National Park·California·406,662 acres
Sequoia National Park
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
Photograph: More Than Just Parks
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Hard frost Friday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
Weather Wind to 35 mph Saturday. Color may come down before it turns.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Sequoia National Park in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Sequoia National Park around Oct 2, and the four days to aim for are Oct 1 to 4.
The park runs from about 4,099 to 12,272 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 38 days: the high stands around Sep 26, the low ground around Nov 3. That's 1 day later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.
| Week | In the park | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Nearly peak | 10,000 to 12,000 ft, 12,000 to 14,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Just past peak | 8,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Just past peak | 6,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Fading | 4,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Leaves down | |
| Nov 2 to Nov 8 | Leaves down | 2,000 to 4,000 ft |
| Nov 9 to Nov 15 this week | Leaves down |
- 12,000–14,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 267%
- 10,000–12,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2632%
- 8,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 528%
- 6,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1517%
- 4,000–6,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2410%
- 2,000–4,000 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 35%
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.
That’s 1 day later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, which shifts peak color.
The place
The General Sherman Tree contains 52,500 cubic feet of wood. It is the largest living thing on earth by volume, and no photograph has ever come close to communicating the actual size of it. Sequoia was the second national park ever established, in 1890, and walking through these groves you understand why. The trees are so big they created their own weather.
Established 1890. About 1.2 million/year visitors.
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.
Thursday, October 1 to Friday, October 2
You’ll find it just past peak up high, still green lower down.
Up at 10,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 26; down at 6,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 24. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 10,000–12,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 26
- 8,000–10,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 5
- 6,000–8,000 ftStarting to turnpeak Oct 15
- 4,000–6,000 ftStill greenpeak Oct 24
- Where to drive
- Bishop Creek Road (Route 168), about 51 miles · US Route 395 (Eastern Sierra), about 76 miles · June Lake Loop (Route 158), about 93 miles
- What turns
- California black oak, blue oak, valley oak, Fremont cottonwood, white alder
- Entrance
- $35
What turns, and when
- California black oak31%
- blue oak28%
- valley oak14%
- Fremont cottonwood10%
- white alder7%
- willow7%
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 Sequoia National Park
- When is peak fall foliage at Sequoia National Park?
Our forecast puts peak color at Sequoia National Park around Oct 2, and the four days to aim for are Oct 1 to 4.
- Where is the best fall color at Sequoia National Park right now?
On Nov 10 the park is leaves down. The last band to peak was 2,000 to 4,000 feet, around Nov 3.
- How long does peak last at Sequoia National Park?
About four days at the top, Oct 1 to 4, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the park's elevations the color moves over about 38 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 42 days.
- Is Sequoia National Park past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 2, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Sequoia 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 Sequoia National Park?
Entrance fee $35.
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
Kings Canyon and Sequoia and John Muir Wilderness and Inyo and Sierra are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 5 best Oct 4 to 7
Fall color roads near Sequoia National Park
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the park, so allow more by road.
- Bishop Creek Road (Route 168)
Climbs from the Owens Valley to South Lake and Lake Sabrina. Aspens line the creek the entire way, peaking in early-to-mid October.
- US Route 395 (Eastern Sierra)
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.
- June Lake Loop (Route 158)
A short loop off US 395 with dense aspen groves around four alpine lakes. The most concentrated aspen color in California.
- Sonora Pass (Route 108)
A remote Sierra crossing with scattered aspen groves and wide alpine meadows. Less visited than 395 but equally beautiful.