Where is the best fall color at Fremont-Winema National Forest right now?

On Nov 10 the forest is leaves down. The last band to peak was 4,000 to 4,500 feet, around Oct 15.

How long does peak last at Fremont-Winema National Forest?

About four days at the top, Oct 3 to 6, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 19 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 23 days.

Is Fremont-Winema National Forest past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 4, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.

Back to the map

National Forest·Oregon·2,253,671 acres

Fremont-Winema National Forest

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorOct 4Aim for Oct 3 to 6

In the forest today, Nov 10Leaves down

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.

Weather Wind to 25 mph Friday. Color may come down before it turns.

1 report came in from Klamath County this week, 1 of them at peak. Our date held. 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 Fremont-Winema National Forest Klamath County holds most of the forest and is leaves down today. Lake County, to the east, is 6 days ahead.

When is peak fall foliage at Fremont-Winema National Forest in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Fremont-Winema National Forest around Oct 4, and the four days to aim for are Oct 3 to 6.

The forest runs from about 4,304 to 6,672 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 19 days: the high stands around Sep 29, the low ground around Oct 15.

Fremont-Winema, fall color week by week, 2026
Week	In the forest	Elevation at peak
Sep 14 to Sep 20	Starting to turn
Sep 21 to Sep 27	Nearly peak
Sep 28 to Oct 4	Peak color	6,000 to 6,500 ft, 6,500 to 7,000 ft
Oct 5 to Oct 11	Peak color	5,000 to 5,500 ft, 5,500 to 6,000 ft
Oct 12 to Oct 18	Just past peak	4,000 to 4,500 ft, 4,500 to 5,000 ft
Oct 19 to Oct 25	Fading

By elevation The forest runs from about 4,304 to 6,672 feet. That’s 19 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Sep 29, the low ground holds until about Oct 15, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 6,000 to 6,500 foot band.

6,500–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 295%
6,000–6,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 38%
5,500–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 615%
5,000–5,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 929%
4,500–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1229%
4,000–4,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1513%

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.

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

Saturday, October 3 to Sunday, October 4

You’ll find it peak color up high, starting to turn lower down.

Up at 6,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 3; down at 4,500 feet they hold on until about Oct 15. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

6,000–6,500 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 3
5,500–6,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 6
5,000–5,500 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 9
4,500–5,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 12
4,000–4,500 ftStarting to turnpeak Oct 15

Where to drive: McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242), about 112 miles
What turns: black cottonwood, bigleaf maple, quaking aspen, red alder, vine maple

What turns, and when

black cottonwood28%
bigleaf maple18%
quaking aspen16%
red alder12%
vine maple12%
willow11%

Also named across Oregon, outside what the canopy read measures here: Western Larch.

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.

Questions people ask about Fremont-Winema National Forest

When is peak fall foliage at Fremont-Winema National Forest?: Our forecast puts peak color at Fremont-Winema National Forest around Oct 4, and the four days to aim for are Oct 3 to 6.
Where is the best fall color at Fremont-Winema National Forest right now?: On Nov 10 the forest is leaves down. The last band to peak was 4,000 to 4,500 feet, around Oct 15.
How long does peak last at Fremont-Winema National Forest?: About four days at the top, Oct 3 to 6, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 19 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 23 days.
Is Fremont-Winema National Forest past peak?: Yes. Peak was around Oct 4, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
What trees turn color at Fremont-Winema National Forest?: Vine Maple, Bigleaf Maple, Black Cottonwood, Red Alder, Western Larch. 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.

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 Oregon

Nearby, and when they turn

Umpqua and Modoc and Deschutes and Willamette are on the map above, with their own date.

Crater Lake National ParkOR · about 47 miles
Peak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
Three Sisters WildernessOR · about 99 miles
Peak Oct 16 best Oct 15 to 18

Fall color roads near Fremont-Winema National Forest

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

McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242) · about 112 miles, OR · 36 miles of road
Crosses the Cascades through lava fields and old-growth forest. Vine maple understory turns electric in mid-October.