Wilderness Area·Oregon·283,818 acres
Three Sisters Wilderness
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Wind to 26 mph Friday. Color may come down before it turns.
Weather Hard frost Monday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
1 report came in from Lane County this week, 1 of them still green. Our date held. See the county on the map.
When is peak fall foliage at Three Sisters Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Three Sisters Wilderness around Oct 16, and the four days to aim for are Oct 15 to 18.
The wilderness runs from about 3,074 to 7,085 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 31 days: the high stands around Sep 19, the low ground around Oct 20.
| Week | In the wilderness | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Still green | |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Still green | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Still green | 7,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Starting to turn | 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 | Nearly peak | 4,000 to 5,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Peak color | 3,000 to 4,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Just past peak | 2,000 to 3,000 ft |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Just past peak |
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 196%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2712%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 340%
- 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 927%
- 3,000–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1611%
- 2,000–3,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 204%
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.
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.
Thursday, October 15 to Friday, October 16
You’ll find it fading up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 6,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 27; down at 4,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 16. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 6,000–7,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 27
- 5,000–6,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 3
- 4,000–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 9
- 3,000–4,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 16
- Where to drive
- McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242), about 16 miles · Historic Columbia River Highway, about 107 miles
- What turns
- bigleaf maple, black cottonwood, red alder, vine maple, willow
What turns, and when
- bigleaf maple25%
- black cottonwood25%
- red alder17%
- vine maple15%
- willow14%
- red-osier dogwood5%
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 Three Sisters Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Three Sisters Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Three Sisters Wilderness around Oct 16, and the four days to aim for are Oct 15 to 18.
- Where is the best fall color at Three Sisters Wilderness right now?
On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 2,000 to 3,000 feet, around Oct 20.
- How long does peak last at Three Sisters Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Oct 15 to 18, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 31 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 35 days.
- Is Three Sisters Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 16, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Three Sisters 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
Mount Jefferson Wilderness and Umpqua are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
- Peak Oct 11 best Oct 10 to 13
- Peak Oct 13 best Oct 12 to 15
- Peak Oct 12 best Oct 11 to 14
Fall color roads near Three Sisters 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.