National Park·Utah·334,222 acres
Canyonlands National Park
Forecast issued Nov 10, 5:22pm ET
Photograph: More Than Just Parks
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Canyonlands National Park in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Canyonlands National Park around Oct 17, and the four days to aim for are Oct 16 to 19.
The park runs from about 4,080 to 6,486 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 23 days: the high stands around Oct 11, the low ground around Oct 22. That's 4 days earlier 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 | 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 | Peak color | 4,000 to 5,000 ft |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Just past peak |
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1111%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1744%
- 4,000–5,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2240%
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 4 days earlier than our model alone would say. This season’s reports from the ground moved it, and they outrank us.
The place
If Arches is the polished sibling, Canyonlands is the one who disappeared into the desert and never came back. 337,598 acres carved by the Colorado and Green rivers into three districts, one of which (the Maze) is so remote that rangers recommend you bring extra water, extra food, and a healthy respect for your own mortality. This is Utah canyon country at its most unmediated.
Established 1964. About 911K/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.
Friday, October 16 to Saturday, October 17
You’ll find it just past peak up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 6,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 11; down at 5,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 22. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 6,000–7,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 11
- 5,000–6,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 17
- 4,000–5,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 22
- Where to drive
- Boulder Mountain (UT 12), about 86 miles · Fish Lake Scenic Byway (UT 25), about 102 miles · Dallas Divide (CO 62), about 108 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, Gambel oak, bigtooth maple, serviceberry, narrowleaf cottonwood
- Entrance
- $30
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen31%
- Gambel oak27%
- bigtooth maple12%
- serviceberry12%
- narrowleaf cottonwood8%
- willow6%
Also named across Utah, outside what the canopy read measures here: 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 Canyonlands National Park
- When is peak fall foliage at Canyonlands National Park?
Our forecast puts peak color at Canyonlands National Park around Oct 17, and the four days to aim for are Oct 16 to 19.
- Where is the best fall color at Canyonlands National Park right now?
On Nov 11 the park is leaves down. The last band to peak was 4,000 to 5,000 feet, around Oct 22.
- How long does peak last at Canyonlands National Park?
About four days at the top, Oct 16 to 19, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the park's elevations the color moves over about 23 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 27 days.
- Is Canyonlands National Park past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 17, and on Nov 11 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Canyonlands National Park?
Quaking Aspen, Bigtooth Maple, Gambel Oak, 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.
- Is there an entrance fee at Canyonlands National Park?
Entrance fee $30.
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
Arches and Manti-La Sal and Glen Canyon are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 25 best Oct 24 to 27
- Peak Oct 13 best Oct 12 to 15
- Peak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
Fall color roads near Canyonlands 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.
- Dallas Divide (CO 62)
Ridgway to Placerville. The Sneffels Range over a hillside of aspen at the divide, the most photographed fall view in Colorado.
- Last Dollar Road
Telluride to Ridgway on gravel through the aspen under the Sneffels Range.
- Grand Mesa Scenic Byway (CO 65)
Cedaredge up and over Grand Mesa, aspen around the lakes on top.
- Million Dollar Highway (US 550)
Between Silverton and Ouray. The aspen-covered slopes above the road at Red Mountain Pass are among the most photographed fall scenes in America.