Wilderness Area·Oregon·64,742 acres
Mount Hood Wilderness
Forecast issued Nov 9, 5:27pm ET
black cottonwood and red alder
bigleaf maple and vine maple, peak Oct 22
Peak color should arrive around Oct 2 for the black cottonwood and red alder, and around Oct 22 for the bigleaf maple and vine maple.
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Wind to 43 mph Tuesday. Color may come down before it turns.
Weather Hard frost Sunday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Mount Hood Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Hood Wilderness around Oct 10, and the four days to aim for are Oct 9 to 12. bigleaf maple and vine maple peak later, around Oct 22.
The wilderness runs from about 2,521 to 6,898 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 26 days: the high stands around Sep 14, 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.
| Week | In the wilderness | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Still green | |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Still green | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn | 7,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Starting to turn | 6,000 to 7,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Nearly peak | 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Peak color | 4,000 to 5,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Peak color | 2,000 to 3,000 ft, 3,000 to 4,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Just past peak | |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Fading |
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 145%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 256%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 213%
- 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 829%
- 3,000–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1437%
- 2,000–3,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1810%
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 2 days later than our model alone would say. This season’s reports from the ground moved it, and they outrank us.
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.
Friday, October 9 to Saturday, October 10
You’ll find it just past peak up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 5,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 2; down at 3,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 18. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 5,000–6,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 2
- 4,000–5,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 8
- 3,000–4,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 14
- 2,000–3,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 18
- Where to drive
- Historic Columbia River Highway, about 23 miles · McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242), about 76 miles
- What turns
- bigleaf maple, black cottonwood, red alder, vine maple, willow
What turns, and when
- bigleaf maple26%
- black cottonwood25%
- red alder19%
- vine maple13%
- willow12%
- red-osier dogwood6%
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 Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Mount Hood Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Hood Wilderness around Oct 10, and the four days to aim for are Oct 9 to 12. bigleaf maple and vine maple peak later, around Oct 22.
- Where is the best fall color at Mount Hood Wilderness right now?
On Nov 9 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 2,000 to 3,000 feet, around Oct 18.
- How long does peak last at Mount Hood Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Oct 9 to 12, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 26 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 30 days.
- Is Mount Hood Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 10, and on Nov 9 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Mount Hood Wilderness?
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
Nearby, and when they turn
- Peak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Peak Oct 5 best Oct 4 to 7
- Peak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22
- Peak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22
- Peak Oct 16 best Oct 15 to 18
- Peak Oct 4 best Oct 3 to 6
Fall color roads near Mount Hood Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- Historic Columbia River Highway
Waterfalls, basalt cliffs, and vine maples. The restored sections between Troutdale and Ainsworth are the crown jewels.
- McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242)
Crosses the Cascades through lava fields and old-growth forest. Vine maple understory turns electric in mid-October.