National Park·California·742,953 acres
Yosemite 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 Thursday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
Weather Wind to 40 mph Saturday. Color may come down before it turns.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Yosemite National Park in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Yosemite National Park around Oct 31, and the four days to aim for are Oct 30 to Nov 2.
The park runs from about 4,739 to 10,720 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 39 days: the high stands around Sep 18, the low ground around Oct 27.
| Week | In the park | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Still green | |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Still green | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Still green | 10,000 to 12,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Still green | |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Still green | 8,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Starting to turn | |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Starting to turn | 6,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Nearly peak | |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Peak color | 4,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Nov 2 to Nov 8 | Peak color | |
| Nov 9 to Nov 15 this week | Just past peak | |
- 10,000–12,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1814%
- 8,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2940%
- 6,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1230%
- 4,000–6,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2715%
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.
The place
You drive through the Wawona Tunnel, come out the other side, and El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall are all visible at once. Tunnel View has been stopping people in their tracks since 1933. The glacier-carved valley below is seven miles long and a mile wide, with 3,000-foot granite walls on both sides, and it remains the single most recognized piece of geology in the American park system.
Established 1890. About 3.9 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.
Friday, October 30 to Saturday, October 31
You’ll find it leaves down up high, just past peak lower down.
Up at 10,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 18; down at 6,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 27. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 10,000–12,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 18
- 8,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 29
- 6,000–8,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 12
- 4,000–6,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 27
- Where to drive
- June Lake Loop (Route 158), about 25 miles · Sonora Pass (Route 108), about 33 miles · US Route 395 (Eastern Sierra), about 45 miles
- What turns
- California black oak, Fremont cottonwood, blue oak, white alder, willow
- Entrance
- $35
What turns, and when
- California black oak23%
- Fremont cottonwood18%
- blue oak17%
- white alder12%
- willow12%
- valley oak9%
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 Yosemite National Park
- When is peak fall foliage at Yosemite National Park?
Our forecast puts peak color at Yosemite National Park around Oct 31, and the four days to aim for are Oct 30 to Nov 2.
- Where is the best fall color at Yosemite National Park right now?
On Nov 10 the park is just past peak. The last band to peak was 4,000 to 6,000 feet, around Oct 27.
- How long does peak last at Yosemite National Park?
About four days at the top, Oct 30 to Nov 2, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the park's elevations the color moves over about 39 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 43 days.
- Is Yosemite National Park past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 31, and on Nov 10 it's just past peak.
- What trees turn color at Yosemite 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 Yosemite 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
Emigrant Wilderness and Ansel Adams Wilderness and Mono Basin National Scenic Area and Stanislaus and Carson-Iceberg Wilderness are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 8 best Oct 7 to 10
Fall color roads near Yosemite National Park
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the park, so allow more by road.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.