National Forest·Washington·1,312,189 acres
Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
willow and black cottonwood
bigleaf maple and vine maple, peak Oct 21
Peak color should arrive around Sep 28 for the willow and black cottonwood, and around Oct 21 for the bigleaf maple and vine maple.
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
2 reports came in from Skamania County this week, 1 of them at peak and 1 of them patchy color. They moved our date 3 days later. See the county on the map.
When is peak fall foliage at Gifford Pinchot National Forest in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Gifford Pinchot National Forest around Oct 5, and the four days to aim for are Oct 4 to 7. bigleaf maple and vine maple peak later, around Oct 21.
The forest runs from about 978 to 5,668 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 25 days: the high stands around Oct 1, the low ground around Oct 7. That's 1 day earlier than our model alone would say, because this September has been running cool.
| Week | In the forest | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Nearly peak | |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 4,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Peak color | 0 to 2,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Just past peak | 2,000 to 4,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Fading |
- 4,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 124%
- 2,000–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1252%
- 0–2,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 720%
Height off 3DEP inside the forest’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the forest stands in it.
That’s 1 day 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.
Sunday, October 4 to Monday, October 5
You’ll find it just past peak up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 4,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 1; down at 2,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 7. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 4,000–6,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 1
- 2,000–4,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 12
- 0–2,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 7
- Where to drive
- Historic Columbia River Highway, about 46 miles · Mountain Loop Highway, about 127 miles · McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242), about 135 miles
- What turns
- willow, black cottonwood, bigleaf maple, vine maple, red alder
What turns, and when
- willow44%
- black cottonwood17%
- bigleaf maple16%
- vine maple11%
- red alder10%
- red-osier dogwood2%
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 Gifford Pinchot National Forest
- When is peak fall foliage at Gifford Pinchot National Forest?
Our forecast puts peak color at Gifford Pinchot National Forest around Oct 5, and the four days to aim for are Oct 4 to 7. bigleaf maple and vine maple peak later, around Oct 21.
- Where is the best fall color at Gifford Pinchot National Forest right now?
On Nov 10 the forest is leaves down. The last band to peak was 2,000 to 4,000 feet, around Oct 12.
- How long does peak last at Gifford Pinchot National Forest?
About four days at the top, Oct 4 to 7, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 25 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 29 days.
- Is Gifford Pinchot National Forest past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 5, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Gifford Pinchot National Forest?
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
Nearby, and when they turn
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and Mount Rainier and Mount Hood Wilderness and Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 16 best Oct 15 to 18
- Peak Oct 16 best Oct 15 to 18
Fall color roads near Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the forest, so allow more by road.
- Historic Columbia River Highway
Waterfalls, basalt cliffs, and vine maples. The restored sections between Troutdale and Ainsworth are the crown jewels.
- Mountain Loop Highway
A loop through the Cascade foothills east of Everett. Bigleaf maples and vine maples color the narrow valleys.
- McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway (Route 242)
Crosses the Cascades through lava fields and old-growth forest. Vine maple understory turns electric in mid-October.