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Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

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Parkway·Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee·46,946 acres

Natchez Trace Parkway

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorNov 11Aim for Nov 10 to 13
In the parkway today, Nov 10Peak color
SepOctNov

Roadsides and wetland edges turn first, and the woods behind them run a few days later.

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

No new reports from the ground here this week.

I-20I-65I-30I-85New South MemphisTupeloStarkvilleTuscaloosaJacksonOxfordBirminghamWest PointWilliam B. Bankheadpeak Nov 8Natchez Trace Parkway
I-40I-82I-55I-20New South MemphisTupeloOxfordColumbusAmoryNew AlbanyGreenwoodBruceNatchez Trace Parkway
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Natchez Trace Parkway Jefferson County holds most of the parkway and is nearly peak today. That’s the county as a whole, which peaks 5 days later than the parkway’s own stands: the parkway is peak color. Madison County, to the southwest, is 2 days ahead. Williamson County, to the northeast, is 12 days ahead.
Natchez Trace Parkway fall foliage map 2026: the place and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 10. Peak forecast around Nov 11, best Nov 10 to 13.
Save or share this mapToday’s Natchez Trace Parkway 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 Natchez Trace Parkway in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Natchez Trace Parkway around Nov 11, and the four days to aim for are Nov 10 to 13.

That's 5 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.

Natchez Trace Parkway, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the parkwayElevation at peak
Oct 26 to Nov 1Starting to turn
Nov 2 to Nov 8Nearly peak
Nov 9 to Nov 15 this weekPeak color250 to 500 ft, 500 to 750 ft, 750 to 1,000 ft
Nov 16 to Nov 22Just past peak
By elevation The parkway runs from about 254 to 776 feet. It turns together: there isn’t enough relief here for the color to come down in stages.
  1. 750–1,000 ftPeak colorpeak Nov 1015%
  2. 500–750 ftPeak colorpeak Nov 1022%
  3. 250–500 ftPeak colorpeak Nov 1159%

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

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

The place

The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 444-mile recreational road and scenic drive through three states. It roughly follows the "Old Natchez Trace," a historic travel corridor used by American Indians, "Kaintucks," European settlers, slave traders, soldiers, and future presidents. Today, people can enjoy a scenic drive as well as hiking, biking, horseback riding, and camping along the Parkway.

Established 1938.

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 10 to Wednesday, November 11

You’ll find it peak color.

That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.

  • 750–1,000 ftPeak colorpeak Nov 10
  • 500–750 ftPeak colorpeak Nov 10
  • 250–500 ftPeak colorpeak Nov 11
What turns
white oak, red maple, northern red oak, blackgum, sweetgum

What turns, and when

Also named across Mississippi, outside what the canopy read measures here: Hickory, Bald Cypress, Tulip Poplar.

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.

Questions people ask about Natchez Trace Parkway

When is peak fall foliage at Natchez Trace Parkway?

Our forecast puts peak color at Natchez Trace Parkway around Nov 11, and the four days to aim for are Nov 10 to 13.

Where is the best fall color at Natchez Trace Parkway right now?

On Nov 10 the parkway is peak color. By elevation, the color is at peak at 250 to 500 feet, 500 to 750 feet and 750 to 1,000 feet.

How long does peak last at Natchez Trace Parkway?

About four days at the top, Nov 10 to 13, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive.

Is Natchez Trace Parkway past peak?

No. It's at peak now, on Nov 10, and the four days to aim for are Nov 10 to 13.

What trees turn color at Natchez Trace Parkway?

Sweetgum, Red Maple, Hickory, Bald Cypress, Tulip Poplar. 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.

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 Mississippi

Nearby, and when they turn

William B. Bankhead is on the map above, with its own date.

  1. Holly Springs National ForestMS · about 55 miles
    Peak Nov 10 best Nov 9 to 12
  2. Bienville National ForestMS · about 110 miles
    Peak Nov 15 best Nov 14 to 17
  3. Delta National ForestMS · about 123 miles
    Peak Nov 14 best Nov 13 to 16
  4. Talladega National ForestAL · about 156 miles
    Peak Nov 10 best Nov 9 to 12