National Monument·New Mexico·33,661 acres
Bandelier National Monument
Forecast issued Nov 9, 7:48am 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 Bandelier National Monument in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Bandelier National Monument around Oct 18, and the four days to aim for are Oct 17 to 20.
The monument runs from about 5,563 to 9,242 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 10 days: the high stands around Oct 10, the low ground around Oct 20. That's 4 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.
| Week | In the monument | 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 | 9,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Peak color | 6,000 to 7,000 ft, 7,000 to 8,000 ft, 8,000 to 9,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Peak color | 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Just past peak |
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 108%
- 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1210%
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1621%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1842%
- 5,000–6,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2019%
Height off 3DEP inside the monument’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the monument stands in it.
That’s 4 days later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, which shifts peak color.
The place
Bandelier National Monument protects over 33,000 acres of ruggedly beautiful canyon and mesa country. Petroglyphs, dwellings carved into the soft rock cliffs, and standing masonry walls pay tribute to the early days of a culture that still survives in the surrounding communities.
Established 1916.
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.
Saturday, October 17 to Sunday, October 18
You’ll find it just past peak up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 9,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 10; down at 6,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 20. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 9,000–10,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 10
- 8,000–9,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 12
- 7,000–8,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 16
- 6,000–7,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 18
- 5,000–6,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 20
- Where to drive
- Alpine Loop (NM 475), about 30 miles · High Road to Taos, about 36 miles · Sandia Crest Road (NM 536), about 41 miles
- What turns
- Gambel oak, quaking aspen, bigtooth maple, serviceberry
What turns, and when
- Gambel oak41%
- quaking aspen29%
- bigtooth maple15%
- serviceberry15%
Also named across New Mexico, outside what the canopy read measures here: Narrowleaf Cottonwood, Rocky Mountain Maple.
Aspens turn gold in the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez mountains, Gambel oaks go russet and orange at lower elevations, and cottonwoods line the Rio Grande bosque in butter yellow.
Questions people ask about Bandelier National Monument
- When is peak fall foliage at Bandelier National Monument?
Our forecast puts peak color at Bandelier National Monument around Oct 18, and the four days to aim for are Oct 17 to 20.
- Where is the best fall color at Bandelier National Monument right now?
On Nov 9 the monument is leaves down. The last band to peak was 5,000 to 6,000 feet, around Oct 20.
- How long does peak last at Bandelier National Monument?
About four days at the top, Oct 17 to 20, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the monument's elevations the color moves over about 10 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 14 days.
- Is Bandelier National Monument past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 18, and on Nov 9 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Bandelier National Monument?
Quaking Aspen, Narrowleaf Cottonwood, Gambel Oak, Rocky Mountain Maple, Bigtooth Maple. Aspens turn gold in the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez mountains, Gambel oaks go russet and orange at lower elevations, and cottonwoods line the Rio Grande bosque in butter yellow.
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
Pecos Wilderness and Carson are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 16 best Oct 15 to 18
- Peak Oct 28 best Oct 27 to 30
- Peak Oct 6 best Oct 5 to 8
- Peak Oct 12 best Oct 11 to 14
Fall color roads near Bandelier National Monument
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the monument, so allow more by road.
- Alpine Loop (NM 475)
Climbs from Santa Fe to the Ski Basin through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. One of the most accessible aspen drives in the Southwest.
- High Road to Taos
Cottonwood in the villages, aspen above Truchas.
- Sandia Crest Road (NM 536)
Aspen near the top of Albuquerque's mountain.
- Enchanted Circle (NM 38, 522 and 64)
Taos, Questa, Red River, Eagle Nest and Angel Fire, aspen on the Sangre de Cristo the whole loop.
- Cumbres and La Manga passes (CO 17)
Antonito to Chama through the Conejos aspen, with the narrow-gauge train doing the same route.
- Wolf Creek Pass (US 160)
South Fork to Pagosa Springs, aspen on the west side of the pass.