Wilderness Area·Utah·27,084 acres
Mount Nebo Wilderness
Forecast issued Nov 9, 7:48am 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.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Mount Nebo Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Nebo Wilderness around Oct 10, and the four days to aim for are Oct 9 to 12.
The wilderness runs from about 5,870 to 10,357 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 31 days: the high stands around Sep 16, the low ground around Oct 17. That's 3 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 | Starting to turn | 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 | 5,000 to 6,000 ft, 6,000 to 7,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Just past peak | |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Fading |
- 10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 169%
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2318%
- 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2923%
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 525%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1218%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 177%
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 3 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.
Friday, October 9 to Saturday, October 10
You’ll find it leaves down up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 10,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 16; down at 7,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 12. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 16
- 9,000–10,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 23
- 8,000–9,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 29
- 7,000–8,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 5
- 6,000–7,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 12
- Where to drive
- Nebo Loop, about 2 miles · Alpine Scenic Loop (Routes 92 and 189), about 44 miles · Guardsman Pass, about 55 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, bigtooth maple, Gambel oak, serviceberry
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen59%
- bigtooth maple22%
- Gambel oak16%
- serviceberry3%
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 Mount Nebo Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Mount Nebo Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Nebo Wilderness around Oct 10, and the four days to aim for are Oct 9 to 12.
- Where is the best fall color at Mount Nebo Wilderness right now?
On Nov 9 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 5,000 to 6,000 feet, around Oct 17.
- How long does peak last at Mount Nebo Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Oct 9 to 12, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 31 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 35 days.
- Is Mount Nebo Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 10, and on Nov 9 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Mount Nebo 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 Fishlake are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22
- Peak Oct 12 best Oct 11 to 14
- Peak Oct 13 best Oct 12 to 15
- Peak Oct 13 best Oct 12 to 15
Fall color roads near Mount Nebo Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- Nebo Loop
Payson to Nephi around Mount Nebo, maple scarlet first and then aspen gold.
- 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.
- Fish Lake Scenic Byway (UT 25)
Pando, the largest aspen clone on earth, along the lake.
- Boulder Mountain (UT 12)
Torrey to Boulder over the aspen plateau, with Capitol Reef below.