Wilderness Area·Idaho·217,511 acres
Sawtooth 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.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Sawtooth Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Sawtooth Wilderness around Sep 27, and the four days to aim for are Sep 26 to 29.
The wilderness runs from about 6,025 to 9,294 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 25 days: the high stands around Sep 8, the low ground around Oct 3.
| Week | In the wilderness | 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 | 8,000 to 9,000 ft, 9,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Nearly peak | 7,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Peak color | 6,000 to 7,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Just past peak | |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Fading |
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 812%
- 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1335%
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2029%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2620%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 35%
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.
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, 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 26. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 9,000–10,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 8
- 8,000–9,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 13
- 7,000–8,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 20
- 6,000–7,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 26
- Where to drive
- Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway (ID 21), about 16 miles · Sawtooth Scenic Byway (ID 75), about 17 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 Sawtooth Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Sawtooth Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Sawtooth Wilderness around Sep 27, and the four days to aim for are Sep 26 to 29.
- Where is the best fall color at Sawtooth Wilderness right now?
On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 5,000 to 6,000 feet, around Oct 3.
- How long does peak last at Sawtooth Wilderness?
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 wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 25 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 29 days.
- Is Sawtooth Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 27, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Sawtooth 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
Boise and Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness 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 Oct 13 best Oct 12 to 15
Fall color roads near Sawtooth Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway (ID 21)
Boise to Stanley, aspen and cottonwood along the South Fork of the Payette.
- Sawtooth Scenic Byway (ID 75)
Ketchum to Stanley over Galena Summit, aspen at the summit and cottonwood down the Salmon.