Wilderness Area·Utah·30,524 acres
Lone Peak Wilderness
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Hard frost Wednesday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
1 report came in from Utah County this week, 1 of them past peak. Our date held. See the county on the map.
When is peak fall foliage at Lone Peak Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Lone Peak Wilderness around Oct 12, and the four days to aim for are Oct 11 to 14.
The wilderness runs from about 5,924 to 10,436 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 30 days: the high stands around Sep 19, the low ground around Oct 19. That's 7 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.
| Week | In the wilderness | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Still green | |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Still green | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Still green | 10,000 to 11,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Starting to turn | 9,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Nearly peak | 8,000 to 9,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Peak color | 7,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Peak color | 6,000 to 7,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Just past peak | 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Fading |
- 10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1913%
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2522%
- 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 121%
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 722%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1316%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 196%
Height off 3DEP inside the wilderness’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the wilderness stands in it.
That’s 7 days later than our model alone would say. This season’s reports from the ground moved it, and they outrank us.
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.
Sunday, October 11 to Monday, October 12
You’ll find it leaves down up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 10,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 19; down at 7,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 13. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 19
- 9,000–10,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 25
- 8,000–9,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 1
- 7,000–8,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 7
- 6,000–7,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 13
- Where to drive
- Alpine Scenic Loop (Routes 92 and 189), about 7 miles · Guardsman Pass, about 11 miles · Mirror Lake Highway (UT 150), about 38 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, bigtooth maple, Gambel oak, serviceberry
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen36%
- bigtooth maple35%
- Gambel oak24%
- serviceberry5%
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 Lone Peak Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Lone Peak Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Lone Peak Wilderness around Oct 12, and the four days to aim for are Oct 11 to 14.
- Where is the best fall color at Lone Peak Wilderness right now?
On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 5,000 to 6,000 feet, around Oct 19.
- How long does peak last at Lone Peak Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Oct 11 to 14, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 30 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 34 days.
- Is Lone Peak Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 12, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Lone Peak Wilderness?
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
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache and Ashley are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 10 best Oct 9 to 12
- Peak Oct 15 best Oct 14 to 17
- Peak Oct 8 best Oct 7 to 10
- Peak Sep 22 best Sep 21 to 24
Fall color roads near Lone Peak Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- Alpine Scenic Loop (Routes 92 and 189)
Mount Timpanogos draped in bigtooth maple scarlet and aspen gold. The most colorful fall drive in Utah.
- Guardsman Pass
Park City to Big Cottonwood Canyon, aspen and maple above Brighton.
- Mirror Lake Highway (UT 150)
Kamas to the Uinta lakes, aspen in the lower canyon.
- Nebo Loop
Payson to Nephi around Mount Nebo, maple scarlet first and then aspen gold.
- Logan Canyon (US 89)
Logan to Bear Lake, maple and aspen up the canyon.
- Fish Lake Scenic Byway (UT 25)
Pando, the largest aspen clone on earth, along the lake.