National Recreation Area·Oregon·34,364 acres
Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
black cottonwood and willow
bigleaf maple, peak Oct 31
Peak color should arrive around Oct 7 for the black cottonwood and willow, and around Oct 31 for the bigleaf maple.
Roadsides and wetland edges turn first, and the woods behind them run a few days later.
Weather Wind to 37 mph Tuesday. Color may come down before it turns.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area around Oct 18, and the four days to aim for are Oct 17 to 20. bigleaf maple peak later, around Oct 31.
| Week | In the recreation area |
|---|---|
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Starting to turn |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Nearly peak |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Peak color |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Peak color |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Just past peak |
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.
Saturday, October 17 to Sunday, October 18
You’ll find it peak color.
That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.
- Where to drive
- McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242), about 124 miles
- What turns
- black cottonwood, bigleaf maple, red alder, willow, red-osier dogwood
What turns, and when
- black cottonwood30%
- bigleaf maple21%
- red alder20%
- willow20%
- red-osier dogwood10%
Also named across Oregon, outside what the canopy read measures here: Vine Maple, 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.
Across Oregon as a whole: Mid-to-late October in the Cascades and Gorge, early November in the Willamette Valley.
Questions people ask about Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area
- When is peak fall foliage at Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area?
Our forecast puts peak color at Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area around Oct 18, and the four days to aim for are Oct 17 to 20. bigleaf maple peak later, around Oct 31.
- Where is the best fall color at Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area right now?
On Nov 10 the recreation area is leaves down.
- How long does peak last at Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area?
About four days at the top, Oct 17 to 20, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive.
- Is Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 18, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Oregon Dunes 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
Nearby, and when they turn
Siuslaw is on the map above, with its own date.
- Peak Oct 16 best Oct 15 to 18
- Peak Oct 19 best Oct 18 to 21
- Peak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22
- Peak Oct 16 best Oct 15 to 18
- Peak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
Fall color roads near Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the recreation area, 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.