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Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

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A sandstone arch in full fall color.

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National Forest·Kentucky·563,866 acres

Daniel Boone National Forest

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Photograph: More Than Just Parks

Peak colorOct 28Aim for Oct 27 to 30
In the forest today, Nov 10Fading
SepOctNov

Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.

Weather Hard frost Thursday night. Peak may come early and go fast.

No new reports from the ground here this week.

I-79I-26I-81I-65AnnvilleIrvineLexingtonLouisvilleMeadsNicholasvilleKnoxvilleGeorgetownBig South Fork National River and Recreation Areapeak Oct 31Cherokeepeak Oct 25Daniel Boone
I-81I-40I-74I-64AnnvilleIrvineLexingtonNicholasvilleLondonDanvilleGeorgetownSomersetCherokeepeak Oct 25Daniel Boone
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Daniel Boone National Forest McCreary County holds most of the forest and is just past peak today. That’s the county as a whole, which peaks 2 days later than the forest’s own stands: the forest is fading. Rowan County, to the northeast, is 4 days ahead. Jackson County, to the southeast, is 2 days ahead.
Daniel Boone National Forest fall foliage map 2026: the unit and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 10. Peak forecast around Oct 28, best Oct 27 to 30.
Save or share this mapToday’s Daniel Boone National Forest fall foliage map as a picture, redrawn every morning. Free to reuse with credit to More Than Just Parks and a link back; the terms.Save the mapPin itFacebookXEmail

When is peak fall foliage at Daniel Boone National Forest in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Daniel Boone National Forest around Oct 28, and the four days to aim for are Oct 27 to 30.

The forest runs from about 850 to 1,685 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 5 days: the high stands around Oct 27, the low ground around Oct 30. That's 5 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.

Daniel Boone, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the forestElevation at peak
Oct 12 to Oct 18Starting to turn
Oct 19 to Oct 25Nearly peak
Oct 26 to Nov 1Peak color750 to 1,000 ft, 1,000 to 1,250 ft, 1,250 to 1,500 ft, 1,500 to 1,750 ft
Nov 2 to Nov 8Just past peak
Nov 9 to Nov 15 this weekJust past peak
By elevation The forest runs from about 850 to 1,685 feet. That’s 5 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 27, the low ground holds until about Oct 30, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 1,250 to 1,500 foot band.
  1. 1,500–1,750 ftFadingpeak Oct 276%
  2. 1,250–1,500 ftFadingpeak Oct 2818%
  3. 1,000–1,250 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 2954%
  4. 750–1,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 3018%

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.

That’s 5 days later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, which shifts peak color.

Plan this trip

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.

Tuesday, October 27 to Wednesday, October 28

You’ll find it peak color up high, nearly peak lower down.

Up at 1,250 feet the stands peak around Oct 28; down at 1,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 30. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

  • 1,250–1,500 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 28
  • 1,000–1,250 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 29
  • 750–1,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 30
Where to drive
Newfound Gap Road, about 124 miles · Cherohala Skyway, about 139 miles · Blue Ridge Parkway (NC Section), about 148 miles
What turns
white oak, northern red oak, red maple, shagbark hickory, tulip poplar

What turns, and when

Also named across Kentucky, outside what the canopy read measures here: Sugar Maple, Sweetgum.

The Cumberland Plateau and Daniel Boone National Forest produce a warm palette of gold tulip poplars, bronze hickories, and deep red sugar maples against sandstone cliffs.

Questions people ask about Daniel Boone National Forest

When is peak fall foliage at Daniel Boone National Forest?

Our forecast puts peak color at Daniel Boone National Forest around Oct 28, and the four days to aim for are Oct 27 to 30.

Where is the best fall color at Daniel Boone National Forest right now?

On Nov 10 the forest is fading. The last band to peak was 750 to 1,000 feet, around Oct 30.

How long does peak last at Daniel Boone National Forest?

About four days at the top, Oct 27 to 30, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 5 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 9 days.

Is Daniel Boone National Forest past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 28, and on Nov 10 it's fading.

What trees turn color at Daniel Boone National Forest?

Sugar Maple, Tulip Poplar, Red Oak, Hickory, Sweetgum. The Cumberland Plateau and Daniel Boone National Forest produce a warm palette of gold tulip poplars, bronze hickories, and deep red sugar maples against sandstone cliffs.

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. We score it here against 16 long-running forest cameras: two dates in three land within 7 days of the camera’s own peak. How this map is made

All of Kentucky

Nearby, and when they turn

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and Cherokee are on the map above, with their own date.

  1. Obed Wild and Scenic RiverTN · about 93 miles
    Peak Nov 1 best Oct 31 to Nov 3
  2. Mammoth Cave National ParkKY · about 115 miles
    Peak Nov 1 best Oct 31 to Nov 3
  3. Great Smoky Mountains National ParkNC, TN · about 124 miles
    Peak Oct 24 best Oct 23 to 26
  4. Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock WildernessNC, TN · about 133 miles
    Peak Oct 23 best Oct 22 to 25

Fall color roads near Daniel Boone National Forest

Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the forest, so allow more by road.

  • Newfound Gap Road · about 124 miles, TN · 33 miles of road

    Crosses the spine of the Great Smokies at 5,046 feet. Color peaks at the top in early October and at the base by late October.

  • Cherohala Skyway · about 139 miles, NC · 43 miles of road

    Connects Robbinsville, NC to Tellico Plains, TN across the Unicoi Mountains. Less traffic than the Parkway, equally spectacular.

  • Blue Ridge Parkway (NC Section) · about 148 miles, NC · 252 miles of road

    Mile markers 217 to 469. The highest and most dramatic section. Waterrock Knob, Craggy Gardens, and Graveyard Fields are must-stop overlooks.