Photograph: More Than Just Parks
Peak color lands around Oct 15 in most of Oregon, but it moves 31 days across the state. Here’s where, and when, and how sure we are.
Oregon fall foliage map for the week of Nov 9
When is peak fall foliage in Oregon in 2026?
Most of Oregon peaks between Oct 4 and Oct 21: the high country first, around Oct 7, and the low ground last, around Oct 17. The first county to peak is Harney County, around Sep 27, and the last is Benton County, around Oct 28.
Elevation does most of the work here. Color runs down a mountain at roughly a day per 100 meters, so a ridge and the valley below it can be a week or two apart in the same county.
| Week | Where it peaks | Most of the state |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Harney County | Starting to turn |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Fremont-Winema National Forest, Vinegar Hill-Indian Rock Scenic Area, Gearhart Mountain Wilderness and 6 counties | Starting to turn |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Ochoco National Forest, Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area, Eagle Cap Wilderness and 7 counties | Nearly peak |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Klamath National Forest, Deschutes National Forest and 15 counties | Peak color |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Willamette National Forest, Umatilla National Forest and 6 counties | Just past peak |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, Marys Peak Botanical Area and 1 county | Just past peak |
Each date is the middle of the four days we’d aim a trip at, and each place page names them. We publish what the model got wrong, region by region.
11 of 36 counties here are corrected by people who have actually looked at the trees this season. 79 reports from official state sources have moved those dates off the model and narrowed their windows. Counties with neither keep the model forecast and say so. Which is which is marked in the table below.
Mid-to-late October in the Cascades and Gorge, early November in the Willamette Valley is how Oregon is usually described.
Oregon’s season place by place
The 24 places closest to their peak in Oregon, each set on the calendar at its peak and painted by how far along it is today, Nov 10.
First: Deadhorse and Campbell Lake Recreation Area, Sep 29. Last: Mountain Lakes Wilderness, Oct 9.
The dashed rule is today; the solid one is the median of the places on this chart, Oct 7. The date at the top of the page is the median county, which includes the low ground between them.
Where to go in Oregon
The destinations we cover in Oregon, in the order their color arrives. Each carries its own forecast and its own band, because a state isn’t one place.
- Deadhorse and Campbell Lake Recreation AreaPast peakPeak Sep 29 best Sep 28 to Oct 1
- Monument Rock WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 3 best Oct 2 to 5
- Past peakPeak Oct 4 best Oct 3 to 6
- Vinegar Hill-Indian Rock Scenic AreaPast peakPeak Oct 4 best Oct 3 to 6
- Gearhart Mountain WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 4 best Oct 3 to 6
- McNary National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 4, maple Oct 17 best Oct 3 to 6
- Miller Lake Recreation AreaPast peakPeak Oct 5 best Oct 4 to 7
- Hells Canyon-Seven Devils Scenic AreaPast peakPeak Oct 6 best Oct 5 to 8
- Umatilla National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 6, maple Oct 19 best Oct 5 to 8
- Hells Canyon Wilderness AreaPast peakPeak Oct 6 best Oct 5 to 8
- Canyon Meadows Recreation AreaPast peakPeak Oct 6 best Oct 5 to 8
- Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection AreaPast peakPeak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
- Hart Mountain National Antelope RefugePast peakPeak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
- Past peakPeak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
- Strawberry Mountain WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
- Bridge Creek WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
- Lower White River Wilderness AreaPast peakPeak Oct 7, bigleaf maple Oct 20 best Oct 6 to 9
- Lower White River Wilderness (BLM)Past peakPeak Oct 7, bigleaf maple Oct 17 best Oct 6 to 9
- Cottonwood Meadow Recreation AreaPast peakPeak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
- Diamond Peak WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 8 best Oct 7 to 10
- John Day Fossil Beds National MonumentPast peakPeak Oct 8, maple Oct 21 best Oct 7 to 10
- Four Mile Lake Recreation AreaPast peakPeak Oct 8 best Oct 7 to 10
- Mount Thielsen WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 9 best Oct 8 to 11
- Mountain Lakes WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 9 best Oct 8 to 11
Also forecast in OregonColumbia River Gorge National Scenic AreaDeschutes National ForestHells Canyon National Recreation AreaKlamath National ForestMalheur National ForestMark O. Hatfield WildernessMount Hood National Recreation AreaMount Hood WildernessMount Jefferson WildernessMount Washington WildernessMt. Hood National ForestOchoco National ForestOregon Dunes National Recreation AreaRoaring River WildernessRogue River-Siskiyou National ForestSalmon-Huckleberry WildernessSiuslaw National ForestThree Sisters WildernessUmatilla National ForestUmpqua National ForestWallowa-Whitman National ForestWillamette National Forest
Questions people ask about Oregon fall foliage
- When is peak fall foliage in Oregon?
