Wilderness Area·Oregon·109,098 acres
Mount Jefferson Wilderness
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
bigleaf maple and black cottonwood
vine maple, peak Oct 30
Peak color should arrive around Oct 18 for the bigleaf maple and black cottonwood, and around Oct 30 for the vine maple.
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.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Mount Jefferson Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Jefferson Wilderness around Oct 21, and the four days to aim for are Oct 20 to 23. vine maple peak later, around Oct 30.
The wilderness runs from about 3,590 to 6,167 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 20 days: the high stands around Sep 25, the low ground around Oct 15. That's 1 day later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.
| Week | In the wilderness | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Still green | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Still green | |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Still green | 6,000 to 7,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Starting to turn | 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Starting to turn | 4,000 to 5,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Nearly peak | 3,000 to 4,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Peak color | |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Just past peak |
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 257%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 336%
- 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 845%
- 3,000–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1511%
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 1 day 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.
Tuesday, October 20 to Wednesday, October 21
You’ll find it fading up high, just past peak lower down.
Up at 5,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 3; down at 4,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 15. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 5,000–6,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 3
- 4,000–5,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 8
- 3,000–4,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 15
- Where to drive
- McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242), about 23 miles · Historic Columbia River Highway, about 70 miles
- What turns
- bigleaf maple, vine maple, black cottonwood, red alder, willow
What turns, and when
- bigleaf maple29%
- vine maple24%
- black cottonwood20%
- red alder17%
- willow8%
- red-osier dogwood2%
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 Jefferson Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Mount Jefferson Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Jefferson Wilderness around Oct 21, and the four days to aim for are Oct 20 to 23. vine maple peak later, around Oct 30.
- Where is the best fall color at Mount Jefferson Wilderness right now?
On Nov 10 the wilderness is fading. The last band to peak was 3,000 to 4,000 feet, around Oct 15.
- How long does peak last at Mount Jefferson Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Oct 20 to 23, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 20 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 24 days.
- Is Mount Jefferson Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 21, and on Nov 10 it's fading.
- What trees turn color at Mount Jefferson 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
Willamette and Three Sisters Wilderness and Roaring River Wilderness and Mt. Hood are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 12 best Oct 11 to 14
- Peak Oct 16 best Oct 15 to 18
Fall color roads near Mount Jefferson Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242)
Crosses the Cascades through lava fields and old-growth forest. Vine maple understory turns electric in mid-October.
- Historic Columbia River Highway
Waterfalls, basalt cliffs, and vine maples. The restored sections between Troutdale and Ainsworth are the crown jewels.