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Forecast issued Nov 11, 7:48am ET

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Wilderness Area·Oregon·36,548 acres

Roaring River Wilderness

Forecast issued Nov 11, 7:48am ET

Peak color, most of the standOct 11Aim for Oct 10 to 13
In the wilderness today, Nov 11Leaves down

black cottonwood and red alder

SepOctNov

bigleaf maple and vine maple, peak Oct 21

SepOctNov

Peak color should arrive around Oct 2 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 Wind to 35 mph Friday. Color may come down before it turns.

No new reports from the ground here this week.

I-5I-205I-26I-84Mount Hood VillageEstacadaGreshamSalemBeavertonOregon CityLake OswegoSandySalmon-Huckleberry Wildernesspeak Oct 12Mt. Hoodpeak Oct 13Mount Hood Wildernesspeak Oct 10Mount Hood Recreation Areapeak Oct 16Mark O. Hatfield Wildernesspeak Oct 16Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Areapeak Oct 16Roaring River Wilderness
I-5I-205I-26I-84Mount Hood VillageEstacadaGreshamSandyOregon CityLake OswegoMolallaCanbySalmon-Huckleberry Wildernesspeak Oct 12Mt. Hoodpeak Oct 13Mount Hood Wildernesspeak Oct 10Mark O. Hatfield Wildernesspeak Oct 16Roaring River Wilderness
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Roaring River Wilderness Nearly all of the wilderness is in Clackamas County, which is leaves down today.
Roaring River Wilderness fall foliage map 2026: the place and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 11. Peak forecast around Oct 11, maple Oct 21, best Oct 10 to 13.
Save or share this mapToday’s Roaring River 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 Roaring River Wilderness in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Roaring River Wilderness around Oct 11, and the four days to aim for are Oct 10 to 13. bigleaf maple and vine maple peak later, around Oct 21.

The wilderness runs from about 1,847 to 4,672 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 2 days: the high stands around Oct 9, the low ground around Oct 11. That's 2 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.

Roaring River Wilderness, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the wildernessElevation at peak
Sep 21 to Sep 27Starting to turn
Sep 28 to Oct 4Nearly peak
Oct 5 to Oct 11Peak color1,000 to 2,000 ft, 4,000 to 5,000 ft
Oct 12 to Oct 18Peak color3,000 to 4,000 ft
Oct 19 to Oct 25Just past peak2,000 to 3,000 ft
Oct 26 to Nov 1Fading
By elevation The wilderness runs from about 1,847 to 4,672 feet. That’s 2 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 9, the low ground holds until about Oct 11, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 1,000 to 2,000 foot band.
  1. 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 936%
  2. 3,000–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1534%
  3. 2,000–3,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1923%
  4. 1,000–2,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 117%

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 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.

Saturday, October 10 to Sunday, October 11

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

Up at 4,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 9; down at 3,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 19. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

  • 4,000–5,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 9
  • 3,000–4,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 15
  • 2,000–3,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 19
Where to drive
Historic Columbia River Highway, about 29 miles · McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242), about 63 miles
What turns
bigleaf maple, black cottonwood, vine maple, 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 Roaring River Wilderness

When is peak fall foliage at Roaring River Wilderness?

Our forecast puts peak color at Roaring River Wilderness around Oct 11, and the four days to aim for are Oct 10 to 13. bigleaf maple and vine maple peak later, around Oct 21.

Where is the best fall color at Roaring River Wilderness right now?

On Nov 11 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 2,000 to 3,000 feet, around Oct 19.

How long does peak last at Roaring River Wilderness?

About four days at the top, Oct 10 to 13, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 2 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 6 days.

Is Roaring River Wilderness past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 11, and on Nov 11 it's leaves down.

What trees turn color at Roaring River 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

Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness and Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area are on the map above, with their own date.

  1. Mount Jefferson WildernessOR · about 40 miles
    Peak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
  2. Mount Washington WildernessOR · about 60 miles
    Peak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22
  3. Gifford Pinchot National ForestWA · about 73 miles
    Peak Oct 5 best Oct 4 to 7
  4. Willamette National ForestOR · about 73 miles
    Peak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22

Fall color roads near Roaring River Wilderness

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

  • Historic Columbia River Highway · about 29 miles, OR · 73 miles of road

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

  • McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242) · about 63 miles, OR · 36 miles of road

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