National Park·Utah·244,115 acres
Capitol Reef National Park
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am 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 Wayne County this week, 1 of them at peak. Our date held. See the county on the map.
When is peak fall foliage at Capitol Reef National Park in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Capitol Reef National Park around Oct 25, and the four days to aim for are Oct 24 to 27.
The park runs from about 5,348 to 6,963 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 12 days: the high stands around Oct 12, the low ground around Oct 24. That's 3 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 28 to Oct 4 | Starting to turn | |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Starting to turn | |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Nearly peak | 6,000 to 6,500 ft, 6,500 to 7,000 ft, 7,000 to 7,500 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Peak color | 5,000 to 5,500 ft, 5,500 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Peak color | |
| Nov 2 to Nov 8 | Just past peak |
- 7,000–7,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 124%
- 6,500–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1517%
- 6,000–6,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1838%
- 5,500–6,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2131%
- 5,000–5,500 ftFadingpeak Oct 2410%
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 3 days later than our model alone would say. This season’s reports from the ground moved it, and they outrank us.
The place
The most underrated national park in Utah, which is saying something in a state with five of them. Capitol Reef protects a 100-mile fold in the earth called the Waterpocket Fold, a wrinkle in the crust so massive you can see it from space. The old Mormon settlement of Fruita sits at the center, its orchards still producing peaches and apples you can pick yourself. Almost nobody is here.
Established 1971. About 1.4 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.
Saturday, October 24 to Sunday, October 25
You’ll find it just past peak up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 6,500 feet the stands peak around Oct 15; down at 5,500 feet they hold on until about Oct 24. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 6,500–7,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 15
- 6,000–6,500 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 18
- 5,500–6,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 21
- 5,000–5,500 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 24
- Where to drive
- Boulder Mountain (UT 12), about 17 miles · Fish Lake Scenic Byway (UT 25), about 39 miles · Nebo Loop, about 119 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, Gambel oak, bigtooth maple, serviceberry
- Entrance
- $20
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen41%
- Gambel oak30%
- bigtooth maple15%
- serviceberry15%
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 Capitol Reef National Park
- When is peak fall foliage at Capitol Reef National Park?
Our forecast puts peak color at Capitol Reef National Park around Oct 25, and the four days to aim for are Oct 24 to 27.
- Where is the best fall color at Capitol Reef National Park right now?
On Nov 10 the park is fading. The last band to peak was 5,000 to 5,500 feet, around Oct 24.
- How long does peak last at Capitol Reef National Park?
About four days at the top, Oct 24 to 27, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the park's elevations the color moves over about 12 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 16 days.
- Is Capitol Reef National Park past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 25, and on Nov 10 it's fading.
- What trees turn color at Capitol Reef 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 Capitol Reef National Park?
Entrance fee $20.
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
Glen Canyon and Manti-La Sal and Fishlake and Bryce Canyon and Canyonlands are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
Fall color roads near Capitol Reef 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.
- Nebo Loop
Payson to Nephi around Mount Nebo, maple scarlet first and then aspen gold.