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Forecast issued Nov 11, 7:48am ET

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Park·Maryland·5,753 acres

Catoctin Mountain Park

Forecast issued Nov 11, 7:48am ET

Peak color, most of the standNov 4Aim for Nov 3 to 6
In the area today, Nov 11Just past peak

northern red oak and white oak

SepOctNov

red maple and shagbark hickory, peak Oct 30

SepOctNov

Peak color should arrive around Oct 30 for the red maple and shagbark hickory, and around Nov 7 for the northern red oak and white oak.

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

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

1 report came in from Frederick County this week, 1 of them near peak. They moved our date 3 days later. See the county on the map.

I-99I-70I-68I-83Highfield-CascadeFrederickBaltimoreGermantownBallenger CreekChambersburgColumbiaWestminsterCatoctin Mountain Park
I-83I-76I-81I-70Highfield-CascadeFrederickWalkersvilleChambersburgGermantownGettysburgBoonsboroGreen ValleyCatoctin Mountain Park
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Catoctin Mountain Park Nearly all of the area is in Frederick County, which is just past peak today. Washington County, to the west, is 11 days ahead.
Catoctin Mountain Park fall foliage map 2026: the place and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 11. Peak forecast around Nov 4, oak Nov 7, best Nov 3 to 6.
Save or share this mapToday’s Catoctin Mountain Park 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 Catoctin Mountain Park in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Catoctin Mountain Park around Nov 4, and the four days to aim for are Nov 3 to 6. red maple and shagbark hickory peak later, around Oct 30.

The area runs from about 845 to 1,751 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 5 days: the high stands around Nov 2, the low ground around Nov 6. That's 18 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.

Catoctin Mountain Park, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the areaElevation at peak
Oct 19 to Oct 25Starting to turn
Oct 26 to Nov 1Nearly peak
Nov 2 to Nov 8Peak color750 to 1,000 ft, 1,000 to 1,250 ft, 1,250 to 1,500 ft, 1,500 to 1,750 ft, 1,750 to 2,000 ft
Nov 9 to Nov 15 this weekJust past peak
Nov 16 to Nov 22Just past peak
By elevation The area runs from about 845 to 1,751 feet. That’s 5 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Nov 2, the low ground holds until about Nov 6, 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. 1,750–2,000 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 25%
  2. 1,500–1,750 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 325%
  3. 1,250–1,500 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 434%
  4. 1,000–1,250 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 521%
  5. 750–1,000 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 612%

Height off 3DEP inside the area’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the area stands in it.

That’s 18 days later than our model alone would say. This season’s reports from the ground moved it, and they outrank us.

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, November 3 to Wednesday, November 4

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

Up at 1,500 feet the stands peak around Nov 3; down at 1,000 feet they hold on until about Nov 6. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

  • 1,500–1,750 ftPeak colorpeak Nov 3
  • 1,250–1,500 ftPeak colorpeak Nov 4
  • 1,000–1,250 ftPeak colorpeak Nov 5
  • 750–1,000 ftNearly peakpeak Nov 6
Where to drive
Skyline Drive, about 91 miles
What turns
northern red oak, white oak, red maple, shagbark hickory, sugar maple

What turns, and when

Also named across Maryland, outside what the canopy read measures here: Tulip Poplar, Sweetgum.

Western Maryland's Allegheny ridges turn gold and russet with oaks and hickories while sweetgums in the Piedmont produce vivid purple and red.

Questions people ask about Catoctin Mountain Park

When is peak fall foliage at Catoctin Mountain Park?

Our forecast puts peak color at Catoctin Mountain Park around Nov 4, and the four days to aim for are Nov 3 to 6. red maple and shagbark hickory peak later, around Oct 30.

Where is the best fall color at Catoctin Mountain Park right now?

On Nov 11 the area is just past peak. The last band to peak was 750 to 1,000 feet, around Nov 6.

How long does peak last at Catoctin Mountain Park?

About four days at the top, Nov 3 to 6, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the area's elevations the color moves over about 5 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 9 days.

Is Catoctin Mountain Park past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Nov 4, and on Nov 11 it's just past peak.

What trees turn color at Catoctin Mountain Park?

Red Maple, Tulip Poplar, White Oak, Hickory, Sweetgum. Western Maryland's Allegheny ridges turn gold and russet with oaks and hickories while sweetgums in the Piedmont produce vivid purple and red.

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 7 long-running forest cameras: two dates in three land within 13 days of the camera’s own peak. How this map is made

All of Maryland

Nearby, and when they turn

  1. Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing ArtsVA · about 50 miles
    Peak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22
  2. Rock Creek ParkDC · about 53 miles
    Peak Oct 25 best Oct 24 to 27
  3. Greenbelt ParkMD · about 55 miles
    Peak Oct 26 best Oct 25 to 28
  4. George Washington Memorial ParkwayDC, MD, VA · about 56 miles
    Peak Nov 5 best Nov 4 to 7
  5. National Capital ParksDC, MD · about 57 miles
    Peak Oct 26 best Oct 25 to 28
  6. National MallDC · about 58 miles
    Peak Oct 28 best Oct 27 to 30

Fall color roads near Catoctin Mountain Park

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

  • Skyline Drive · about 91 miles, VA · 105 miles of road

    The full length of Shenandoah National Park from Front Royal to Rockfish Gap. 75 overlooks in 105 miles. Best in mid-to-late October.