National Forest·Texas·163,247 acres
Sam Houston National Forest
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
bald cypress and water oak
sweetgum, peak Nov 27
Peak color should arrive around Nov 18 for the bald cypress and water oak, and around Nov 27 for the sweetgum.
Roadsides and wetland edges turn first, and the woods behind them run a few days later.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Sam Houston National Forest in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Sam Houston National Forest around Nov 19, and the four days to aim for are Nov 18 to 21. sweetgum peak later, around Nov 27.
That's 5 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.
| Week | In the forest |
|---|---|
| Nov 2 to Nov 8 | Starting to turn |
| Nov 9 to Nov 15 this week | Nearly peak |
| Nov 16 to Nov 22 | Peak color |
| Nov 23 to Nov 29 | Just past peak |
That’s 5 days later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, which shifts peak color.
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.
Wednesday, November 18 to Thursday, November 19
You’ll find it peak color.
That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.
- What turns
- bald cypress, water oak, sweetgum, blackgum, red maple
What turns, and when
- bald cypress23%
- water oak12%
- sweetgum12%
- blackgum12%
- red maple12%
- willow oak11%
Also named across Texas, outside what the canopy read measures here: Red Oak, Bigtooth Maple, Sycamore.
Bald cypresses turn copper and russet along the Hill Country rivers, bigtooth maples in the Guadalupe Mountains produce pockets of scarlet, and sweetgums color the Piney Woods red and purple.
Across Texas as a whole: Late October in the Guadalupes, mid-November in the Hill Country, late November in East Texas.
Questions people ask about Sam Houston National Forest
- When is peak fall foliage at Sam Houston National Forest?
Our forecast puts peak color at Sam Houston National Forest around Nov 19, and the four days to aim for are Nov 18 to 21. sweetgum peak later, around Nov 27.
- Where is the best fall color at Sam Houston National Forest right now?
On Nov 10 the forest is starting to turn.
- How long does peak last at Sam Houston National Forest?
About four days at the top, Nov 18 to 21, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive.
- Is Sam Houston National Forest past peak?
No. On Nov 10 it's starting to turn, and peak is around Nov 19, 9 days away.
- What trees turn color at Sam Houston National Forest?
Bald Cypress, Sweetgum, Red Oak, Bigtooth Maple, Sycamore. Bald cypresses turn copper and russet along the Hill Country rivers, bigtooth maples in the Guadalupe Mountains produce pockets of scarlet, and sweetgums color the Piney Woods red and purple.
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
Davy Crockett is on the map above, with its own date.
- Peak Nov 18 best Nov 17 to 20
- Peak Nov 17 best Nov 16 to 19
- Peak Nov 16 best Nov 15 to 18