National Recreation Area·Washington·60,462 acres
Lake Chelan National Recreation Area
Forecast issued Nov 11, 7:48am ET
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Hard frost Tuesday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Lake Chelan National Recreation Area in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Lake Chelan National Recreation Area around Oct 3, and the four days to aim for are Oct 2 to 5.
The recreation area runs from about 1,227 to 6,968 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 15 days: the high stands around Sep 16, the low ground around Oct 1. That's 4 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.
| Week | In the recreation area | 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 | 6,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Nearly peak | 4,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 0 to 2,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Peak color | |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Just past peak | 2,000 to 4,000 ft |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Fading |
- 6,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1626%
- 4,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2641%
- 2,000–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1220%
- 0–2,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 113%
Height off 3DEP inside the recreation area’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the recreation area stands in it.
That’s 4 days later than our model alone would say. This season’s reports from the ground moved it, and they outrank us.
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 fading up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 6,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 16; down at 2,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 1. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 6,000–8,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 16
- 4,000–6,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 26
- 2,000–4,000 ftStarting to turnpeak Oct 12
- 0–2,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 1
- Where to drive
- Mountain Loop Highway, about 47 miles · Sherman Pass Scenic Byway (Route 20), about 104 miles
- What turns
- bigleaf maple, vine maple, black cottonwood, red alder, willow
What turns, and when
- bigleaf maple30%
- vine maple28%
- black cottonwood18%
- red alder16%
- willow5%
- quaking aspen4%
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 Lake Chelan National Recreation Area
- When is peak fall foliage at Lake Chelan National Recreation Area?
Our forecast puts peak color at Lake Chelan National Recreation Area around Oct 3, and the four days to aim for are Oct 2 to 5.
- Where is the best fall color at Lake Chelan National Recreation Area right now?
On Nov 11 the recreation area is leaves down. The last band to peak was 2,000 to 4,000 feet, around Oct 12.
- How long does peak last at Lake Chelan National Recreation Area?
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 recreation area's elevations the color moves over about 15 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 19 days.
- Is Lake Chelan National Recreation Area past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 3, and on Nov 11 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Lake Chelan National Recreation Area?
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
North Cascades and Ross Lake and Henry M. Jackson Wilderness and Wild Sky Wilderness are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 1 best Sep 30 to Oct 3
- Peak Oct 6 best Oct 5 to 8
Fall color roads near Lake Chelan National Recreation Area
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the recreation area, 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.