National Recreation Area·Idaho·753,810 acres
Sawtooth National Recreation Area
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 Recreation Area in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Sawtooth National Recreation Area around Sep 27, and the four days to aim for are Sep 26 to 29.
The recreation area runs from about 6,410 to 9,544 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 19 days: the high stands around Sep 8, 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 recreation area | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 24 to Aug 30 | Still green | |
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Starting to turn | |
| 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 | Peak color | |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Just past peak |
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 815%
- 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1431%
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2134%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2721%
Height off 3DEP inside the recreation area’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the recreation area 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.
Saturday, September 26 to Sunday, September 27
You’ll find it fading up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 9,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 8; down at 7,000 feet they hold on until about Sep 27. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 9,000–10,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 8
- 8,000–9,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 14
- 7,000–8,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 21
- 6,000–7,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 27
- Where to drive
- Sawtooth Scenic Byway (ID 75), about 11 miles · Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway (ID 21), about 27 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, willow, serviceberry, Rocky Mountain maple
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen33%
- narrowleaf cottonwood22%
- willow15%
- serviceberry10%
- Rocky Mountain maple10%
- huckleberry10%
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 Recreation Area
- When is peak fall foliage at Sawtooth National Recreation Area?
Our forecast puts peak color at Sawtooth National Recreation Area around Sep 27, and the four days to aim for are Sep 26 to 29.
- Where is the best fall color at Sawtooth National Recreation Area right now?
On Nov 10 the recreation area is leaves down. The last band to peak was 6,000 to 7,000 feet, around Sep 27.
- How long does peak last at Sawtooth National Recreation Area?
About four days at the top, Sep 26 to 29, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the recreation area's elevations the color moves over about 19 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 23 days.
- Is Sawtooth National Recreation Area past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 27, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Sawtooth National Recreation Area?
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
Boise and Salmon-Challis 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
- Peak Oct 13 best Oct 12 to 15
Fall color roads near Sawtooth National Recreation Area
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the recreation area, 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.