National Forest·Idaho, Utah·1,803,043 acres
Sawtooth National Forest
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.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Sawtooth National Forest in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Sawtooth National Forest around Oct 4, and the four days to aim for are Oct 3 to 6.
The forest runs from about 4,597 to 9,110 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 32 days: the high stands around Sep 10, the low ground around Oct 12.
| Week | In the forest | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 24 to Aug 30 | Still green | |
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Still green | |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Starting to turn | 9,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn | 8,000 to 9,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Nearly peak | 7,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 6,000 to 7,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Peak color | 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Just past peak | 4,000 to 5,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Fading |
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 106%
- 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1624%
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2225%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2922%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 516%
- 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 128%
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.
Saturday, October 3 to Sunday, October 4
You’ll find it fading up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 8,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 16; down at 6,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 5. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 8,000–9,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 16
- 7,000–8,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 22
- 6,000–7,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 29
- 5,000–6,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 5
- Where to drive
- Sawtooth Scenic Byway (ID 75), about 49 miles · Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway (ID 21), about 76 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, serviceberry, Rocky Mountain maple, huckleberry, willow
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen75%
- serviceberry5%
- Rocky Mountain maple5%
- huckleberry5%
- willow5%
- narrowleaf cottonwood4%
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 Sawtooth National Forest
- When is peak fall foliage at Sawtooth National Forest?
Our forecast puts peak color at Sawtooth National Forest around Oct 4, and the four days to aim for are Oct 3 to 6.
- Where is the best fall color at Sawtooth National Forest right now?
On Nov 10 the forest is leaves down. The last band to peak was 4,000 to 5,000 feet, around Oct 12.
- How long does peak last at Sawtooth National Forest?
About four days at the top, Oct 3 to 6, 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 Sawtooth National Forest past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 4, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Sawtooth 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
Nearby, and when they turn
Sawtooth Wilderness and Boise and Salmon-Challis are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Sep 22 best Sep 21 to 24
- Peak Sep 27 best Sep 26 to 29
- Peak Sep 28 best Sep 27 to 30
Fall color roads near Sawtooth National Forest
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the forest, 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.