National Recreation Area·Montana·60,103 acres
Rattlesnake 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.
Weather Wind to 36 mph Tuesday. Color may come down before it turns.
Weather Hard frost Sunday 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 Rattlesnake National Recreation Area in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Rattlesnake National Recreation Area around Sep 25, and the four days to aim for are Sep 24 to 27.
The recreation area runs from about 3,915 to 7,392 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 24 days: the high stands around Sep 12, the low ground around Oct 6.
| Week | In the recreation area | 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 | Just past peak | 4,000 to 5,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Just past peak | 3,000 to 4,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Fading |
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1217%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1741%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2323%
- 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 113%
- 3,000–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 66%
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.
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.
Thursday, September 24 to Friday, September 25
You’ll find it fading up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 7,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 12; down at 5,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 1. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 7,000–8,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 12
- 6,000–7,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 17
- 5,000–6,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 23
- 4,000–5,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 1
- Where to drive
- Seeley-Swan Highway (MT 83), about 30 miles · Skalkaho Pass (MT 38), about 56 miles · Going-to-the-Sun Road, about 117 miles
- What turns
- black cottonwood, quaking aspen, serviceberry, Rocky Mountain maple, huckleberry
What turns, and when
- black cottonwood85%
- quaking aspen8%
- serviceberry2%
- Rocky Mountain maple2%
- huckleberry2%
Also named across Montana, outside what the canopy read measures here: Western Larch, Paper Birch.
Montana's fall is a two-act show: aspens and cottonwoods turn gold around Sep 25, then western larches steal the finale in mid-October, turning entire mountain slopes amber before dropping their needles.
Questions people ask about Rattlesnake National Recreation Area
- When is peak fall foliage at Rattlesnake National Recreation Area?
Our forecast puts peak color at Rattlesnake National Recreation Area around Sep 25, and the four days to aim for are Sep 24 to 27.
- Where is the best fall color at Rattlesnake National Recreation Area right now?
On Nov 10 the recreation area is leaves down. The last band to peak was 3,000 to 4,000 feet, around Oct 6.
- How long does peak last at Rattlesnake National Recreation Area?
About four days at the top, Sep 24 to 27, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the recreation area's elevations the color moves over about 24 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 28 days.
- Is Rattlesnake National Recreation Area past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 25, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Rattlesnake 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 Sep 25, 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
Lolo and Welcome Creek Wilderness and Mission Mountains Wilderness and Bob Marshall Wilderness and Flathead are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Sep 17 best Sep 16 to 19
Fall color roads near Rattlesnake National Recreation Area
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the recreation area, 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.
- Skalkaho Pass (MT 38)
Hamilton to Philipsburg over a gravel summit, larch and aspen turning together.
- 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.