Where is the best fall color at Mount Olympus 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 15.

How long does peak last at Mount Olympus Wilderness?

About four days at the top, Oct 12 to 15, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 24 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 28 days.

Is Mount Olympus Wilderness past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 13, and on Nov 9 it's leaves down.

Back to the map

Wilderness Area·Utah·15,434 acres

Mount Olympus Wilderness

Forecast issued Nov 9, 7:48am ET

Peak colorOct 13Aim for Oct 12 to 15

In the wilderness today, Nov 9Leaves down

Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.

2 reports came in from Salt Lake County this week, 2 of them past peak. They moved our date 2 days later. See the county on the map.

Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.

Around Mount Olympus Wilderness Nearly all of the wilderness is in Salt Lake County, which is leaves down today.

When is peak fall foliage at Mount Olympus Wilderness in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Olympus Wilderness around Oct 13, and the four days to aim for are Oct 12 to 15.

The wilderness runs from about 5,705 to 9,278 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 24 days: the high stands around Sep 21, the low ground around Oct 15. That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.

Mount Olympus Wilderness, fall color week by week, 2026
Week	In the wilderness	Elevation at peak
Sep 7 to Sep 13	Still green
Sep 14 to Sep 20	Still green
Sep 21 to Sep 27	Starting to turn	8,000 to 9,000 ft, 9,000 to 10,000 ft
Sep 28 to Oct 4	Starting to turn	7,000 to 8,000 ft
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	Just past peak

By elevation The wilderness runs from about 5,705 to 9,278 feet. That’s 24 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Sep 21, the low ground holds until about Oct 15, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 5,000 to 6,000 foot band.

9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2110%
8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2724%
7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 331%
6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 926%
5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1510%

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.

The latest daylight frame from the NEON.D15.REDB.DP1.20002 camera, 15 km from Mount Olympus Wilderness — Latest daylight frame PhenoCam Network, Red Butte Creek camera, 15 km away, captured Nov 8.

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 trip

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.

ArrivingLeaving

Monday, October 12 to Tuesday, October 13

You’ll find it leaves down up high, nearly peak lower down.

Up at 9,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 21; down at 6,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 15. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 21
8,000–9,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 27
7,000–8,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 3
6,000–7,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 9
5,000–6,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 15

Where to drive: Guardsman Pass, about 10 miles · Alpine Scenic Loop (Routes 92 and 189), about 16 miles · Mirror Lake Highway (UT 150), about 36 miles
What turns: quaking aspen, bigtooth maple, Gambel oak

What turns, and when

quaking aspen45%
bigtooth maple37%
Gambel oak18%

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 Olympus Wilderness

When is peak fall foliage at Mount Olympus Wilderness?: Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Olympus Wilderness around Oct 13, and the four days to aim for are Oct 12 to 15.
Where is the best fall color at Mount Olympus 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 15.
How long does peak last at Mount Olympus Wilderness?: About four days at the top, Oct 12 to 15, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 24 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 28 days.
Is Mount Olympus Wilderness past peak?: Yes. Peak was around Oct 13, and on Nov 9 it's leaves down.
What trees turn color at Mount Olympus 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

All of Utah

Nearby, and when they turn

Ashley is on the map above, with its own date.

Mount Nebo WildernessUT · about 57 miles
Peak Oct 10 best Oct 9 to 12
Wellsville Mountain WildernessUT · about 69 miles
Peak Oct 15 best Oct 14 to 17
Mount Naomi WildernessUT · about 85 miles
Peak Oct 8 best Oct 7 to 10
Ashley Karst National Recreation and Geologic Area National Recreation AreaUT · about 101 miles
Peak Sep 22 best Sep 21 to 24
Bear Lake National Wildlife RefugeID · about 106 miles
Peak Oct 9 best Oct 8 to 11

Fall color roads near Mount Olympus Wilderness

Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.

Guardsman Pass · about 10 miles, UT · 12 miles of road
Park City to Big Cottonwood Canyon, aspen and maple above Brighton.
Alpine Scenic Loop (Routes 92 and 189) · about 16 miles, UT · 20 miles of road
Mount Timpanogos draped in bigtooth maple scarlet and aspen gold. The most colorful fall drive in Utah.
Mirror Lake Highway (UT 150) · about 36 miles, UT · 42 miles of road
Kamas to the Uinta lakes, aspen in the lower canyon.
Nebo Loop · about 56 miles, UT · 38 miles of road
Payson to Nephi around Mount Nebo, maple scarlet first and then aspen gold.
Logan Canyon (US 89) · about 83 miles, UT · 40 miles of road
Logan to Bear Lake, maple and aspen up the canyon.
Fish Lake Scenic Byway (UT 25) · about 146 miles, UT · 13 miles of road
Pando, the largest aspen clone on earth, along the lake.