Where is the best fall color at Pinnacles National Park right now?

On Nov 10 the park is fading. The last band to peak was 2,000 to 2,500 feet, around Oct 31.

How long does peak last at Pinnacles National Park?

About four days at the top, Oct 27 to 30, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the park's elevations the color moves over about 5 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 9 days.

Is Pinnacles National Park past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 28, and on Nov 10 it's fading.

Back to the map

National Park·California·26,696 acres

Pinnacles National Park

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak color, most of the standOct 28Aim for Oct 27 to 30

In the park today, Nov 10Fading

California black oak and Fremont cottonwood

valley oak and bigleaf maple, peak Nov 15

Peak color should arrive around Oct 25 for the California black oak and Fremont cottonwood, and around Nov 15 for the valley oak and bigleaf maple.

Roadsides and wetland edges turn first, and the woods behind them run a few days later.

No new reports from the ground here this week.

Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.

Around Pinnacles National Park San Benito County holds most of the park and is just past peak today. That’s the county as a whole, which peaks 9 days later than the park’s own stands: the park is fading. Monterey County, to the southeast, is 8 days ahead.

When is peak fall foliage at Pinnacles National Park in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Pinnacles National Park around Oct 28, and the four days to aim for are Oct 27 to 30. valley oak and bigleaf maple peak later, around Nov 15.

The park runs from about 1,001 to 2,425 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 5 days: the high stands around Oct 31, the low ground around Oct 29.

Pinnacles, fall color week by week, 2026
Week	In the park	Elevation at peak
Oct 12 to Oct 18	Starting to turn
Oct 19 to Oct 25	Nearly peak
Oct 26 to Nov 1	Peak color	500 to 1,000 ft, 1,000 to 1,500 ft, 1,500 to 2,000 ft, 2,000 to 2,500 ft
Nov 2 to Nov 8	Just past peak
Nov 9 to Nov 15 this week	Just past peak

By elevation The park runs from about 1,001 to 2,425 feet. That’s 5 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 31, the low ground holds until about Oct 29, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 500 to 1,000 foot band.

2,000–2,500 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 3120%
1,500–2,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2641%
1,000–1,500 ftFadingpeak Oct 2730%
500–1,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 295%

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.

The place

Twenty-three million years ago, a volcano erupted 195 miles southeast of here. The San Andreas Fault has been dragging the remains northwest ever since. What you get today are spires and crags jutting out of the California hills like broken teeth, with talus caves wedged between the boulders below. Pinnacles is small, uncrowded, and one of the best places in the country to watch California condors fly.

Established 2013. About 200,000/year visitors.

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.

ArrivingLeaving

Tuesday, October 27 to Wednesday, October 28

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

Up at 2,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 31; down at 1,500 feet they hold on until about Oct 27. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

2,000–2,500 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 31
1,500–2,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 26
1,000–1,500 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 27

Where to drive: June Lake Loop (Route 158), about 145 miles
What turns: California black oak, Fremont cottonwood, blue oak, white alder, willow
Entrance: $30

What turns, and when

California black oak22%
Fremont cottonwood19%
blue oak19%
white alder13%
willow13%
valley oak10%

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 Pinnacles National Park

When is peak fall foliage at Pinnacles National Park?: Our forecast puts peak color at Pinnacles National Park around Oct 28, and the four days to aim for are Oct 27 to 30. valley oak and bigleaf maple peak later, around Nov 15.
Where is the best fall color at Pinnacles National Park right now?: On Nov 10 the park is fading. The last band to peak was 2,000 to 2,500 feet, around Oct 31.
How long does peak last at Pinnacles National Park?: About four days at the top, Oct 27 to 30, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the park's elevations the color moves over about 5 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 9 days.
Is Pinnacles National Park past peak?: Yes. Peak was around Oct 28, and on Nov 10 it's fading.
What trees turn color at Pinnacles 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 Pinnacles National Park?: Entrance fee $30.

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

Golden Gate National Recreation AreaCA · about 123 miles
Peak Oct 28 best Oct 27 to 30
Sierra National ForestCA · about 123 miles
Peak Oct 22 best Oct 21 to 24
Los Padres National ForestCA · about 124 miles
Peak Oct 29 best Oct 28 to 31
Dinkey Lakes WildernessCA · about 128 miles
Peak Oct 5 best Oct 4 to 7
Yosemite National ParkCA · about 130 miles
Peak Oct 31 best Oct 30 to Nov 2
Stanislaus National ForestCA · about 133 miles
Peak Oct 10 best Oct 9 to 12

Fall color roads near Pinnacles National Park

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

June Lake Loop (Route 158) · about 145 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.