Wilderness Area·Washington·103,240 acres
Henry M. Jackson Wilderness
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Hard frost Sunday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Henry M. Jackson Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Henry M. Jackson Wilderness around Oct 4, and the four days to aim for are Oct 3 to 6.
The wilderness runs from about 2,351 to 5,590 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 15 days: the high stands around Sep 20, the low ground around Oct 7. 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 31 to Sep 6 | Still green | |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Starting to turn | |
| 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 |
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2017%
- 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2642%
- 3,000–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 226%
- 2,000–3,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 79%
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.
Saturday, October 3 to Sunday, October 4
You’ll find it fading up high, nearly peak lower down.
Up at 5,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 20; down at 3,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 7. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 5,000–6,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 20
- 4,000–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 26
- 3,000–4,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 2
- 2,000–3,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 7
- Where to drive
- Mountain Loop Highway, about 19 miles · Sherman Pass Scenic Byway (Route 20), about 136 miles
- What turns
- bigleaf maple, black cottonwood, vine maple, red alder, willow
What turns, and when
- bigleaf maple25%
- black cottonwood23%
- vine maple19%
- red alder16%
- willow13%
- 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 Henry M. Jackson Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at Henry M. Jackson Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at Henry M. Jackson Wilderness around Oct 4, and the four days to aim for are Oct 3 to 6.
- Where is the best fall color at Henry M. Jackson 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 7.
- How long does peak last at Henry M. Jackson Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Oct 3 to 6, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 15 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 19 days.
- Is Henry M. Jackson Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 4, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Henry M. Jackson 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
Boulder River Wilderness and Okanogan-Wenatchee and Lake Chelan are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 11 best Oct 10 to 13
- Peak Oct 3 best Oct 2 to 5
- Peak Oct 12 best Oct 11 to 14
Fall color roads near Henry M. Jackson 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.