National Recreation Area·New Mexico·57,743 acres
Jemez 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 Hard frost Monday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Jemez National Recreation Area in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Jemez National Recreation Area around Oct 19, and the four days to aim for are Oct 18 to 21.
The recreation area runs from about 5,941 to 9,162 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 recreation area | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Still green | |
| 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 107%
- 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1244%
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1525%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1818%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 206%
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.
That’s 4 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, October 18 to Monday, October 19
You’ll find it just past peak up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 8,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 12; down at 7,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 18. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 8,000–9,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 12
- 7,000–8,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 15
- 6,000–7,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 18
- Where to drive
- Sandia Crest Road (NM 536), about 43 miles · Alpine Loop (NM 475), about 48 miles · High Road to Taos, about 53 miles
- What turns
- Gambel oak, quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, willow, bigtooth maple
What turns, and when
- Gambel oak23%
- quaking aspen20%
- narrowleaf cottonwood20%
- willow13%
- bigtooth maple8%
- serviceberry8%
Also named across New Mexico, outside what the canopy read measures here: 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 Jemez National Recreation Area
- When is peak fall foliage at Jemez National Recreation Area?
Our forecast puts peak color at Jemez National Recreation Area around Oct 19, and the four days to aim for are Oct 18 to 21.
- Where is the best fall color at Jemez National Recreation Area right now?
On Nov 10 the recreation area is leaves down. The last band to peak was 5,000 to 6,000 feet, around Oct 20.
- How long does peak last at Jemez National Recreation Area?
About four days at the top, Oct 18 to 21, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the recreation area's elevations the color moves over about 10 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 14 days.
- Is Jemez National Recreation Area past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 19, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Jemez National Recreation Area?
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 28 best Oct 27 to 30
- Peak Oct 4 best Oct 3 to 6
- Peak Oct 12 best Oct 11 to 14
- Peak Oct 6 best Oct 5 to 8
Fall color roads near Jemez National Recreation Area
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the recreation area, so allow more by road.
- Sandia Crest Road (NM 536)
Aspen near the top of Albuquerque's mountain.
- 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.
- Cumbres and La Manga passes (CO 17)
Antonito to Chama through the Conejos aspen, with the narrow-gauge train doing the same route.
- 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.
- Wolf Creek Pass (US 160)
South Fork to Pagosa Springs, aspen on the west side of the pass.