Where is the best fall color at Sandia Mountain Wilderness right now?

On Nov 10 the wilderness is fading. The last band to peak was 5,000 to 6,000 feet, around Oct 29.

How long does peak last at Sandia Mountain Wilderness?

About four days at the top, Oct 27 to 30, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 10 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 14 days.

Is Sandia Mountain Wilderness past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 28, and on Nov 10 it's fading.

Back to the map

Wilderness Area·New Mexico·37,690 acres

Sandia Mountain Wilderness

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorOct 28Aim for Oct 27 to 30

In the wilderness today, Nov 10Fading

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

10 reports came in from Bernalillo County this week, 7 of them patchy color and 2 of them at peak. They moved our date 1 day later. See the county on the map.

Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.

Around Sandia Mountain Wilderness Bernalillo County holds most of the wilderness and is fading today. Sandoval County, to the northwest, is 12 days ahead.

When is peak fall foliage at Sandia Mountain Wilderness in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Sandia Mountain Wilderness around Oct 28, and the four days to aim for are Oct 27 to 30.

The wilderness runs from about 5,898 to 9,380 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 10 days: the high stands around Oct 19, the low ground around Oct 29. That's 12 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.

Sandia Mountain Wilderness, fall color week by week, 2026
Week	In the wilderness	Elevation at peak
Oct 5 to Oct 11	Starting to turn
Oct 12 to Oct 18	Starting to turn
Oct 19 to Oct 25	Nearly peak	7,000 to 8,000 ft, 8,000 to 9,000 ft, 9,000 to 10,000 ft
Oct 26 to Nov 1	Peak color	5,000 to 6,000 ft, 6,000 to 7,000 ft
Nov 2 to Nov 8	Just past peak

By elevation The wilderness runs from about 5,898 to 9,380 feet. That’s 10 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 19, the low ground holds until about Oct 29, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 6,000 to 7,000 foot band.

9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1910%
8,000–9,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2221%
7,000–8,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2532%
6,000–7,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2829%
5,000–6,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 298%

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.

That’s 12 days later than our model alone would say. This season’s reports from the ground moved it, and they outrank us.

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.

ArrivingLeaving

Tuesday, October 27 to Wednesday, October 28

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

Up at 9,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 19; down at 6,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 29. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

9,000–10,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 19
8,000–9,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 22
7,000–8,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 25
6,000–7,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 28
5,000–6,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 29

Where to drive: Sandia Crest Road (NM 536), about 2 miles · Alpine Loop (NM 475), about 54 miles · High Road to Taos, about 69 miles
What turns: quaking aspen, Gambel oak, bigtooth maple, serviceberry

What turns, and when

quaking aspen74%
Gambel oak15%
bigtooth maple5%
serviceberry5%

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 Sandia Mountain Wilderness

When is peak fall foliage at Sandia Mountain Wilderness?: Our forecast puts peak color at Sandia Mountain Wilderness around Oct 28, and the four days to aim for are Oct 27 to 30.
Where is the best fall color at Sandia Mountain Wilderness right now?: On Nov 10 the wilderness is fading. The last band to peak was 5,000 to 6,000 feet, around Oct 29.
How long does peak last at Sandia Mountain Wilderness?: About four days at the top, Oct 27 to 30, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 10 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 14 days.
Is Sandia Mountain Wilderness past peak?: Yes. Peak was around Oct 28, and on Nov 10 it's fading.
What trees turn color at Sandia Mountain Wilderness?: 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

Jemez and Santa Fe and Cibola are on the map above, with their own date.

Bandelier National MonumentNM · about 42 miles
Peak Oct 18 best Oct 17 to 20
Cuba-Rio Puerco Land Utilization ProjectNM · about 67 miles
Peak Oct 16 best Oct 15 to 18
Pecos WildernessNM · about 67 miles
Peak Oct 9 best Oct 8 to 11

Fall color roads near Sandia Mountain Wilderness

Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.

Sandia Crest Road (NM 536) · about 2 miles, NM · 14 miles of road
Aspen near the top of Albuquerque's mountain.
Alpine Loop (NM 475) · about 54 miles, NM · 15 miles of road
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 · about 69 miles, NM · 56 miles of road
Cottonwood in the villages, aspen above Truchas.
Enchanted Circle (NM 38, 522 and 64) · about 113 miles, NM · 84 miles of road
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) · about 127 miles, CO · 50 miles of road
Antonito to Chama through the Conejos aspen, with the narrow-gauge train doing the same route.