Peak color lands around Oct 4 in most of Montana, but it moves 25 days across the state. Here’s where, and when, and how sure we are.
Montana fall foliage map, week of Nov 2
When is peak fall foliage in Montana in 2026?
Most of Montana peaks between Sep 26 and Oct 16: the high country first, around Sep 29, and the low ground last, around Oct 9. The first county to peak is Deer Lodge County, around Sep 23, and the last is Rosebud County, around Oct 18.
Elevation does most of the work here. Color runs down a mountain at roughly a day per 100 meters, so a ridge and the valley below it can be a week or two apart in the same county. This fall is running 2 days late on September's temperatures, and the dates here already include it.
| Week | Where it peaks | Most of the state |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Yellowstone National Park, Gallatin National Forest, Custer National Forest and 9 counties | Nearly peak |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Caribou-Targhee National Forest and 20 counties | Peak color |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Kootenai National Forest, Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument and 15 counties | Peak color |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Lake Mason National Wildlife Refuge, War Horse National Wildlife Refuge and 12 counties | Just past peak |
Each date is the middle of the four days we’d aim a trip at, and each place page names them. We publish what the model got wrong, region by region.
4 of 56 counties here are corrected by people who have actually looked at the trees this season. 7 reports from official state sources have moved those dates off the model and narrowed their windows. Counties with neither keep the model forecast and say so. Which is which is marked in the table below.
Late September for aspens, mid-to-late October for larches is how Montana is usually described.
Montana’s season, place by place
The 24 places closest to their peak in Montana, each set on the calendar at its peak and painted by how far along it is today, Nov 7.
First: Bighorn National Forest, Sep 12. Last: Red Rock Lakes Wilderness, Sep 26.
The dashed rule is today; the solid one is the median of the places on this chart, Sep 21. The date at the top of the page is the median county, which includes the low ground between them.
Where to go in Montana
The destinations we cover in Montana, in the order their color arrives. Each carries its own forecast and its own band, because a state isn’t one place.
- Past peakPeak Sep 12 best Sep 11 to 14
- Absaroka-Beartooth WildernessPast peakPeak Sep 17 best Sep 16 to 19
- Past peakPeak Sep 17 best Sep 16 to 19
- Ten Lakes Scenic AreaPast peakPeak Sep 17 best Sep 16 to 19
- Showdown Ski AreaPast peakPeak Sep 19 best Sep 18 to 21
- Crystal Park Recreation AreaPast peakPeak Sep 19 best Sep 18 to 21
- Big Therriault Lake Recreation AreaPast peakPeak Sep 19 best Sep 18 to 21
- Past peakPeak Sep 20 best Sep 19 to 22
- Past peakPeak Sep 20 best Sep 19 to 22
- Lee Metcalf WildernessPast peakPeak Sep 20 best Sep 19 to 22
- Past peakPeak Sep 21 best Sep 20 to 23
- Discovery Basin Ski AreaPast peakPeak Sep 21 best Sep 20 to 23
- Miner Lake Recreation AreaPast peakPeak Sep 21 best Sep 20 to 23
- Twin Lakes Recreation AreaPast peakPeak Sep 21 best Sep 20 to 23
- Scapegoat WildernessPast peakPeak Sep 22 best Sep 21 to 24
- Teton Pass Ski AreaPast peakPeak Sep 23 best Sep 22 to 25
- Northwest Peaks Scenic AreaPast peakPeak Sep 24 best Sep 23 to 26
- Past peakPeak Sep 25, larch Oct 8 best Sep 24 to 27
- Past peakPeak Sep 25 best Sep 24 to 27
- Past peakPeak Sep 25 best Sep 24 to 27
- Past peakPeak Sep 26 best Sep 25 to 28
- Past peakPeak Sep 26, larch Oct 9 best Sep 25 to 28
- Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Sep 26 best Sep 25 to 28
- Red Rock Lakes WildernessPast peakPeak Sep 26 best Sep 25 to 28
Also forecast in MontanaBighorn Canyon National Recreation AreaBitterroot National ForestCaribou-Targhee National ForestCuster National ForestFlathead National ForestGlacier National ParkHelena-Lewis and Clark National ForestIdaho Panhandle National ForestsKootenai National ForestLolo National ForestUpper Missouri River Breaks National MonumentWelcome Creek Wilderness
Questions people ask about Montana fall foliage
- When is peak fall foliage in Montana?
Most of Montana peaks between Sep 26 and Oct 16: the high country first, around Sep 29, and the low ground last, around Oct 9. The first county to peak is Deer Lodge County, around Sep 23, and the last is Rosebud County, around Oct 18. This fall is running 2 days late on September's temperatures, and the dates here already include it.
- Where is the best fall foliage in Montana right now?
Peak has passed in the places we cover in Montana as of Nov 7. Yellowstone National Park and 23 more was the last, around Sep 26. The live map still shows where russet and late gold are holding.
- How long does peak last in Montana?
In any one place, about four days at the top, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across Montana as a whole, peak moves 25 days from Deer Lodge County to Rosebud County, so there's peak color somewhere in the state for about 29 days.
- Is Montana past peak?
Yes. As of Nov 7, every one of Montana's 56 counties is past peak by our forecast. Rosebud County was the last, around Oct 18.
- How far along is Montana's fall foliage today?
On Nov 7, no county in Montana is at peak yet: 56 of Montana's 56 counties (100 percent) are past peak. The county map above paints each one, and the live map lets you scrub the day.
- When do the leaves change in Montana?
The first color shows in Deer Lodge County around Sep 2 and peaks there around Sep 23. Rosebud County is the last of Montana's 56 counties, peaking around Oct 18. Most of the state turns through the weeks around Oct 4.
- What's the best time to visit Montana for fall foliage?
The week of Oct 4 catches the most of the state at once, and the four days we'd aim at there are Oct 3 to 6. That's the leaf peeping window for Montana as a whole. For Deer Lodge County and the counties around it, aim for the week of Sep 23; for Rosebud County and its neighbors, the week of Oct 18.
What actually turns
Montana's fall is a two-act show: aspens and cottonwoods turn gold in late September, then western larches steal the finale in mid-October, turning entire mountain slopes amber before dropping their needles.
- Quaking Aspen
- Western Larch
- Black Cottonwood
- Rocky Mountain Maple
- Paper Birch
Glacier National Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road in early October, with larches turning gold on the high slopes and aspens coloring the valley bottoms, is one of the great fall experiences in the American West.
Worth the drive
Flathead County contains the western entrance to Glacier National Park and the town of Kalispell. The North Fork and Middle Fork of the Flathead River are lined with cottonwoods that turn gold in early October, and the larches on the high slopes of Glacier turn amber in mid-October. Going-to-the-Sun Road typically closes by mid-October, so timing is critical.
Every county, by peak week
Beaverhead, Deer Lodge, Gallatin observed, Granite, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Madison, Meagher, Pondera, Silver Bow
Broadwater, Carbon, Cascade, Chouteau, Daniels, Fergus, Flathead observed, Glacier observed, Hill, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, McCone, Mineral, Missoula observed, Park, Powell, Richland, Roosevelt, Sheridan, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Teton, Valley, Wheatland
Blaine, Dawson, Garfield, Golden Valley, Lake, Liberty, Phillips, Prairie, Ravalli, Sanders, Toole, Wibaux
Big Horn, Carter, Custer, Fallon, Musselshell, Petroleum, Powder River, Rosebud, Treasure, Yellowstone
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