National Recreation Area·Washington·115,384 acres
Ross Lake National Recreation Area
Forecast issued Nov 11, 7:48am ET
willow and black cottonwood
bigleaf maple and vine maple, peak Oct 22
Peak color should arrive around Sep 29 for the willow and black cottonwood, and around Oct 22 for the bigleaf maple and vine maple.
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
2 reports came in from Whatcom County this week, 2 of them at peak. Our date held. See the county on the map.
When is peak fall foliage at Ross Lake National Recreation Area in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Ross Lake National Recreation Area around Oct 3, and the four days to aim for are Oct 2 to 5. bigleaf maple and vine maple peak later, around Oct 22.
The recreation area runs from about 1,553 to 6,121 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 17 days: the high stands around Sep 16, the low ground around Oct 3. That's 5 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 7,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Nearly peak | 5,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 1,000 to 2,000 ft, 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 | Just past peak |
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 166%
- 5,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2412%
- 4,000–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 3018%
- 3,000–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 721%
- 2,000–3,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 822%
- 1,000–2,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 321%
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 5 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 just past peak up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 5,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 24; down at 2,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 3. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 5,000–6,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 24
- 4,000–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 30
- 3,000–4,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 7
- 2,000–3,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 8
- 1,000–2,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 3
- Where to drive
- Mountain Loop Highway, about 56 miles · Sherman Pass Scenic Byway (Route 20), about 122 miles
- What turns
- willow, bigleaf maple, black cottonwood, vine maple, red alder
What turns, and when
- willow72%
- bigleaf maple8%
- black cottonwood8%
- vine maple7%
- red alder5%
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 Ross Lake National Recreation Area
- When is peak fall foliage at Ross Lake National Recreation Area?
Our forecast puts peak color at Ross Lake National Recreation Area around Oct 3, and the four days to aim for are Oct 2 to 5. bigleaf maple and vine maple peak later, around Oct 22.
- Where is the best fall color at Ross Lake National Recreation Area right now?
On Nov 11 the recreation area is leaves down. The last band to peak was 2,000 to 3,000 feet, around Oct 8.
- How long does peak last at Ross Lake 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 17 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 21 days.
- Is Ross Lake National Recreation Area past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 3, and on Nov 11 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Ross Lake 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
Mount Baker and Lake Chelan and Glacier Peak Wilderness and Okanogan-Wenatchee are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 1 best Sep 30 to Oct 3
- Peak Oct 4 best Oct 3 to 6
Fall color roads near Ross Lake 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.