Wilderness Area·Washington·49,249 acres
Boulder River Wilderness
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
bigleaf maple and vine maple
black cottonwood and willow, peak Sep 16
Peak color should arrive around Sep 16 for the black cottonwood and willow, and around Oct 10 for the bigleaf maple and vine maple.
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 Boulder River Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Boulder River Wilderness around Oct 1, and the four days to aim for are Sep 30 to Oct 3. black cottonwood and willow peak later, around Sep 16.
The wilderness runs from about 483 to 4,753 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 14 days: the high stands around Sep 26, the low ground around Oct 3. That's 2 days earlier than our model alone would say, because this September has been running cool.
| Week | In the wilderness | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Nearly peak | 4,000 to 5,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 0 to 1,000 ft, 1,000 to 2,000 ft, 3,000 to 4,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Just past peak | 2,000 to 3,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Just past peak |
- 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2614%
- 3,000–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 226%
- 2,000–3,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 627%
- 1,000–2,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 3015%
- 0–1,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 315%
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 2 days earlier than our model alone would say. This September has been running cool, which shifts peak color.
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.
Wednesday, September 30 to Thursday, October 1
You’ll find it just past peak up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 4,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 26; down at 1,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 3. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 4,000–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 26
- 3,000–4,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 2
- 2,000–3,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 6
- 1,000–2,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 30
- 0–1,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 3
- Where to drive
- Mountain Loop Highway, about 9 miles
- What turns
- bigleaf maple, black cottonwood, vine maple, red alder, willow
What turns, and when
- bigleaf maple26%
- black cottonwood22%
- vine maple20%
- red alder16%
- willow12%
- red-osier dogwood3%
Also named across Washington, outside what the canopy read measures here: Western Larch.
Vine maples turn scarlet in the Cascade understory, bigleaf maples go gold in the lowlands, and the western larches in the Okanogan and Wenatchee forests turn amber on the high slopes.
Questions people ask about Boulder River Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Boulder River Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Boulder River Wilderness around Oct 1, and the four days to aim for are Sep 30 to Oct 3. black cottonwood and willow peak later, around Sep 16.
- Where is the best fall color at Boulder River Wilderness right now?
On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 2,000 to 3,000 feet, around Oct 6.
- How long does peak last at Boulder River Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Sep 30 to Oct 3, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 14 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 18 days.
- Is Boulder River Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 1, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Boulder River Wilderness?
Vine Maple, Bigleaf Maple, Black Cottonwood, Red Alder, Western Larch. Vine maples turn scarlet in the Cascade understory, bigleaf maples go gold in the lowlands, and the western larches in the Okanogan and Wenatchee forests turn amber on the high slopes.
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
Fall color roads near Boulder River Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- Mountain Loop Highway
A loop through the Cascade foothills east of Everett. Bigleaf maples and vine maples color the narrow valleys.