National Park·Utah·35,984 acres
Bryce Canyon National Park
Forecast issued Nov 12, 5:26pm ET
Photograph: More Than Just Parks
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
1 report came in from Garfield County this week, 1 of them past peak. Our date held. See the county on the map.
When is peak fall foliage at Bryce Canyon National Park in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Bryce Canyon National Park around Oct 21, and the four days to aim for are Oct 20 to 23.
The park runs from about 7,008 to 8,638 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 11 days: the high stands around Oct 8, the low ground around Oct 19. That's 6 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.
| Week | In the park | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Still green | |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Starting to turn | |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Starting to turn | 8,000 to 8,500 ft, 8,500 to 9,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Nearly peak | 7,000 to 7,500 ft, 7,500 to 8,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Peak color | 6,500 to 7,000 ft |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Just past peak |
- 8,500–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 89%
- 8,000–8,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1017%
- 7,500–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1345%
- 7,000–7,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1624%
- 6,500–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 195%
Height off 3DEP inside the park’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the park stands in it.
That’s 6 days later than our model alone would say. This season’s reports from the ground moved it, and they outrank us.
The place
The largest collection of hoodoos on Earth, sitting between 8,000 and 9,100 feet in southern Utah. At sunrise the whole amphitheater turns orange, then red, then pink, then something that does not have a name. The colors shift by the minute. You will burn through a memory card before breakfast and not regret a single frame.
Established 1928. About 2.4 million/year visitors.
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, November 12 to Friday, November 13
You’ll find it with the leaves down.
Peak color was 23 days before you arrive, around Oct 21.
- 8,500–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 8
- 8,000–8,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 10
- 7,500–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 13
- 7,000–7,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 16
- What turns
- Gambel oak, quaking aspen, bigtooth maple, serviceberry
- Entrance
- $35
What turns, and when
- Gambel oak40%
- quaking aspen25%
- bigtooth maple19%
- serviceberry16%
Also named across Utah, outside what the canopy read measures here: Narrowleaf Cottonwood, Rocky Mountain Maple.
Utah's fall is a dual show: aspens turn gold on the high plateaus while bigtooth maples along the Wasatch Front go vivid scarlet, creating one of the most colorful mountain fronts in the West.
Questions people ask about Bryce Canyon National Park
- When is peak fall foliage at Bryce Canyon National Park?
Our forecast puts peak color at Bryce Canyon National Park around Oct 21, and the four days to aim for are Oct 20 to 23.
- Where is the best fall color at Bryce Canyon National Park right now?
On Nov 12 the park is leaves down. The last band to peak was 6,500 to 7,000 feet, around Oct 19.
- How long does peak last at Bryce Canyon National Park?
About four days at the top, Oct 20 to 23, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the park's elevations the color moves over about 11 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 15 days.
- Is Bryce Canyon National Park past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 21, and on Nov 12 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Bryce Canyon National Park?
Gambel oak is 40 percent of the trees that turn here, then quaking aspen (25 percent), bigtooth maple (19) and serviceberry (16). Gambel oak, bigtooth maple and serviceberry turn red; quaking aspen turns yellow or gold. What turns, and when
- Is there an entrance fee at Bryce Canyon National Park?
Entrance fee $35.
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
Box-Death Hollow Wilderness and Zion and Glen Canyon are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 26 best Oct 25 to 28
- Peak Oct 5 best Oct 4 to 7
- Peak Oct 27 best Oct 26 to 29
Fall color roads near Bryce Canyon National Park
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the park, so allow more by road.
- Boulder Mountain (UT 12)
Torrey to Boulder over the aspen plateau, with Capitol Reef below.
- Fish Lake Scenic Byway (UT 25)
Pando, the largest aspen clone on earth, along the lake.