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Forecast issued Nov 10, 5:22pm ET

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National Recreation Area·California·329,767 acres

Smith River National Recreation Area

Forecast issued Nov 10, 5:22pm ET

Peak color, most of the standOct 14Aim for Oct 13 to 16
In the recreation area today, Nov 10Leaves down

Fremont cottonwood and white alder

SepOctNov

Oregon white oak and bigleaf maple, peak Oct 29

SepOctNov

Peak color should arrive around Oct 8 for the Fremont cottonwood and white alder, and around Oct 29 for the Oregon white oak and bigleaf maple.

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

Weather Wind to 29 mph Friday. Color may come down before it turns.

No new reports from the ground here this week.

US 101Fort DickCrescent CityBrookingsHappy CampCave JunctionWilliamsRedwoodpeak Oct 26Six Riverspeak Oct 23Klamathpeak Oct 14Rogue River-Siskiyoupeak Oct 19Smith River
US 101Fort DickBrookingsCave JunctionRedwoodpeak Oct 26Six Riverspeak Oct 23Klamathpeak Oct 14Rogue River-Siskiyoupeak Oct 19Smith River
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Smith River National Recreation Area Nearly all of the recreation area is in Del Norte County, which is leaves down today. Siskiyou County, to the east, is 6 days behind.
Smith River National Recreation Area 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 14, Oregon white oak Oct 29, best Oct 13 to 16.
Save or share this mapToday’s Smith River National Recreation Area 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 Smith River National Recreation Area in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Smith River National Recreation Area around Oct 14, and the four days to aim for are Oct 13 to 16. Oregon white oak and bigleaf maple peak later, around Oct 29.

Smith River, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the recreation areaElevation at peak
Sep 28 to Oct 4Starting to turn
Oct 5 to Oct 11Nearly peak
Oct 12 to Oct 18Peak color0 to 1,000 ft, 1,000 to 2,000 ft, 4,000 to 5,000 ft
Oct 19 to Oct 25Just past peak2,000 to 3,000 ft, 3,000 to 4,000 ft
Oct 26 to Nov 1Just past peak
Nov 2 to Nov 8Fading
By elevation The recreation area runs from about 945 to 4,552 feet. It turns together: there isn’t enough relief here for the color to come down in stages.
  1. 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1711%
  2. 3,000–4,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2420%
  3. 2,000–3,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2235%
  4. 1,000–2,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1329%
  5. 0–1,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 166%

Height off 3DEP inside the recreation area’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the recreation area stands in it.

Today from the delnortecounty1 camera, 30 km from Smith River National Recreation Area
See it now PhenoCam Network, Del Norte County Site 1 camera, 30 km away, captured Nov 10.
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.

Tuesday, October 13 to Wednesday, October 14

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

Up at 4,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 17; down at 2,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 13. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

  • 4,000–5,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 17
  • 3,000–4,000 ftStarting to turnpeak Oct 24
  • 2,000–3,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 22
  • 1,000–2,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 13
What turns
Fremont cottonwood, white alder, willow, Oregon white oak, bigleaf maple

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 Smith River National Recreation Area

When is peak fall foliage at Smith River National Recreation Area?

Our forecast puts peak color at Smith River National Recreation Area around Oct 14, and the four days to aim for are Oct 13 to 16. Oregon white oak and bigleaf maple peak later, around Oct 29.

Where is the best fall color at Smith River National Recreation Area right now?

On Nov 10 the recreation area is leaves down. The last band to peak was 3,000 to 4,000 feet, around Oct 24.

How long does peak last at Smith River National Recreation Area?

About four days at the top, Oct 13 to 16, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive.

Is Smith River National Recreation Area past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 14, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.

What trees turn color at Smith River National Recreation Area?

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

Redwood and Six Rivers and Klamath and Rogue River-Siskiyou are on the map above, with their own date.

  1. Shasta-Trinity National ForestCA · about 87 miles
    Peak Oct 30 best Oct 29 to Nov 1
  2. Whiskeytown Shasta-Trinity National Recreation AreaCA · about 99 miles
    Peak Oct 17 best Oct 16 to 19