Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Hard frost Tuesday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Boise National Forest Elmore County holds most of the forest and is fading today. That’s the county as a whole, which peaks 3 days earlier than the forest’s own stands: the forest is just past peak. Boise County, to the south, is on the same day. Valley County, to the north, is 4 days ahead.Save or share this mapToday’s Boise National Forest 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 Boise National Forest in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Boise National Forest around Oct 3, and the four days to aim for are Oct 2 to 5.
The forest runs from about 3,646 to 8,086 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 32 days: the high stands around Sep 14, the low ground around Oct 16.
Boise, fall color week by week, 2026
Week
In the forest
Elevation at peak
Aug 31 to Sep 6
Still green
Sep 7 to Sep 13
Starting to turn
Sep 14 to Sep 20
Starting to turn
7,000 to 8,000 ft, 8,000 to 9,000 ft
Sep 21 to Sep 27
Nearly peak
6,000 to 7,000 ft
Sep 28 to Oct 4
Peak color
5,000 to 6,000 ft
Oct 5 to Oct 11
Peak color
4,000 to 5,000 ft
Oct 12 to Oct 18 this week
Just past peak
3,000 to 4,000 ft
Oct 19 to Oct 25
Fading
Oct 26 to Nov 1
Leaves down
By elevation The forest runs from about 3,646 to 8,086 feet. That’s 32 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Sep 14, the low ground holds until about Oct 16, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 5,000 to 6,000 foot band.
8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 146%
7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2023%
6,000–7,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 2625%
5,000–6,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 324%
4,000–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 916%
3,000–4,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 167%
SepOctNov
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.
Also named across Idaho, outside what the canopy read measures here: Black Cottonwood, Western Larch, 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.
Questions people ask about Boise National Forest
When is peak fall foliage at Boise National Forest?
Our forecast puts peak color at Boise National Forest around Oct 3, and the four days to aim for are Oct 2 to 5.
Where is the best fall color at Boise National Forest right now?
On Oct 13 the forest is just past peak. The first band to peak is 3,000 to 4,000 feet, around Oct 16.
How long does peak last at Boise National Forest?
About four days at the top, Oct 2 to 5, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 32 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 36 days.
Is Boise National Forest past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 3, and on Oct 13 it's just past peak. The low ground holds until about Oct 16.
What trees turn color at Boise National Forest?
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
