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Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

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National Recreation Area·Oregon·34,598 acres

Mount Hood National Recreation Area

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorOct 16Aim for Oct 15 to 18
In the recreation area today, Nov 10Leaves down
SepOctNov

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.

1 report came in from Hood River County this week, 1 of them at peak. Our date held. See the county on the map.

I-5I-205I-26I-84OdellGreshamThe DallesHood RiverSandyCamasOregon CityTroutdaleMount Hood Wildernesspeak Oct 10Mt. Hoodpeak Oct 13Salmon-Huckleberry Wildernesspeak Oct 12Roaring River Wildernesspeak Oct 11Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Areapeak Oct 16Mark O. Hatfield Wildernesspeak Oct 16Mount Hood
I-84I-5OdellHood RiverSandyCarsonMount Hood Wildernesspeak Oct 10Mt. Hoodpeak Oct 13Salmon-Huckleberry Wildernesspeak Oct 12Roaring River Wildernesspeak Oct 11Mark O. Hatfield Wildernesspeak Oct 16Mount Hood
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Mount Hood National Recreation Area Hood River County holds most of the recreation area and is leaves down today. Wasco County, to the east, is 10 days behind. Clackamas County, to the west, is 6 days behind.
Mount Hood National Recreation Area 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 16, best Oct 15 to 18.
Save or share this mapToday’s Mount Hood National Recreation Area 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 Mount Hood National Recreation Area in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Hood National Recreation Area around Oct 16, and the four days to aim for are Oct 15 to 18.

The recreation area runs from about 2,759 to 4,686 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 6 days: the high stands around Oct 6, the low ground around Oct 18. That's 2 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.

Mount Hood, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the recreation areaElevation at peak
Sep 21 to Sep 27Starting to turn
Sep 28 to Oct 4Starting to turn
Oct 5 to Oct 11Nearly peak4,000 to 4,500 ft, 4,500 to 5,000 ft
Oct 12 to Oct 18Peak color2,500 to 3,000 ft, 3,000 to 3,500 ft, 3,500 to 4,000 ft
Oct 19 to Oct 25Just past peak
Oct 26 to Nov 1Just past peak
By elevation The recreation area runs from about 2,759 to 4,686 feet. That’s 6 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 6, the low ground holds until about Oct 18, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 3,000 to 3,500 foot band.
  1. 4,500–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 610%
  2. 4,000–4,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1016%
  3. 3,500–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1335%
  4. 3,000–3,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1629%
  5. 2,500–3,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 186%

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 2 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.

Thursday, October 15 to Friday, October 16

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

Up at 4,500 feet the stands peak around Oct 6; down at 3,500 feet they hold on until about Oct 16. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

  • 4,500–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 6
  • 4,000–4,500 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 10
  • 3,500–4,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 13
  • 3,000–3,500 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 16
Where to drive
Historic Columbia River Highway, about 32 miles · McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242), about 72 miles
What turns
black cottonwood, bigleaf maple, red alder, willow, red-osier dogwood

What turns, and when

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 Mount Hood National Recreation Area

When is peak fall foliage at Mount Hood National Recreation Area?

Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Hood National Recreation Area around Oct 16, and the four days to aim for are Oct 15 to 18.

Where is the best fall color at Mount Hood National Recreation Area right now?

On Nov 10 the recreation area is leaves down. The last band to peak was 2,500 to 3,000 feet, around Oct 18.

How long does peak last at Mount Hood National Recreation Area?

About four days at the top, Oct 15 to 18, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the recreation area's elevations the color moves over about 6 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 10 days.

Is Mount Hood National Recreation Area past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 16, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.

What trees turn color at Mount Hood National Recreation Area?

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

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness are on the map above, with their own date.

  1. Mount Jefferson WildernessOR · about 50 miles
    Peak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
  2. Gifford Pinchot National ForestWA · about 65 miles
    Peak Oct 5 best Oct 4 to 7
  3. Mount Washington WildernessOR · about 70 miles
    Peak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22
  4. Willamette National ForestOR · about 87 miles
    Peak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22

Fall color roads near Mount Hood National Recreation Area

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

  • Historic Columbia River Highway · about 32 miles, OR · 73 miles of road

    Waterfalls, basalt cliffs, and vine maples. The restored sections between Troutdale and Ainsworth are the crown jewels.

  • McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242) · about 72 miles, OR · 36 miles of road

    Crosses the Cascades through lava fields and old-growth forest. Vine maple understory turns electric in mid-October.