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.
When is peak fall foliage at Tahoe National Forest in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Tahoe National Forest around Nov 2, and the four days to aim for are Nov 1 to 4.
The forest runs from about 3,080 to 7,569 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 25 days: the high stands around Oct 4, the low ground around Oct 29.
| Week | In the forest | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Still green | |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Still green | |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Still green | 7,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Still green | |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Starting to turn | 6,000 to 7,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Nearly peak | 4,000 to 5,000 ft, 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 this week | Peak color | 2,000 to 3,000 ft, 3,000 to 4,000 ft |
| Nov 2 to Nov 8 | Peak color | |
| Nov 9 to Nov 15 | Just past peak |
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 414%
- 6,000–7,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 1230%
- 5,000–6,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 1923%
- 4,000–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 2517%
- 3,000–4,000 ftPeak colorpeak Nov 111%
- 2,000–3,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 294%
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.
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.
Sunday, November 1 to Monday, November 2
You’ll find it leaves down up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 7,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 4; down at 4,000 feet they hold on until about Nov 1. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 4
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 12
- 5,000–6,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 19
- 4,000–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 25
- 3,000–4,000 ftPeak colorpeak Nov 1
- Where to drive
- Sonora Pass (Route 108), about 88 miles · June Lake Loop (Route 158), about 135 miles
- What turns
- Fremont cottonwood, California black oak, blue oak, willow, white alder
What turns, and when
- Fremont cottonwood21%
- California black oak21%
- blue oak15%
- willow14%
- white alder14%
- valley oak7%
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 Tahoe National Forest
- When is peak fall foliage at Tahoe National Forest?
Our forecast puts peak color at Tahoe National Forest around Nov 2, and the four days to aim for are Nov 1 to 4.
- Where is the best fall color at Tahoe National Forest right now?
On Nov 1 the forest is peak color. By elevation, the color is at peak at 3,000 to 4,000 feet.
- How long does peak last at Tahoe National Forest?
About four days at the top, Nov 1 to 4, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 25 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 29 days.
- Is Tahoe National Forest past peak?
No. It's at peak now, on Nov 1, and the four days to aim for are Nov 1 to 4.
- What trees turn color at Tahoe 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