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Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

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Park·DC, Maryland·5,843 acres

National Capital Parks

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorOct 26Aim for Oct 25 to 28
In the area today, Nov 10Fading
SepOctNov

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.

I-95I-83I-81I-895WashingtonBaltimoreAlexandriaWheatonColumbiaRockvilleSuitland-Silver HillSouth LaurelGeorge Washington Memorial Parkwaypeak Nov 3National Capital Parks
I-95I-83I-895I-70WashingtonAlexandriaBaltimoreWheatonSouth LaurelSevernGaithersburgGreater Upper MarlboroGeorge Washington Memorial Parkwaypeak Nov 3National Capital Parks
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around National Capital Parks District of Columbia County holds most of the area and is fading today. Prince George's County, to the south, is 1 day ahead. Arlington County, to the southwest, is 7 days behind.
National Capital Parks fall foliage map 2026: the place and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 10. Peak forecast around Oct 26, best Oct 25 to 28.
Save or share this mapToday’s National Capital Parks 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 National Capital Parks in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at National Capital Parks around Oct 26, and the four days to aim for are Oct 25 to 28.

National Capital Parks, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the areaElevation at peak
Oct 12 to Oct 18Nearly peak
Oct 19 to Oct 25Peak color
Oct 26 to Nov 1Peak color-1,000 to 0 ft, 0 to 1,000 ft
Nov 2 to Nov 8Just past peak
By elevation The area runs from about -1 to 265 feet. It turns together: there isn’t enough relief here for the color to come down in stages.
  1. 0–1,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2693%
  2. -1,000–0 ftFadingpeak Oct 277%

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

Today from the NEON.D02.SERC.DP1.00033 camera, 31 km from National Capital Parks
See it now PhenoCam Network, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center camera, 31 km away, captured Nov 9.
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.

Sunday, October 25 to Monday, October 26

You’ll find it peak color.

That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.

Where to drive
Skyline Drive, about 81 miles
What turns
red maple, blackgum, sweetgum, water oak, white oak

Questions people ask about National Capital Parks

When is peak fall foliage at National Capital Parks?

Our forecast puts peak color at National Capital Parks around Oct 26, and the four days to aim for are Oct 25 to 28.

Where is the best fall color at National Capital Parks right now?

On Nov 10 the area is fading. The last band to peak was -1,000 to 0 feet, around Oct 27.

How long does peak last at National Capital Parks?

About four days at the top, Oct 25 to 28, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive.

Is National Capital Parks past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 26, and on Nov 10 it's fading.

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. We score it here against 7 long-running forest cameras: two dates in three land within 13 days of the camera’s own peak. How this map is made

Every state we forecast

Nearby, and when they turn

  1. Prince William Forest ParkVA · about 32 miles
    Peak Oct 29 best Oct 28 to 31
  2. Catoctin Mountain ParkMD · about 57 miles
    Peak Nov 4 best Nov 3 to 6
  3. Shenandoah National ParkVA · about 86 miles
    Peak Oct 11 best Oct 10 to 13
  4. Assateague Island National SeashoreMD, VA · about 110 miles
    Peak Nov 3 best Nov 2 to 5
  5. Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation AreaWV · about 128 miles
    Peak Oct 16 best Oct 15 to 18
  6. Petersburg National Battlefield ParkVA · about 128 miles
    Peak Nov 2 best Nov 1 to 4

Fall color roads near National Capital Parks

Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the area, so allow more by road.

  • Skyline Drive · about 81 miles, VA · 105 miles of road

    The full length of Shenandoah National Park from Front Royal to Rockfish Gap. 75 overlooks in 105 miles. Best in mid-to-late October.