Peak color lands around Nov 14 in most of Mississippi, but it moves 13 days across the state. Here’s where, and when, and how sure we are.
Mississippi fall foliage map for the week of Nov 9
When is peak fall foliage in Mississippi in 2026?
Most of Mississippi peaks between Nov 10 and Nov 18: the north first, around Nov 11, and the south last, around Nov 17. The first county to peak is Tishomingo County, around Nov 8, and the last is Jackson County, around Nov 21.
Latitude does most of the work here: color moves south at about two days per degree, so the north of the state turns a week or more ahead of the south. This fall is running 5 days late on September's temperatures, and the dates here already include it.
| Week | Where it peaks | Most of the state |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2 to Nov 8 | Shiloh National Military Park and 2 counties | Nearly peak |
| Nov 9 to Nov 15 this week | Bienville National Forest, Holly Springs National Forest, Gulf Islands National Seashore and 52 counties | Peak color |
| Nov 16 to Nov 22 | De Soto National Forest, Homochitto National Forest, Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge and 28 counties | Peak color |
Each date is the middle of the four days we’d aim a trip at, and each place page names them. We score the model against 7 long-running forest monitoring sites in this part of the country and publish what it got wrong.
Late October in the northeast hills, mid-November elsewhere is how Mississippi is usually described.
Mississippi’s season place by place
The 24 places closest to their peak in Mississippi, each set on the calendar at its peak and painted by how far along it is today, Nov 10.
First: Holly Springs National Forest, Nov 10. Last: De Soto National Forest, Nov 18.
The dashed rule is today; the solid one is the median of the places on this chart, Nov 13. The date at the top of the page is the median county, which includes the low ground between them.
Where to go in Mississippi
The destinations we cover in Mississippi, in the order their color arrives. Each carries its own forecast and its own band, because a state isn’t one place.
- PeakPeak Nov 10 best Nov 9 to 12
- PeakPeak Nov 11 best Nov 10 to 13
- PeakPeak Nov 11 best Nov 10 to 13
- Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife RefugePeakPeak Nov 12, sweetgum Nov 20 best Nov 11 to 14
- Grand Bay National Wildlife RefugePeakPeak Nov 12, sweetgum Nov 20 best Nov 11 to 14
- Gulf Islands Wilderness AreaPeakPeak Nov 12 best Nov 11 to 14
- Coldwater River National Wildlife RefugePeakPeak Nov 12 best Nov 11 to 14
- Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife RefugePeakPeak Nov 13 best Nov 12 to 15
- Hillside National Wildlife RefugePeakPeak Nov 13 best Nov 12 to 15
- Yazoo National Wildlife RefugePeakPeak Nov 13 best Nov 12 to 15
- Dahomey National Wildlife RefugePeakPeak Nov 13 best Nov 12 to 15
- Morgan Brake National Wildlife RefugePeakPeak Nov 13 best Nov 12 to 15
- Tallahatchie National Wildlife RefugePeakPeak Nov 13 best Nov 12 to 15
- Holt Collier National Wildlife RefugePeakPeak Nov 13 best Nov 12 to 15
- Mathews Brake National Wildlife RefugePeakPeak Nov 13 best Nov 12 to 15
- PeakPeak Nov 14 best Nov 13 to 16
- Panther Swamp National Wildlife RefugePeakPeak Nov 14 best Nov 13 to 16
- Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife RefugePeakPeak Nov 14 best Nov 13 to 16
- PeakPeak Nov 15 best Nov 14 to 17
- PeakPeak Nov 15 best Nov 14 to 17
- Vicksburg National Military ParkPeakPeak Nov 15 best Nov 14 to 17
- PeakPeak Nov 16 best Nov 15 to 18
- St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife RefugePeakPeak Nov 17 best Nov 16 to 19
- PeakPeak Nov 18 best Nov 17 to 20
Questions people ask about Mississippi fall foliage
- When is peak fall foliage in Mississippi?
Most of Mississippi peaks between Nov 10 and Nov 18: the north first, around Nov 11, and the south last, around Nov 17. The first county to peak is Tishomingo County, around Nov 8, and the last is Jackson County, around Nov 21. This fall is running 5 days late on September's temperatures, and the dates here already include it.
- Where is the best fall foliage in Mississippi right now?
As of Nov 10, Holly Springs National Forest, Tombigbee National Forest, Natchez Trace Parkway and 15 more are at peak, with Bienville National Forest, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Vicksburg National Military Park and two more within a week of it. De Soto National Forest follows around Nov 18.
- How long does peak last in Mississippi?
In any one place, about four days at the top, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across Mississippi as a whole, peak moves 13 days from Tishomingo County to Jackson County, so there's peak color somewhere in the state for about 17 days.
- Is Mississippi past peak?
No. As of Nov 10, no county in Mississippi is past peak, and 21 are at it now. Most of the state peaks between Nov 10 and Nov 18.
- How far along is Mississippi's fall foliage today?
On Nov 10, 21 of Mississippi's 82 counties (26 percent) are at peak and 61 (74 percent) are turning. The county map above paints each one, and the live map lets you scrub the day.
- When do the leaves change in Mississippi?
The first color shows in Tishomingo County around Oct 18 and peaks there around Nov 8. Jackson County is the last of Mississippi's 82 counties, peaking around Nov 21. Most of the state turns through the weeks around Nov 14.
- What's the best time to visit Mississippi for fall foliage?
The week of Nov 14 catches the most of the state at once, and the four days we'd aim at there are Nov 13 to 16. That's the leaf peeping window for Mississippi as a whole. For Tishomingo County and the counties around it, aim for the week of Nov 8; for Jackson County and its neighbors, the week of Nov 21.
What actually turns
Sweetgums provide the best color in Mississippi, turning vivid red and purple, while bald cypresses go copper along the rivers and hickories fade to gold in the uplands.
- Sweetgum
- Red Maple
- Hickory
- Bald Cypress
- Tulip Poplar
The Natchez Trace Parkway through the northeast corner of the state, particularly near Jeff Busby and Tishomingo, produces the most reliable fall color in Mississippi.
Every county by peak week
Alcorn, Benton, DeSoto, Itawamba, Lafayette, Lee, Marshall, Prentiss, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Tunica, Union
Adams, Amite, Attala, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Claiborne, Clarke, Clay, Coahoma, Copiah, Covington, Franklin, Grenada, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Jasper, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Leflore, Lincoln, Lowndes, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pontotoc, Quitman, Rankin, Scott, Sharkey, Simpson, Smith, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wilkinson, Winston, Yalobusha, Yazoo
Forrest, George, Greene, Hancock regional, Harrison, Jackson, Lamar, Marion, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Stone, Walthall
Every date on this site is a forecast: a model corrected by ground reports, carrying a measured error, published in full. Check conditions with the land manager before you travel. Last reviewed September 2026. Open the live map
See it on the map
The live map covers every county in the country, with a timeline you can scrub through the season, the nearest forest monitoring camera, and the long-term record where we hold one. If you’re going this weekend, the weekend report names where color is at peak right now, region by region.
Before you drive, it’s worth checking fire and smoke conditions for the same forests. A perfect color week is no good under a smoke plume.