National Forest·South Dakota, Wyoming·1,251,482 acres
Black Hills National Forest
Forecast issued Nov 11, 5:24pm ET
Photograph: More Than Just Parks
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Hard frost Sunday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
1 report came in from Pennington County this week, 1 of them at peak. They moved our date 1 day later. See the county on the map.
When is peak fall foliage at Black Hills National Forest in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Black Hills National Forest around Oct 14, and the four days to aim for are Oct 13 to 16.
The forest runs from about 3,462 to 6,631 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 19 days: the high stands around Oct 11, the low ground around Oct 30. That's 14 days 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 21 to Sep 27 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Starting to turn | |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Nearly peak | 6,000 to 7,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Peak color | 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Just past peak | 4,000 to 5,000 ft |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Just past peak | 3,000 to 4,000 ft |
| Nov 2 to Nov 8 | Fading | |
| Nov 9 to Nov 15 this week | Leaves down |
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1120%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1829%
- 4,000–5,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2429%
- 3,000–4,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 3022%
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 14 days 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.
Tuesday, October 13 to Wednesday, October 14
You’ll find it just past peak up high, starting to turn lower down.
Up at 6,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 11; down at 4,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 30. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 6,000–7,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 11
- 5,000–6,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 18
- 4,000–5,000 ftStarting to turnpeak Oct 24
- 3,000–4,000 ftStarting to turnpeak Oct 30
- What turns
- narrowleaf cottonwood, willow, plains cottonwood, quaking aspen, water birch
What turns, and when
- narrowleaf cottonwood26%
- willow22%
- plains cottonwood13%
- quaking aspen12%
- water birch9%
- bur oak8%
Every one of these turns yellow or gold here. The shades only tell the species apart.
Also named across South Dakota, outside what the canopy read measures here: Paper Birch, Green Ash.
The Black Hills produce a colorful mix of aspen gold and birch yellow against the dark green of ponderosa pine, while Spearfish Canyon stages the most dramatic display.
Questions people ask about Black Hills National Forest
- When is peak fall foliage at Black Hills National Forest?
Our forecast puts peak color at Black Hills National Forest around Oct 14, and the four days to aim for are Oct 13 to 16.
- Where is the best fall color at Black Hills National Forest right now?
On Nov 11 the forest is leaves down. The last band to peak was 3,000 to 4,000 feet, around Oct 30.
- How long does peak last at Black Hills National Forest?
About four days at the top, Oct 13 to 16, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 19 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 23 days.
- Is Black Hills National Forest past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 14, and on Nov 11 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Black Hills National Forest?
Quaking Aspen, Bur Oak, Cottonwood, Paper Birch, Green Ash. The Black Hills produce a colorful mix of aspen gold and birch yellow against the dark green of ponderosa pine, while Spearfish Canyon stages the most dramatic display.
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
Badlands is on the map above, with its own date.
- Peak Oct 23 best Oct 22 to 25
- Peak Oct 23 best Oct 22 to 25
- Peak Oct 12 best Oct 11 to 14
- Peak Oct 11 best Oct 10 to 13
- Peak Sep 12 best Sep 11 to 14