National Seashore·California·62,678 acres
Point Reyes National Seashore
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
vine maple and black cottonwood
bigleaf maple, peak Nov 10
Peak color should arrive around Oct 17 for the vine maple and black cottonwood, and around Nov 10 for the 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.
When is peak fall foliage at Point Reyes National Seashore in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Point Reyes National Seashore around Oct 27, and the four days to aim for are Oct 26 to 29. bigleaf maple peak later, around Nov 10.
The seashore runs from about -2 to 875 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 3 days: the high stands around Oct 25, the low ground around Oct 27.
| Week | In the seashore | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Starting to turn | |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Starting to turn | |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Nearly peak | 500 to 750 ft, 750 to 1,000 ft |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Peak color | -250 to 0 ft, 0 to 250 ft, 250 to 500 ft |
| Nov 2 to Nov 8 | Just past peak |
- 750–1,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 255%
- 500–750 ftFadingpeak Oct 258%
- 250–500 ftFadingpeak Oct 2615%
- 0–250 ftFadingpeak Oct 2749%
- -250–0 ftFadingpeak Oct 2720%
Height off 3DEP inside the seashore’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the seashore stands in it.
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 26 to Tuesday, October 27
You’ll find it peak color.
That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.
- 250–500 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 26
- 0–250 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 27
- -250–0 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 27
- What turns
- bigleaf maple, vine maple, black cottonwood, red alder, Fremont cottonwood
What turns, and when
- bigleaf maple26%
- vine maple23%
- black cottonwood12%
- red alder11%
- Fremont cottonwood10%
- white alder7%
Also named across California, outside what the canopy read measures here: Quaking Aspen, Black Oak.
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 Point Reyes National Seashore
- When is peak fall foliage at Point Reyes National Seashore?
Our forecast puts peak color at Point Reyes National Seashore around Oct 27, and the four days to aim for are Oct 26 to 29. bigleaf maple peak later, around Nov 10.
- Where is the best fall color at Point Reyes National Seashore right now?
On Nov 10 the seashore is fading. The last band to peak was -250 to 0 feet, around Oct 27.
- How long does peak last at Point Reyes National Seashore?
About four days at the top, Oct 26 to 29, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the seashore's elevations the color moves over about 3 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 7 days.
- Is Point Reyes National Seashore past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 27, and on Nov 10 it's fading.
- What trees turn color at Point Reyes National Seashore?
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
Nearby, and when they turn
- Peak Nov 2 best Nov 1 to 4
- Peak Oct 28 best Oct 27 to 30
- Peak Oct 24 best Oct 23 to 26
- Peak Nov 3 best Nov 2 to 5
- Peak Oct 10 best Oct 9 to 12
- Peak Oct 26 best Oct 25 to 28