Most of Oregon peaks between Oct 4 and Oct 21: the high country first, around Oct 7, and the low ground last, around Oct 17. The first county to peak is Harney County, around Sep 27, and the last is Benton County, around Oct 28.
- Where is the best fall foliage in Oregon right now?
Peak has passed in the places we cover in Oregon as of Nov 10. Mount Thielsen Wilderness and 23 more was the last, around Oct 9. The live map still shows where russet and late gold are holding.
- How long does peak last in Oregon?
In any one place, about four days at the top, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across Oregon as a whole, peak moves 31 days from Harney County to Benton County, so there's peak color somewhere in the state for about 35 days.
- Is Oregon past peak?
Yes. As of Nov 10, every one of Oregon's 36 counties is past peak by our forecast. Benton County was the last, around Oct 28.
- How far along is Oregon's fall foliage today?
On Nov 10, no county in Oregon is at peak yet: 36 of Oregon's 36 counties (100 percent) are past peak. The county map above paints each one, and the live map lets you scrub the day.
- When do the leaves change in Oregon?
The first color shows in Harney County around Sep 6 and peaks there around Sep 27. Benton County is the last of Oregon's 36 counties, peaking around Oct 28. Most of the state turns through the weeks around Oct 15.
- What's the best time to visit Oregon for fall foliage?
The week of Oct 15 catches the most of the state at once, and the four days we'd aim at there are Oct 14 to 17. That's the leaf peeping window for Oregon as a whole. For Harney County and the counties around it, aim for the week of Sep 27; for Benton County and its neighbors, the week of Oct 28.
What actually turns
Vine maples turn vivid scarlet in the understory of Douglas fir forests, bigleaf maples go gold with enormous leaves, and the Columbia Gorge frames it all against waterfalls and basalt.
- Vine Maple
- Bigleaf Maple
- Black Cottonwood
- Red Alder
- Western Larch
The Historic Columbia River Highway, with Multnomah Falls and a dozen smaller waterfalls framed by vine maple color, is the most dramatic fall setting in the Pacific Northwest.
Worth the drive
Hood River County contains the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge, including Multnomah Falls and dozens of smaller waterfalls that become the backdrop for vine maple color in October. The Historic Columbia River Highway, engineered by Samuel Lancaster in 1913, is one of the most beautiful roads in America at any time of year, and in mid-October it becomes extraordinary.
Every county by peak week
Harney
Baker, Gilliam, Grant, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman
Clackamas regional, Clatsop regional, Columbia regional, Crook, Hood River, Klamath, Wallowa observed, Wheeler
Coos, Curry, Deschutes observed, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Lane regional, Lincoln regional, Linn observed, Marion observed, Polk regional, Tillamook regional, Umatilla corrected, Union corrected, Wasco observed, Yamhill regional
Jefferson observed, Multnomah corrected, Washington observed
Benton observed
Every date on this site is a forecast: a model corrected by ground reports, carrying a measured error, published in full. Check conditions with the land manager before you travel. Last reviewed September 2026. Open the live map
See it on the map
The live map covers every county in the country, with a timeline you can scrub through the season, the nearest forest monitoring camera, and the long-term record where we hold one. If you’re going this weekend, the weekend report names where color is at peak right now, region by region.
Before you drive, it’s worth checking fire and smoke conditions for the same forests. A perfect color week is no good under a smoke plume.