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Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

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National Forest·New Mexico·2,659,003 acres

Gila National Forest

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorOct 24Aim for Oct 23 to 26
In the forest today, Nov 10Fading
SepOctNov

Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.

Weather Hard frost Wednesday night. Peak may come early and go fast.

No new reports from the ground here this week.

I-25I-10US 2US 191Silver CityEl PasoLas CrucesDemingTruth or ConsequencesSaffordCliftonLordsburgApache-Sitgreavespeak Oct 17Cibolapeak Oct 21Gila
I-25I-10US 191US 180Silver CityDemingCliftonSaffordLordsburgEagarSaint JohnsColumbusApache-Sitgreavespeak Oct 17Cibolapeak Oct 21Gila
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Gila National Forest Catron County holds most of the forest and is leaves down today. That’s the county as a whole, which peaks 4 days earlier than the forest’s own stands: the forest is fading. Grant County, to the south, is 7 days behind. Sierra County, to the east, is 7 days behind.
Gila National Forest fall foliage map 2026: the unit and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 10. Peak forecast around Oct 24, best Oct 23 to 26.
Save or share this mapToday’s Gila National Forest fall foliage map as a picture, redrawn every morning. Free to reuse with credit to More Than Just Parks and a link back; the terms.Save the mapPin itFacebookXEmail

When is peak fall foliage at Gila National Forest in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Gila National Forest around Oct 24, and the four days to aim for are Oct 23 to 26.

The forest runs from about 5,408 to 8,557 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 8 days: the high stands around Oct 18, the low ground around Oct 26. That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.

Gila, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the forestElevation at peak
Sep 28 to Oct 4Starting to turn
Oct 5 to Oct 11Starting to turn
Oct 12 to Oct 18Nearly peak8,000 to 9,000 ft
Oct 19 to Oct 25Peak color6,000 to 7,000 ft, 7,000 to 8,000 ft
Oct 26 to Nov 1Peak color5,000 to 6,000 ft
Nov 2 to Nov 8Just past peak
By elevation The forest runs from about 5,408 to 8,557 feet. That’s 8 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 18, the low ground holds until about Oct 26, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 6,000 to 7,000 foot band.
  1. 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1816%
  2. 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 2042%
  3. 6,000–7,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2328%
  4. 5,000–6,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2614%

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 trip

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, October 23 to Saturday, October 24

You’ll find it just past peak up high, nearly peak lower down.

Up at 8,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 18; down at 6,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 26. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

  • 8,000–9,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 18
  • 7,000–8,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 20
  • 6,000–7,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 23
  • 5,000–6,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 26
What turns
Gambel oak, bigtooth maple, serviceberry, willow, velvet ash

What turns, and when

Also named across New Mexico, outside what the canopy read measures here: Quaking Aspen, 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 Gila National Forest

When is peak fall foliage at Gila National Forest?

Our forecast puts peak color at Gila National Forest around Oct 24, and the four days to aim for are Oct 23 to 26.

Where is the best fall color at Gila National Forest right now?

On Nov 10 the forest is fading. The last band to peak was 5,000 to 6,000 feet, around Oct 26.

How long does peak last at Gila National Forest?

About four days at the top, Oct 23 to 26, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 8 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 12 days.

Is Gila National Forest past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 24, and on Nov 10 it's fading.

What trees turn color at Gila National Forest?

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

All of New Mexico

Nearby, and when they turn

Apache-Sitgreaves and Cibola are on the map above, with their own date.

  1. White Sands National ParkNM · about 122 miles
    Peak Nov 2 best Nov 1 to 4
  2. Coronado National ForestAZ, NM · about 143 miles
    Peak Oct 31 best Oct 30 to Nov 2
  3. Petrified Forest National ParkAZ · about 144 miles
    Peak Oct 17 best Oct 16 to 19
  4. Saguaro National ParkAZ · about 158 miles
    Peak Oct 28 best Oct 27 to 30