlakeOrlandWhiskeytown Shasta-Trinitypeak Oct 17Shasta-Trinitypeak Oct 30Lassen Volcanicpeak Oct 12Lassen Forestpeak Oct 20Plumaspeak Oct 18Mendocino
I-5I-299US 101I-80CoveloWillitsUkiahOrlandClearlakeWillowsCorningRed BluffWhiskeytown Shasta-Trinitypeak Oct 17Shasta-Trinitypeak Oct 30Mendocino
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Mendocino National Forest Lake County holds most of the forest and is leaves down today. That’s the county as a whole, which peaks 14 days earlier than the forest’s own stands: the forest is just past peak. Tehama County, to the northeast, is 5 days behind. Mendocino County, to the southwest, is 8 days behind.
Mendocino 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 Nov 2, best Nov 1 to 4.
Save or share this mapToday’s Mendocino 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 Mendocino National Forest in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Mendocino National Forest around Nov 2, and the four days to aim for are Nov 1 to 4.

The forest runs from about 1,458 to 5,912 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 7 days: the high stands around Oct 12, the low ground around Oct 19.

Mendocino, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the forestElevation at peak
Sep 28 to Oct 4Still green
Oct 5 to Oct 11Still green
Oct 12 to Oct 18Starting to turn5,000 to 6,000 ft, 6,000 to 7,000 ft
Oct 19 to Oct 25Nearly peak1,000 to 2,000 ft, 4,000 to 5,000 ft
Oct 26 to Nov 1Peak color2,000 to 3,000 ft, 3,000 to 4,000 ft
Nov 2 to Nov 8Peak color
Nov 9 to Nov 15 this weekJust past peak
By elevation The forest runs from about 1,458 to 5,912 feet. That’s 7 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 12, the low ground holds until about Oct 19, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 3,000 to 4,000 foot band.
  1. 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 124%
  2. 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1816%
  3. 4,000–5,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2423%
  4. 3,000–4,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 3123%
  5. 2,000–3,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2821%
  6. 1,000–2,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1912%

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.

Sunday, November 1 to Monday, November 2

You’ll find it peak color.

That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.

  • 5,000–6,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 18
  • 4,000–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 24
  • 3,000–4,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 31
  • 2,000–3,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 28
  • 1,000–2,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 19
What turns
California black oak, blue oak, valley oak, Fremont cottonwood, white alder

What turns, and when

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 Mendocino National Forest

When is peak fall foliage at Mendocino National Forest?

Our forecast puts peak color at Mendocino National Forest around Nov 2, and the four days to aim for are Nov 1 to 4.

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

On Nov 11 the forest is just past peak. The last band to peak was 3,000 to 4,000 feet, around Oct 31.

How long does peak last at Mendocino National Forest?

About four days at the top, Nov 1 to 4, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 7 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 11 days.

Is Mendocino National Forest past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Nov 2, and on Nov 11 it's just past peak.

What trees turn color at Mendocino 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

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

  1. Lassen National ForestCA · about 101 miles
    Peak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22
  2. Point Reyes National SeashoreCA · about 108 miles
    Peak Oct 27 best Oct 26 to 29