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Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

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National Forest·California·1,192,379 acres

Plumas National Forest

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorOct 18Aim for Oct 17 to 20
In the forest today, Nov 10Leaves down
SepOctNov

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.

I-80I-5I-299I-395RenoChicoYuba CityCarson CitySusanvilleRocklinLincolnTruckeeTahoepeak Nov 3Lassen Forestpeak Oct 20Lassen Volcanicpeak Oct 12Eldoradopeak Oct 24Whiskeytown Shasta-Trinitypeak Oct 17Plumas
I-5I-80I-395I-20RenoChicoSusanvilleYuba CityTruckeeOrovilleCold SpringsLincolnTahoepeak Nov 3Lassen Forestpeak Oct 20Eldoradopeak Oct 24Plumas
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Plumas National Forest Plumas County holds most of the forest and is leaves down today. Butte County, to the west, is 7 days behind. Sierra County, to the southeast, is 2 days ahead.
Plumas National Forest fall foliage map 2026: the unit and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 10. Peak forecast around Oct 18, best Oct 17 to 20.
Save or share this mapToday’s Plumas 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 Plumas National Forest in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Plumas National Forest around Oct 18, and the four days to aim for are Oct 17 to 20.

The forest runs from about 2,660 to 6,774 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 19 days: the high stands around Oct 11, the low ground around Oct 24.

Plumas, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the forestElevation at peak
Sep 21 to Sep 27Starting to turn
Sep 28 to Oct 4Starting to turn
Oct 5 to Oct 11Nearly peak6,000 to 7,000 ft
Oct 12 to Oct 18Peak color5,000 to 6,000 ft
Oct 19 to Oct 25Peak color2,000 to 3,000 ft, 4,000 to 5,000 ft
Oct 26 to Nov 1Just past peak3,000 to 4,000 ft
Nov 2 to Nov 8Fading
By elevation The forest runs from about 2,660 to 6,774 feet. That’s 19 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 11, the low ground holds until about Oct 24, 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. 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1121%
  2. 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1733%
  3. 4,000–5,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2425%
  4. 3,000–4,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 2911%
  5. 2,000–3,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 247%

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.

Saturday, October 17 to Sunday, October 18

You’ll find it just past peak up high, starting to turn lower down.

Up at 6,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 11; down at 4,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 29. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

  • 6,000–7,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 11
  • 5,000–6,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 17
  • 4,000–5,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 24
  • 3,000–4,000 ftStarting to turnpeak Oct 29
Where to drive
Sonora Pass (Route 108), about 127 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 Plumas National Forest

When is peak fall foliage at Plumas National Forest?

Our forecast puts peak color at Plumas National Forest around Oct 18, and the four days to aim for are Oct 17 to 20.

Where is the best fall color at Plumas 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 29.

How long does peak last at Plumas National Forest?

About four days at the top, Oct 17 to 20, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 19 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 23 days.

Is Plumas National Forest past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 18, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.

What trees turn color at Plumas 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

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

  1. Lassen National ForestCA · about 47 miles
    Peak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22
  2. Mokelumne WildernessCA · about 103 miles
    Peak Oct 26 best Oct 25 to 28

Fall color roads near Plumas National Forest

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

  • Sonora Pass (Route 108) · about 127 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.