National Recreation Area·Arizona, Utah·1,237,097 acres
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Forecast issued Nov 10, 5:22pm ET
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 Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area around Nov 5, and the four days to aim for are Nov 4 to 7.
The recreation area runs from about 3,735 to 6,013 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 17 days: the high stands around Oct 19, the low ground around Nov 5. That's 2 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.
| Week | In the recreation area | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Still green | |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Starting to turn | |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Starting to turn | 5,500 to 6,000 ft, 6,000 to 6,500 ft |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Nearly peak | 4,500 to 5,000 ft, 5,000 to 5,500 ft |
| Nov 2 to Nov 8 | Peak color | 3,500 to 4,000 ft, 4,000 to 4,500 ft |
| Nov 9 to Nov 15 this week | Just past peak |
- 6,000–6,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 195%
- 5,500–6,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2310%
- 5,000–5,500 ftFadingpeak Oct 2617%
- 4,500–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 3022%
- 4,000–4,500 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 228%
- 3,500–4,000 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 517%
Height off 3DEP inside the recreation area’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the recreation area stands in it.
That’s 2 days later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, which shifts peak color.
The place
Encompassing over 1.25 million acres, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area offers unparalleled opportunities for water-based & backcountry recreation. The recreation area stretches for hundreds of miles from Lees Ferry in Arizona to the Orange Cliffs of southern Utah, encompassing scenic vistas, geologic wonders, and a vast panorama of human history.
Established 1972.
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.
Wednesday, November 4 to Thursday, November 5
You’ll find it fading up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 5,500 feet the stands peak around Oct 23; down at 4,000 feet they hold on until about Nov 5. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 5,500–6,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 23
- 5,000–5,500 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 26
- 4,500–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 30
- 4,000–4,500 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 2
- 3,500–4,000 ftPeak colorpeak Nov 5
- Where to drive
- Boulder Mountain (UT 12), about 52 miles · Fish Lake Scenic Byway (UT 25), about 88 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, Gambel oak, bigtooth maple, serviceberry, narrowleaf cottonwood
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen36%
- Gambel oak25%
- bigtooth maple12%
- serviceberry12%
- narrowleaf cottonwood7%
- willow5%
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 Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
- When is peak fall foliage at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area?
Our forecast puts peak color at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area around Nov 5, and the four days to aim for are Nov 4 to 7.
- Where is the best fall color at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area right now?
On Nov 10 the recreation area is just past peak. The last band to peak was 3,500 to 4,000 feet, around Nov 5.
- How long does peak last at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area?
About four days at the top, Nov 4 to 7, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the recreation area's elevations the color moves over about 17 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 21 days.
- Is Glen Canyon National Recreation Area past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Nov 5, and on Nov 10 it's just past peak.
- What trees turn color at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area?
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.
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
Capitol Reef and Canyonlands and Manti-La Sal and Dixie are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Peak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
Fall color roads near Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the recreation area, 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.