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Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

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Wilderness Area·Oregon·54,407 acres

Mount Washington Wilderness

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorOct 20Aim for Oct 19 to 22
In the wilderness 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 Saturday night. Peak may come early and go fast.

No new reports from the ground here this week.

I-5BendRedmondEugeneDeschutes River WoodsAlbanySweet HomeLebanonMadrasThree Sisters Wildernesspeak Oct 16Mount Jefferson Wildernesspeak Oct 21Willamettepeak Oct 20Deschutespeak Oct 15Mt. Hoodpeak Oct 13Mount Washington Wilderness
BendThree RiversSunriverMill CityThree Sisters Wildernesspeak Oct 16Mount Jefferson Wildernesspeak Oct 21Willamettepeak Oct 20Deschutespeak Oct 15Mt. Hoodpeak Oct 13Mount Washington Wilderness
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Mount Washington Wilderness Linn County holds most of the wilderness and is leaves down today. Lane County, to the southwest, is 4 days ahead. Deschutes County, to the southeast, is 1 day ahead.
Mount Washington Wilderness fall foliage map 2026: the place and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 10. Peak forecast around Oct 20, best Oct 19 to 22.
Save or share this mapToday’s Mount Washington Wilderness 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 Washington Wilderness in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Washington Wilderness around Oct 20, and the four days to aim for are Oct 19 to 22.

The wilderness runs from about 3,775 to 5,850 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 17 days: the high stands around Oct 11, the low ground around Oct 24. That's 10 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.

Mount Washington Wilderness, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the wildernessElevation at peak
Sep 21 to Sep 27Still green
Sep 28 to Oct 4Starting to turn
Oct 5 to Oct 11Starting to turn5,500 to 6,000 ft
Oct 12 to Oct 18Nearly peak4,500 to 5,000 ft, 5,000 to 5,500 ft
Oct 19 to Oct 25Peak color3,500 to 4,000 ft, 4,000 to 4,500 ft
Oct 26 to Nov 1Just past peak
Nov 2 to Nov 8Fading
By elevation The wilderness runs from about 3,775 to 5,850 feet. That’s 17 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 11, the low ground holds until about Oct 24, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 4,000 to 4,500 foot band.
  1. 5,500–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 119%
  2. 5,000–5,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1427%
  3. 4,500–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1739%
  4. 4,000–4,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 2014%
  5. 3,500–4,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 249%

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.

Today from the oregonYPbud camera, 22 km from Mount Washington Wilderness
See it now PhenoCam Network, ponderosa pine bud camera, 22 km away, captured Nov 9.

That’s 10 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.

Monday, October 19 to Tuesday, October 20

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

Up at 5,500 feet the stands peak around Oct 11; down at 4,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 24. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

  • 5,500–6,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 11
  • 5,000–5,500 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 14
  • 4,500–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 17
  • 4,000–4,500 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 20
  • 3,500–4,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 24
Where to drive
McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242), about 5 miles · Historic Columbia River Highway, about 89 miles
What turns
bigleaf maple, vine maple, black cottonwood, red alder, willow

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 Washington Wilderness

When is peak fall foliage at Mount Washington Wilderness?

Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Washington Wilderness around Oct 20, and the four days to aim for are Oct 19 to 22.

Where is the best fall color at Mount Washington Wilderness right now?

On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 3,500 to 4,000 feet, around Oct 24.

How long does peak last at Mount Washington Wilderness?

About four days at the top, Oct 19 to 22, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 17 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 21 days.

Is Mount Washington Wilderness past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 20, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.

What trees turn color at Mount Washington 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

All of Oregon

Nearby, and when they turn

Deschutes and Mt. Hood are on the map above, with their own date.

  1. Roaring River WildernessOR · about 60 miles
    Peak Oct 11 best Oct 10 to 13
  2. Salmon-Huckleberry WildernessOR · about 67 miles
    Peak Oct 12 best Oct 11 to 14
  3. Mount Hood National Recreation AreaOR · about 70 miles
    Peak Oct 16 best Oct 15 to 18
  4. Mount Hood WildernessOR · about 73 miles
    Peak Oct 10 best Oct 9 to 12

Fall color roads near Mount Washington Wilderness

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

  • McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242) · about 5 miles, OR · 36 miles of road

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

  • Historic Columbia River Highway · about 89 miles, OR · 73 miles of road

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