National Forest·Washington·3,305,102 acres
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
bigleaf maple and black cottonwood
vine maple and western larch, peak Oct 16
Peak color should arrive around Oct 6 for the bigleaf maple and black cottonwood, and around Oct 16 for the vine maple and western larch.
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 Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest around Oct 10, and the four days to aim for are Oct 9 to 12. vine maple and western larch peak later, around Oct 16.
The forest runs from about 2,053 to 6,621 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 13 days: the high stands around Sep 14, the low ground around Sep 27.
| Week | In the forest | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Still green | |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Still green | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn | 6,000 to 7,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Starting to turn | 1,000 to 2,000 ft, 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Nearly peak | 4,000 to 5,000 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Peak color | 2,000 to 3,000 ft, 3,000 to 4,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Peak color | |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Just past peak |
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1415%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2222%
- 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2823%
- 3,000–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 520%
- 2,000–3,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 715%
- 1,000–2,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 274%
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.
If 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 9 to Saturday, October 10
You’ll find it leaves down up high, just past peak lower down.
Up at 6,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 14; down at 3,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 7. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 14
- 5,000–6,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 22
- 4,000–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 28
- 3,000–4,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 5
- 2,000–3,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 7
- Where to drive
- Mountain Loop Highway, about 53 miles · Sherman Pass Scenic Byway (Route 20), about 97 miles
- What turns
- bigleaf maple, vine maple, black cottonwood, red alder, western larch
What turns, and when
- bigleaf maple24%
- vine maple23%
- black cottonwood14%
- red alder13%
- western larch12%
- willow7%
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 Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- When is peak fall foliage at Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest?
Our forecast puts peak color at Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest around Oct 10, and the four days to aim for are Oct 9 to 12. vine maple and western larch peak later, around Oct 16.
- Where is the best fall color at Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest right now?
On Nov 10 the forest is leaves down. The last band to peak was 2,000 to 3,000 feet, around Oct 7.
- How long does peak last at Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest?
About four days at the top, Oct 9 to 12, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 13 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 17 days.
- Is Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 10, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Okanogan-Wenatchee 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
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie and North Cascades and Ross Lake are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 3 best Oct 2 to 5
- Peak Oct 4 best Oct 3 to 6
- Peak Oct 2 best Oct 1 to 4
Fall color roads near Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the forest, 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.