National Forest·Idaho·3,906,279 acres
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests around Sep 26, and the four days to aim for are Sep 25 to 28.
The forest runs from about 3,229 to 7,172 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 26 days: the high stands around Sep 14, the low ground around Oct 9.
| Week | In the forest | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Nearly peak | 7,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Peak color | 5,000 to 6,000 ft, 6,000 to 7,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 4,000 to 5,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Just past peak | 3,000 to 4,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Fading | |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Leaves down |
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 147%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2121%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2730%
- 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 326%
- 3,000–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 912%
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.
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.
Friday, September 25 to Saturday, September 26
You’ll find it just past peak up high, starting to turn lower down.
Up at 6,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 21; down at 4,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 9. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 6,000–7,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 21
- 5,000–6,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 27
- 4,000–5,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 3
- 3,000–4,000 ftStarting to turnpeak Oct 9
- Where to drive
- Skalkaho Pass (MT 38), about 72 miles · Seeley-Swan Highway (MT 83), about 120 miles · Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway (ID 21), about 141 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, serviceberry, Rocky Mountain maple, huckleberry, black cottonwood
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen47%
- serviceberry15%
- Rocky Mountain maple15%
- huckleberry15%
- black cottonwood5%
- willow3%
Also named across Idaho, outside what the canopy read measures here: 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 Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests
- When is peak fall foliage at Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests?
Our forecast puts peak color at Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests around Sep 26, and the four days to aim for are Sep 25 to 28.
- Where is the best fall color at Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests right now?
On Nov 10 the forest is leaves down. The last band to peak was 3,000 to 4,000 feet, around Oct 9.
- How long does peak last at Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests?
About four days at the top, Sep 25 to 28, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 26 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 30 days.
- Is Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 26, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests?
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
Bitterroot and Payette and Hells Canyon and Lolo are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 2 best Oct 1 to 4
- Peak Sep 17 best Sep 16 to 19
Fall color roads near Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the forest, so allow more by road.
- Skalkaho Pass (MT 38)
Hamilton to Philipsburg over a gravel summit, larch and aspen turning together.
- Seeley-Swan Highway (MT 83)
Larch gold along the Swan Valley in mid-October, under the Mission and Swan ranges.
- Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway (ID 21)
Boise to Stanley, aspen and cottonwood along the South Fork of the Payette.