Wilderness Area·Montana·76,145 acres
Mission Mountains Wilderness
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
quaking aspen and Rocky Mountain maple
western larch, peak Oct 9
Peak color should arrive around Sep 25 for the quaking aspen and Rocky Mountain maple, and around Oct 9 for the western larch.
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Wind to 25 mph Friday. Color may come down before it turns.
Weather Hard frost Monday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
2 reports came in from Missoula County this week, 2 of them at peak. Our date held. See the county on the map.
When is peak fall foliage at Mission Mountains Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Mission Mountains Wilderness around Sep 26, and the four days to aim for are Sep 25 to 28. western larch peak later, around Oct 9.
The wilderness runs from about 4,630 to 7,524 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 20 days: the high stands around Sep 10, the low ground around Sep 30.
| Week | In the wilderness | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 24 to Aug 30 | Still green | |
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Starting to turn | 7,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Nearly peak | 6,000 to 7,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Peak color | 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 4,000 to 5,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Just past peak |
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1018%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1746%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2327%
- 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 3010%
Height off 3DEP inside the wilderness’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the wilderness stands in it.
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.
Friday, September 25 to Saturday, September 26
You’ll find it fading up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 7,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 10; down at 5,000 feet they hold on until about Sep 30. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 7,000–8,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 10
- 6,000–7,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 17
- 5,000–6,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 23
- 4,000–5,000 ftNearly peakpeak Sep 30
- Where to drive
- Seeley-Swan Highway (MT 83), about 13 miles · Going-to-the-Sun Road, about 86 miles · Skalkaho Pass (MT 38), about 87 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, Rocky Mountain maple, serviceberry, huckleberry, narrowleaf cottonwood
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen38%
- Rocky Mountain maple12%
- serviceberry12%
- huckleberry12%
- narrowleaf cottonwood10%
- western larch7%
Also named across Montana, outside what the canopy read measures here: Black Cottonwood, Paper Birch.
Montana's fall is a two-act show: aspens and cottonwoods turn gold around Sep 25, then western larches steal the finale around Oct 9, turning entire mountain slopes amber before dropping their needles.
Questions people ask about Mission Mountains Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Mission Mountains Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Mission Mountains Wilderness around Sep 26, and the four days to aim for are Sep 25 to 28. western larch peak later, around Oct 9.
- Where is the best fall color at Mission Mountains Wilderness right now?
On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 4,000 to 5,000 feet, around Sep 30.
- How long does peak last at Mission Mountains Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Sep 25 to 28, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 20 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 24 days.
- Is Mission Mountains Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 26, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Mission Mountains Wilderness?
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 25, then western larches steal the finale around Oct 9, 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
Rattlesnake Wilderness and Lolo and Bob Marshall Wilderness and Flathead are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Sep 25 best Sep 24 to 27
- Peak Oct 2 best Oct 1 to 4
Fall color roads near Mission Mountains Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- Seeley-Swan Highway (MT 83)
Larch gold along the Swan Valley in mid-October, under the Mission and Swan ranges.
- Going-to-the-Sun Road
Glacier National Park. Larch trees turn gold in early October on the high passes while aspens color the valley bottoms. The road closes mid-October most years.
- Skalkaho Pass (MT 38)
Hamilton to Philipsburg over a gravel summit, larch and aspen turning together.