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Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

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National Wildlife Refuge·Idaho·18,276 acres

Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorOct 9Aim for Oct 8 to 11
In the refuge today, Nov 10Leaves down
SepOctNov

Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.

Weather Hard frost Wednesday night. Peak may come early and go fast.

No new reports from the ground here this week.

I-84I-15US 89US 91MontpelierPrestonLoganSmithfieldNorth LoganRichmondHyde ParkNibleyMount Naomi Wildernesspeak Oct 8Bridger-Tetonpeak Sep 19Uinta-Wasatch-Cachepeak Sep 23Caribou-Targheepeak Oct 4Bear Lake
US 89US 91MontpelierRichmondLoganSmithfieldHyde ParkSoda SpringsNibleyBridger-Tetonpeak Sep 19Uinta-Wasatch-Cachepeak Sep 23Caribou-Targheepeak Oct 4Bear Lake
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge Nearly all of the refuge is in Bear Lake County, which is leaves down today.
Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge 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 9, best Oct 8 to 11.
Save or share this mapToday’s Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge 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 Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge around Oct 9, and the four days to aim for are Oct 8 to 11.

That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.

Bear Lake, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the refuge
Sep 21 to Sep 27Starting to turn
Sep 28 to Oct 4Nearly peak
Oct 5 to Oct 11Peak color
Oct 12 to Oct 18Just past peak
Oct 19 to Oct 25Just past peak
By elevation The refuge runs from about 5,917 to 5,931 feet. It turns together: there isn’t enough relief here for the color to come down in stages.
  1. 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 999%

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

That’s 3 days later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, which shifts peak color.

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.

Thursday, October 8 to Friday, October 9

You’ll find it peak color.

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

Where to drive
Logan Canyon (US 89), about 25 miles · Mirror Lake Highway (UT 150), about 102 miles · Guardsman Pass, about 108 miles
What turns
narrowleaf cottonwood, quaking aspen, willow, water birch, thinleaf alder

What turns, and when

Also named across Idaho, outside what the canopy read measures here: Black Cottonwood, Western Larch, Rocky Mountain Maple.

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.

Questions people ask about Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge

When is peak fall foliage at Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

Our forecast puts peak color at Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge around Oct 9, and the four days to aim for are Oct 8 to 11.

Where is the best fall color at Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge right now?

On Nov 10 the refuge is leaves down.

How long does peak last at Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

About four days at the top, Oct 8 to 11, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive.

Is Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 9, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.

What trees turn color at Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

Quaking Aspen, Black Cottonwood, Western Larch, Rocky Mountain Maple, Water Birch. 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.

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 Idaho

Nearby, and when they turn

Mount Naomi Wilderness and Bridger-Teton and Uinta-Wasatch-Cache and Caribou-Targhee are on the map above, with their own date.

  1. Wellsville Mountain WildernessUT · about 51 miles
    Peak Oct 15 best Oct 14 to 17
  2. Gros Ventre WildernessWY · about 99 miles
    Peak Sep 27 best Sep 26 to 29

Fall color roads near Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge

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

  • Logan Canyon (US 89) · about 25 miles, UT · 40 miles of road

    Logan to Bear Lake, maple and aspen up the canyon.

  • Mirror Lake Highway (UT 150) · about 102 miles, UT · 42 miles of road

    Kamas to the Uinta lakes, aspen in the lower canyon.

  • Guardsman Pass · about 108 miles, UT · 12 miles of road

    Park City to Big Cottonwood Canyon, aspen and maple above Brighton.

  • Teton Scenic Byway (ID 31, 32 and 33) · about 110 miles, ID · 69 miles of road

    Swan Valley to Ashton, aspen on the west side of the Tetons.

  • Teton Park Road · about 114 miles, WY · 20 miles of road

    The cottonwoods along the Snake River flats with the Tetons behind them. This is the most famous fall landscape in the American West.

  • Alpine Scenic Loop (Routes 92 and 189) · about 120 miles, UT · 20 miles of road

    Mount Timpanogos draped in bigtooth maple scarlet and aspen gold. The most colorful fall drive in Utah.