Photograph: More Than Just Parks
Peak color lands around Oct 2 in most of Idaho, but it moves 28 days across the state. Here’s where, and when, and how sure we are.
Idaho fall foliage map for the week of Nov 9
When is peak fall foliage in Idaho in 2026?
Most of Idaho peaks between Sep 26 and Oct 18: the high country first, around Sep 29, and the low ground last, around Oct 12. The first county to peak is Custer County, around Sep 25, and the last is Gooding County, around Oct 23.
Elevation does most of the work here. Color runs down a mountain at roughly a day per 100 meters, so a ridge and the valley below it can be a week or two apart in the same county. This fall is running 1 day early on September's temperatures, and the dates here already include it.
| Week | Where it peaks | Most of the state |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness and 6 counties | Nearly peak |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Boise National Forest, Caribou-Targhee National Forest and 22 counties | Peak color |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Kootenai National Forest, Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Craters of the Moon National Monument and 7 counties | Just past peak |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Payette National Forest, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and 6 counties | Just past peak |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument and 3 counties | Fading |
Each date is the middle of the four days we’d aim a trip at, and each place page names them. We publish what the model got wrong, region by region.
1 of 44 counties here are corrected by people who have actually looked at the trees this season. 2 reports from official state sources have moved those dates off the model and narrowed their windows. Counties with neither keep the model forecast and say so. Which is which is marked in the table below.
Late September in the mountains, mid-October in the valleys, late October for larches is how Idaho is usually described.
Idaho’s season place by place
The 24 places closest to their peak in Idaho, each set on the calendar at its peak and painted by how far along it is today, Nov 12.
First: Cecil D. Andrus-White Clouds Wilderness Area, Sep 16. Last: Boise National Forest, Oct 3.
The dashed rule is today; the solid one is the median of the places on this chart, Sep 28. The date at the top of the page is the median county, which includes the low ground between them.
Where to go in Idaho
The destinations we cover in Idaho, in the order their color arrives. Each carries its own forecast and its own band, because a state isn’t one place.
- Cecil D. Andrus-White Clouds Wilderness AreaPast peakPeak Sep 16 best Sep 15 to 18
- Past peakPeak Sep 20 best Sep 19 to 22
- Past peakPeak Sep 20 best Sep 19 to 22
- Jim McClure-Jerry Peak WildernessPast peakPeak Sep 22 best Sep 21 to 24
- Past peakPeak Sep 22 best Sep 21 to 24
- Past peakPeak Sep 23 best Sep 22 to 25
- Kootenai National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Sep 24 best Sep 23 to 26
- Frank Church-River of No Return WildernessPast peakPeak Sep 25 best Sep 24 to 27
- Past peakPeak Sep 26 best Sep 25 to 28
- Past peakPeak Sep 27 best Sep 26 to 29
- Past peakPeak Sep 27 best Sep 26 to 29
- Past peakPeak Sep 28 best Sep 27 to 30
- Jim McClure-Jerry Peak Wilderness AreaPast peakPeak Sep 28 best Sep 27 to 30
- Past peakPeak Sep 28 best Sep 27 to 30
- Galena Ski AreaPast peakPeak Sep 28 best Sep 27 to 30
- Past peakPeak Sep 29 best Sep 28 to Oct 1
- Past peakPeak Sep 29 best Sep 28 to Oct 1
- Pomerelle Ski AreaPast peakPeak Sep 29 best Sep 28 to Oct 1
- Upper Priest Lake Scenic AreaPast peakPeak Sep 30, larch Oct 14 best Sep 29 to Oct 2
- Past peakPeak Oct 1, larch Oct 15 best Sep 30 to Oct 3
- Gospel-Hump WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 2 best Oct 1 to 4
- Nez Perce National Historical ParkPast peakPeak Oct 2, alder Oct 10 best Oct 1 to 4
- Lick Creek Recreation AreaPast peakPeak Oct 2 best Oct 1 to 4
- Past peakPeak Oct 3 best Oct 2 to 5
Also forecast in IdahoBear Lake National Wildlife RefugeCaribou-Targhee National ForestHells Canyon National Recreation AreaKootenai National ForestPayette National ForestSawtooth National ForestWallowa-Whitman National Forest
Questions people ask about Idaho fall foliage
- When is peak fall foliage in Idaho?
Most of Idaho peaks between Sep 26 and Oct 18: the high country first, around Sep 29, and the low ground last, around Oct 12. The first county to peak is Custer County, around Sep 25, and the last is Gooding County, around Oct 23. This fall is running 1 day early on September's temperatures, and the dates here already include it.
- Where is the best fall foliage in Idaho right now?
Peak has passed in the places we cover in Idaho as of Nov 12. Boise National Forest and 23 more was the last, around Oct 3. The live map still shows where russet and late gold are holding.
- How long does peak last in Idaho?
In any one place, about four days at the top, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across Idaho as a whole, peak moves 28 days from Custer County to Gooding County, so there's peak color somewhere in the state for about 32 days.
- Is Idaho past peak?
Yes. As of Nov 12, every one of Idaho's 44 counties is past peak by our forecast. Gooding County was the last, around Oct 23.
- How far along is Idaho's fall foliage today?
On Nov 12, no county in Idaho is at peak yet: 44 of Idaho's 44 counties (100 percent) are past peak. The county map above paints each one, and the live map lets you scrub the day.
- When do the leaves change in Idaho?
The first color shows in Custer County around Sep 4 and peaks there around Sep 25. Gooding County is the last of Idaho's 44 counties, peaking around Oct 23. Most of the state turns through the weeks around Oct 2.
- What's the best time to visit Idaho for fall foliage?
The week of Oct 2 catches the most of the state at once, and the four days we'd aim at there are Oct 1 to 4. That's the leaf peeping window for Idaho as a whole. For Custer County and the counties around it, aim for the week of Sep 25; for Gooding County and its neighbors, the week of Oct 23.
What actually turns
Aspens turn gold on the mountainsides, cottonwoods line the river corridors in yellow, and western larches in the northern panhandle go deep amber before dropping their needles.
- Quaking Aspen
- Black Cottonwood
- Western Larch
- Rocky Mountain Maple
- Water Birch
The Teton Scenic Byway (Route 33) on the west side of the Tetons is less famous than the Wyoming side but produces aspen color that is every bit as good.
Every county by peak week
Bingham, Blaine, Butte, Camas, Cassia, Clark, Custer, Idaho, Lemhi, Owyhee, Valley
Bannock, Bear Lake, Boise, Bonner, Bonneville, Boundary, Caribou, Elmore, Franklin, Fremont, Jefferson, Kootenai, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Power, Shoshone, Teton, Twin Falls, Washington
Adams, Benewah, Canyon, Clearwater, Gem, Nez Perce
Ada, Latah observed, Lincoln, Minidoka, Payette
Gooding, Jerome
Every date on this site is a forecast: a model corrected by ground reports, carrying a measured error, published in full. Check conditions with the land manager before you travel. Last reviewed September 2026. Open the live map
See it on the map
The live map covers every county in the country, with a timeline you can scrub through the season, the nearest forest monitoring camera, and the long-term record where we hold one. If you’re going this weekend, the weekend report names where color is at peak right now, region by region.
Before you drive, it’s worth checking fire and smoke conditions for the same forests. A perfect color week is no good under a smoke plume.