National Recreation Area·Montana, Wyoming·44,509 acres
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area around Oct 15, and the four days to aim for are Oct 14 to 17.
The recreation area runs from about 3,648 to 5,517 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 20 days: the high stands around Oct 5, the low ground around Oct 15. That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.
| Week | In the recreation area | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Starting to turn | |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Nearly peak | 4,000 to 4,500 ft, 4,500 to 5,000 ft, 5,000 to 5,500 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Peak color | 3,500 to 4,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Just past peak |
- 5,000–5,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 510%
- 4,500–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 827%
- 4,000–4,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1127%
- 3,500–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1531%
Height off 3DEP inside the recreation area’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the recreation area stands in it.
That’s 3 days later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, which shifts peak color.
The place
The vast, wild landscape of Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area offers visitors unparalleled opportunities to immerse themselves in the natural world, and experience the wonders of this extraordinary place. With over 120,000 acres, one can find an astounding diversity in ecosystems, wildlife, and more than 10,000 years of human history to explore.
Established 1966.
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.
Wednesday, October 14 to Thursday, October 15
You’ll find it just past peak up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 5,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 5; down at 4,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 15. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 5,000–5,500 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 5
- 4,500–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 8
- 4,000–4,500 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 11
- 3,500–4,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 15
- Where to drive
- Bighorn Scenic Byway (US 14), about 35 miles · Beartooth Highway (US 212), about 57 miles · Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (WY 296), about 65 miles
- What turns
- narrowleaf cottonwood, quaking aspen, willow, serviceberry, chokecherry
What turns, and when
- narrowleaf cottonwood50%
- quaking aspen21%
- willow14%
- serviceberry7%
- chokecherry6%
- green ash3%
Also named across Montana, outside what the canopy read measures here: Western Larch, Black Cottonwood, Rocky Mountain Maple, Paper Birch.
Montana's fall is a two-act show: aspens and cottonwoods turn gold around Oct 15, then western larches steal the finale in mid-October, turning entire mountain slopes amber before dropping their needles.
Questions people ask about Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
- When is peak fall foliage at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area?
Our forecast puts peak color at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area around Oct 15, and the four days to aim for are Oct 14 to 17.
- Where is the best fall color at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area right now?
On Nov 10 the recreation area is leaves down. The last band to peak was 3,500 to 4,000 feet, around Oct 15.
- How long does peak last at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area?
About four days at the top, Oct 14 to 17, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the recreation area's elevations the color moves over about 20 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 24 days.
- Is Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 15, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area?
Quaking Aspen, Western Larch, Black Cottonwood, Rocky Mountain Maple, Paper Birch. Montana's fall is a two-act show: aspens and cottonwoods turn gold around Oct 15, then western larches steal the finale in mid-October, turning entire mountain slopes amber before dropping their needles.
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. Out here we score it against NASA's satellite record of when the canopy shuts down, read inside each unit’s own boundary: two dates in three land within 12 days of it. How this map is made
Nearby, and when they turn
Custer and Bighorn are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Sep 28 best Sep 27 to 30
- Peak Sep 26 best Sep 25 to 28
- Peak Sep 28 best Sep 27 to 30
- Peak Sep 21 best Sep 20 to 23
Fall color roads near Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the recreation area, so allow more by road.
- Bighorn Scenic Byway (US 14)
Shell Canyon to Dayton, aspen in the canyon and around Burgess Junction.
- Beartooth Highway (US 212)
Red Lodge to Cooke City. The aspen are in Rock Creek canyon before the switchbacks; above them it is tundra.
- Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (WY 296)
Cody toward Cooke City, cottonwood in the Clarks Fork canyon and aspen on Dead Indian Hill.