bigleaf maple and vine maple
black cottonwood and red alder, peak Oct 4
Peak color should arrive around Oct 4 for the black cottonwood and red alder, and around Oct 21 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 Hard frost Tuesday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
1 report came in from Clackamas County this week, 1 of them patchy color. Our date held. See the county on the map.
When is peak fall foliage at Mt. Hood National Forest in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Mt. Hood National Forest around Oct 13, and the four days to aim for are Oct 12 to 15. black cottonwood and red alder peak later, around Oct 4.
The forest runs from about 1,169 to 5,111 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 16 days: the high stands around Sep 28, the low ground around Oct 10. That's 1 day later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.
| Week | In the forest | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Still green | |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Starting to turn | 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Nearly peak | 1,000 to 2,000 ft, 4,000 to 5,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 this week | 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 |
- 5,000–6,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 286%
- 4,000–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 817%
- 3,000–4,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 1436%
- 2,000–3,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 1826%
- 1,000–2,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 1011%
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.
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.
Monday, October 12 to Tuesday, October 13
You’ll find it peak color.
That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.
- 4,000–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 8
- 3,000–4,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 14
- 2,000–3,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 18
- 1,000–2,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 10
- Where to drive
- Historic Columbia River Highway, about 27 miles · McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242), about 68 miles
- What turns
- bigleaf maple, black cottonwood, vine maple, red alder, willow
What turns, and when
- bigleaf maple27%
- black cottonwood20%
- vine maple17%
- red alder16%
- willow10%
- Oregon white oak7%
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 Mt. Hood National Forest
- When is peak fall foliage at Mt. Hood National Forest?
Our forecast puts peak color at Mt. Hood National Forest around Oct 13, and the four days to aim for are Oct 12 to 15. black cottonwood and red alder peak later, around Oct 4.
- Where is the best fall color at Mt. Hood National Forest right now?
On Oct 13 the forest is peak color. By elevation, the color is at peak at 3,000 to 4,000 feet.
- How long does peak last at Mt. Hood National Forest?
About four days at the top, Oct 12 to 15, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 16 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 20 days.
- Is Mt. Hood National Forest past peak?
No. It's at peak now, on Oct 13, and the four days to aim for are Oct 12 to 15.
- What trees turn color at Mt. Hood 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