National Forest·Montana·1,850,413 acres
Gallatin National Forest
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 Gallatin National Forest in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Gallatin National Forest around Sep 21, and the four days to aim for are Sep 20 to 23.
The forest runs from about 5,141 to 9,378 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 30 days: the high stands around Sep 7, the low ground around Oct 2. That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.
| Week | In the forest | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 24 to Aug 30 | Still green | |
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Nearly peak | 8,000 to 9,000 ft, 9,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Peak color | 7,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Peak color | 6,000 to 7,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Just past peak | 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Fading | |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Leaves down |
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 712%
- 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1223%
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1927%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2523%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 212%
Height off 3DEP inside the forest’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the forest stands in it.
That’s 3 days later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, which shifts peak color.
Plan this tripIf you can only come on certain days
Set the days you can be here. Everything under them answers for those days, not for peak.
Sunday, September 20 to Monday, September 21
You’ll find it fading up high, starting to turn lower down.
Up at 9,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 7; down at 6,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 2. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 9,000–10,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 7
- 8,000–9,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 12
- 7,000–8,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 19
- 6,000–7,000 ftNearly peakpeak Sep 25
- 5,000–6,000 ftStarting to turnpeak Oct 2
- Where to drive
- Beartooth Highway (US 212), about 67 miles · Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (WY 296), about 69 miles · Teton Park Road, about 107 miles
- What turns
- narrowleaf cottonwood, quaking aspen, willow, water birch, serviceberry
What turns, and when
- narrowleaf cottonwood33%
- quaking aspen22%
- willow22%
- water birch11%
- serviceberry4%
- Rocky Mountain maple4%
Also named across Montana, outside what the canopy read measures here: Western Larch, Black Cottonwood, Paper Birch.
Montana's fall is a two-act show: aspens and cottonwoods turn gold around Sep 21, then western larches steal the finale in mid-October, turning entire mountain slopes amber before dropping their needles.
Questions people ask about Gallatin National Forest
- When is peak fall foliage at Gallatin National Forest?
Our forecast puts peak color at Gallatin National Forest around Sep 21, and the four days to aim for are Sep 20 to 23.
- Where is the best fall color at Gallatin National Forest right now?
On Nov 10 the forest is leaves down. The last band to peak was 5,000 to 6,000 feet, around Oct 2.
- How long does peak last at Gallatin National Forest?
About four days at the top, Sep 20 to 23, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 30 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 34 days.
- Is Gallatin National Forest past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 21, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Gallatin National Forest?
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 Sep 21, 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
Yellowstone and North Absaroka Wilderness and Beaverhead-Deerlodge are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 2 best Oct 1 to 4
- Peak Sep 30 best Sep 29 to Oct 2
- Peak Sep 30 best Sep 29 to Oct 2
Fall color roads near Gallatin National Forest
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the forest, so allow more by road.
- 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.
- Teton Park Road
The cottonwoods along the Snake River flats with the Tetons behind them. This is the most famous fall landscape in the American West.
- Teton Scenic Byway (ID 31, 32 and 33)
Swan Valley to Ashton, aspen on the west side of the Tetons.