Wilderness Area·Idaho·68,023 acres
Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
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.
Weather Wind to 26 mph Saturday. Color may come down before it turns.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness around Sep 22, and the four days to aim for are Sep 21 to 24.
The wilderness runs from about 6,649 to 10,450 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 25 days: the high stands around Sep 2, the low ground around Sep 27. That's 1 day later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.
| Week | In the wilderness | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 17 to Aug 23 | Still green | |
| Aug 24 to Aug 30 | Still green | |
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Starting to turn | 10,000 to 11,000 ft |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Starting to turn | 9,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Nearly peak | 8,000 to 9,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Peak color | 6,000 to 7,000 ft, 7,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Just past peak | |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Fading |
- 10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 214%
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 830%
- 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1525%
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2120%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2711%
Height off 3DEP inside the wilderness’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the wilderness stands in it.
That’s 1 day later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, which shifts peak color.
Plan this tripIf you can only come on certain days
Set the days you can be here. Everything under them answers for those days, not for peak.
Monday, September 21 to Tuesday, September 22
You’ll find it fading up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 10,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 2; down at 7,000 feet they hold on until about Sep 27. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 10,000–11,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 2
- 9,000–10,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 8
- 8,000–9,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 15
- 7,000–8,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 21
- 6,000–7,000 ftNearly peakpeak Sep 27
- Where to drive
- Sawtooth Scenic Byway (ID 75), about 13 miles · Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway (ID 21), about 45 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, Rocky Mountain maple, serviceberry, huckleberry
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen51%
- Rocky Mountain maple16%
- serviceberry16%
- huckleberry16%
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 Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness around Sep 22, and the four days to aim for are Sep 21 to 24.
- Where is the best fall color at Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness right now?
On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 6,000 to 7,000 feet, around Sep 27.
- How long does peak last at Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Sep 21 to 24, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 25 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 29 days.
- Is Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 22, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness?
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
Nearby, and when they turn
Sawtooth Wilderness and Salmon-Challis and Boise are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 4 best Oct 3 to 6
- Peak Oct 13 best Oct 12 to 15
- Peak Sep 29 best Sep 28 to Oct 1
Fall color roads near Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- Sawtooth Scenic Byway (ID 75)
Ketchum to Stanley over Galena Summit, aspen at the summit and cottonwood down the Salmon.
- Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway (ID 21)
Boise to Stanley, aspen and cottonwood along the South Fork of the Payette.