Wilderness Area·Washington·566,328 acres
Glacier Peak Wilderness
Forecast issued Nov 10, 5:22pm ET
black cottonwood and red alder
bigleaf maple, peak Oct 5
Peak color should arrive around Sep 26 for the black cottonwood and red alder, and around Oct 5 for the bigleaf maple.
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Hard frost Monday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Glacier Peak Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Glacier Peak Wilderness around Oct 3, and the four days to aim for are Oct 2 to 5. bigleaf maple peak later, around Oct 5.
The wilderness runs from about 2,368 to 7,054 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 21 days: the high stands around Sep 5, the low ground around Oct 5. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 17 to Aug 23 | Still green | |
| Aug 24 to Aug 30 | Still green | |
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Still green | 7,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Starting to turn | 6,000 to 7,000 ft |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn | 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Nearly peak | 4,000 to 5,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 3,000 to 4,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Peak color | 2,000 to 3,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Just past peak |
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 56%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1216%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1825%
- 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2525%
- 3,000–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 117%
- 2,000–3,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 59%
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.
Friday, October 2 to Saturday, October 3
You’ll find it leaves down up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 6,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 12; down at 3,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 5. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 12
- 5,000–6,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 18
- 4,000–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 25
- 3,000–4,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 1
- 2,000–3,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 5
- Where to drive
- Mountain Loop Highway, about 29 miles · Sherman Pass Scenic Byway (Route 20), about 121 miles
- What turns
- bigleaf maple, vine maple, black cottonwood, red alder, willow
What turns, and when
- bigleaf maple27%
- vine maple22%
- black cottonwood22%
- red alder16%
- willow11%
- 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 Glacier Peak Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Glacier Peak Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Glacier Peak Wilderness around Oct 3, and the four days to aim for are Oct 2 to 5. bigleaf maple peak later, around Oct 5.
- Where is the best fall color at Glacier Peak 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 5.
- How long does peak last at Glacier Peak Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Oct 2 to 5, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 21 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 25 days.
- Is Glacier Peak Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 3, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Glacier Peak 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
Nearby, and when they turn
Okanogan-Wenatchee and Wild Sky Wilderness and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 1 best Sep 30 to Oct 3
- Peak Oct 11 best Oct 10 to 13
- Peak Oct 3 best Oct 2 to 5
Fall color roads near Glacier Peak 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.
- Sherman Pass Scenic Byway (Route 20)
The highest pass road in Washington. Western larch groves turn gold in mid-to-late October against dark subalpine fir.