National Recreation Area·Washington·8,789 acres
Mount Baker National Recreation Area
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
black cottonwood and willow
bigleaf maple, peak Oct 17
Peak color should arrive around Oct 8 for the black cottonwood and willow, and around Oct 17 for the bigleaf maple.
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
4 reports came in from Whatcom County this week, 4 of them at peak. Our date held. See the county on the map.
When is peak fall foliage at Mount Baker National Recreation Area in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Baker National Recreation Area around Oct 12, and the four days to aim for are Oct 11 to 14. bigleaf maple peak later, around Oct 17.
The recreation area runs from about 2,860 to 8,880 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 39 days: the high stands around Sep 2, the low ground around Oct 11. That's 8 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 17 to Aug 23 | Still green | |
| Aug 24 to Aug 30 | Still green | |
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Still green | 8,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Still green | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Still green | 6,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Nearly peak | 4,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Peak color | 2,000 to 4,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Peak color | |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Just past peak |
- 8,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 28%
- 6,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1711%
- 4,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 142%
- 2,000–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1139%
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 8 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.
Sunday, October 11 to Monday, October 12
You’ll find it leaves down up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 6,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 17; down at 4,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 11. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 6,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 17
- 4,000–6,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 1
- 2,000–4,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 11
- Where to drive
- Mountain Loop Highway, about 47 miles
- What turns
- black cottonwood, willow, bigleaf maple, red alder, vine maple
What turns, and when
- black cottonwood26%
- willow21%
- bigleaf maple21%
- red alder16%
- vine maple11%
- red-osier dogwood5%
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 Mount Baker National Recreation Area
- When is peak fall foliage at Mount Baker National Recreation Area?
Our forecast puts peak color at Mount Baker National Recreation Area around Oct 12, and the four days to aim for are Oct 11 to 14. bigleaf maple peak later, around Oct 17.
- Where is the best fall color at Mount Baker National Recreation Area right now?
On Nov 10 the recreation area is leaves down. The last band to peak was 2,000 to 4,000 feet, around Oct 11.
- How long does peak last at Mount Baker National Recreation Area?
About four days at the top, Oct 11 to 14, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the recreation area's elevations the color moves over about 39 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 43 days.
- Is Mount Baker National Recreation Area past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 12, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Mount Baker 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 Boulder River Wilderness and Glacier Peak Wilderness and Lake Chelan are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 4 best Oct 3 to 6
Fall color roads near Mount Baker 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.