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Forecast issued Nov 9, 7:48am ET

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Wilderness Area·California·104,395 acres

Mokelumne Wilderness

Forecast issued Nov 9, 7:48am ET

Peak colorOct 26Aim for Oct 25 to 28
In the wilderness today, Nov 9Fading
SepOctNov

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

No new reports from the ground here this week.

I-80South Lake TahoeGardnerville RanchosFolsomPollock PinesJohnson LaneArnoldDiamond SpringsKingsburyCarson-Iceberg Wildernesspeak Oct 8Eldoradopeak Oct 24Stanislauspeak Oct 10Emigrant Wildernesspeak Oct 10Hoover Wildernesspeak Oct 6Yosemitepeak Oct 31Mokelumne Wilderness
South Lake TahoePollock PinesArnoldJohnson LaneBuckhornTahomaMurphysCarson-Iceberg Wildernesspeak Oct 8Eldoradopeak Oct 24Stanislauspeak Oct 10Emigrant Wildernesspeak Oct 10Hoover Wildernesspeak Oct 6Yosemitepeak Oct 31Mokelumne Wilderness
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Mokelumne Wilderness Alpine County holds most of the wilderness and is leaves down today. That’s the county as a whole, which peaks 21 days earlier than the wilderness’s own stands: the wilderness is fading. Amador County, to the west, is 18 days behind.
Mokelumne Wilderness fall foliage map 2026: the place and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 9. Peak forecast around Oct 26, best Oct 25 to 28.
Save or share this mapToday’s Mokelumne 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 Mokelumne Wilderness in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Mokelumne Wilderness around Oct 26, and the four days to aim for are Oct 25 to 28.

The wilderness runs from about 5,584 to 8,953 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 33 days: the high stands around Sep 25, the low ground around Oct 21.

Mokelumne Wilderness, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the wildernessElevation at peak
Sep 7 to Sep 13Still green
Sep 14 to Sep 20Still green
Sep 21 to Sep 27Still green9,000 to 10,000 ft
Sep 28 to Oct 4Still green8,000 to 9,000 ft
Oct 5 to Oct 11Starting to turn7,000 to 8,000 ft
Oct 12 to Oct 18Nearly peak6,000 to 7,000 ft
Oct 19 to Oct 25Peak color5,000 to 6,000 ft
Oct 26 to Nov 1Peak color
Nov 2 to Nov 8Just past peak
By elevation The wilderness runs from about 5,584 to 8,953 feet. That’s 33 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Sep 25, the low ground holds until about Oct 21, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 5,000 to 6,000 foot band.
  1. 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 254%
  2. 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 138%
  3. 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 636%
  4. 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1414%
  5. 5,000–6,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 216%

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.

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 25 to Monday, October 26

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

Up at 8,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 1; down at 7,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 14. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

  • 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1
  • 7,000–8,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 6
  • 6,000–7,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 14
Where to drive
Sonora Pass (Route 108), about 26 miles · June Lake Loop (Route 158), about 74 miles · US Route 395 (Eastern Sierra), about 94 miles
What turns
Fremont cottonwood, California black oak, white alder, willow, blue 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 Mokelumne Wilderness

When is peak fall foliage at Mokelumne Wilderness?

Our forecast puts peak color at Mokelumne Wilderness around Oct 26, and the four days to aim for are Oct 25 to 28.

Where is the best fall color at Mokelumne Wilderness right now?

On Nov 9 the wilderness is fading. The last band to peak was 5,000 to 6,000 feet, around Oct 21.

How long does peak last at Mokelumne Wilderness?

About four days at the top, Oct 25 to 28, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 33 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 37 days.

Is Mokelumne Wilderness past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 26, and on Nov 9 it's fading.

What trees turn color at Mokelumne 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

Stanislaus and Emigrant Wilderness and Hoover Wilderness and Yosemite are on the map above, with their own date.

  1. Tahoe National ForestCA · about 63 miles
    Peak Nov 3 best Nov 2 to 5
  2. Mono Basin National Scenic AreaCA · about 67 miles
    Peak Oct 12 best Oct 11 to 14

Fall color roads near Mokelumne Wilderness

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

  • Sonora Pass (Route 108) · about 26 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.

  • June Lake Loop (Route 158) · about 74 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.

  • US Route 395 (Eastern Sierra) · about 94 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.

  • Bishop Creek Road (Route 168) · about 121 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.