National Forest·Washington·631,798 acres
Olympic National Forest
Forecast issued Nov 9, 7:48am ET
bigleaf maple and vine maple
black cottonwood and willow, peak Sep 15
Peak color should arrive around Sep 15 for the black cottonwood and willow, and around Oct 8 for the bigleaf maple and vine maple.
Roadsides and wetland edges turn first, and the woods behind them run a few days later.
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 Olympic National Forest in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Olympic National Forest around Oct 3, and the four days to aim for are Oct 2 to 5. black cottonwood and willow peak later, around Sep 15.
The forest runs from about 137 to 3,811 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 10 days: the high stands around Sep 24, the low ground around Oct 4. That's 2 days earlier than our model alone would say, because this September has been running cool.
| Week | In the forest | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Nearly peak | 4,000 to 5,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 0 to 1,000 ft, 1,000 to 2,000 ft, 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 |
- 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 244%
- 3,000–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 45%
- 2,000–3,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 711%
- 1,000–2,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 227%
- 0–1,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 453%
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.
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 nearly peak up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 2,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 7; down at 1,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 4. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 2,000–3,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 7
- 1,000–2,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 2
- 0–1,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 4
- Where to drive
- Mountain Loop Highway, about 93 miles
- What turns
- bigleaf maple, vine maple, black cottonwood, red alder, willow
What turns, and when
- bigleaf maple30%
- vine maple25%
- black cottonwood20%
- red alder17%
- willow5%
- 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 Olympic National Forest
- When is peak fall foliage at Olympic National Forest?
Our forecast puts peak color at Olympic National Forest around Oct 3, and the four days to aim for are Oct 2 to 5. black cottonwood and willow peak later, around Sep 15.
- Where is the best fall color at Olympic National Forest right now?
On Nov 9 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 Olympic National Forest?
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 forest's elevations the color moves over about 10 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 14 days.
- Is Olympic National Forest past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 3, and on Nov 9 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Olympic 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
Boulder River Wilderness and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie and Wild Sky Wilderness and Mount Rainier are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 12 best Oct 11 to 14
- Peak Oct 4 best Oct 3 to 6
Fall color roads near Olympic 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.