Where is the best fall color at Cranberry Wilderness right now?

On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 2,500 to 3,000 feet, around Oct 18.

How long does peak last at Cranberry Wilderness?

About four days at the top, Oct 13 to 16, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 7 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 11 days.

Is Cranberry Wilderness past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 14, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.

Back to the map

Wilderness Area·West Virginia·47,742 acres

Cranberry Wilderness

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorOct 14Aim for Oct 13 to 16

In the wilderness today, Nov 10Leaves down

Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.

Weather Hard frost Thursday night. Peak may come early and go fast.

1 report came in from Pocahontas County this week, 1 of them at peak. They moved our date 2 days later. See the county on the map.

Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.

Around Cranberry Wilderness Pocahontas County holds most of the wilderness and is leaves down today. Webster County, to the north, is 4 days behind.

When is peak fall foliage at Cranberry Wilderness in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Cranberry Wilderness around Oct 14, and the four days to aim for are Oct 13 to 16.

The wilderness runs from about 2,740 to 4,248 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 7 days: the high stands around Oct 11, the low ground around Oct 18. That's 4 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.

Cranberry Wilderness, fall color week by week, 2026
Week	In the wilderness	Elevation at peak
Sep 21 to Sep 27	Starting to turn
Sep 28 to Oct 4	Starting to turn
Oct 5 to Oct 11	Nearly peak	4,000 to 4,500 ft
Oct 12 to Oct 18	Peak color	2,500 to 3,000 ft, 3,000 to 3,500 ft, 3,500 to 4,000 ft
Oct 19 to Oct 25	Just past peak
Oct 26 to Nov 1	Just past peak

By elevation The wilderness runs from about 2,740 to 4,248 feet. That’s 7 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 11, the low ground holds until about Oct 18, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 3,000 to 3,500 foot band.

4,000–4,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1115%
3,500–4,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1341%
3,000–3,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1531%
2,500–3,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1812%

Height off 3DEP inside the wilderness’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the wilderness 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 trip

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.

ArrivingLeaving

Tuesday, October 13 to Wednesday, October 14

You’ll find it just past peak up high, nearly peak lower down.

Up at 4,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 11; down at 3,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 18. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

4,000–4,500 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 11
3,500–4,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 13
3,000–3,500 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 15
2,500–3,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 18

Where to drive: Highland Scenic Highway (Route 150), about 12 miles · Route 39 (Goshen Pass), about 54 miles · Skyline Drive, about 105 miles
What turns: red maple, northern red oak, white oak, sugar maple, blackgum

What turns, and when

red maple27%
northern red oak14%
white oak12%
sugar maple11%
blackgum10%
tulip poplar10%

Also named across West Virginia, outside what the canopy read measures here: American Beech.

West Virginia is almost entirely forested, and when the sugar maples, oaks, and tulip poplars turn, the entire state becomes a continuous canopy of orange, gold, burgundy, and bronze.

Questions people ask about Cranberry Wilderness

When is peak fall foliage at Cranberry Wilderness?: Our forecast puts peak color at Cranberry Wilderness around Oct 14, and the four days to aim for are Oct 13 to 16.
Where is the best fall color at Cranberry Wilderness right now?: On Nov 10 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 2,500 to 3,000 feet, around Oct 18.
How long does peak last at Cranberry Wilderness?: About four days at the top, Oct 13 to 16, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 7 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 11 days.
Is Cranberry Wilderness past peak?: Yes. Peak was around Oct 14, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
What trees turn color at Cranberry Wilderness?: Sugar Maple, Red Maple, Red Oak, Tulip Poplar, American Beech. West Virginia is almost entirely forested, and when the sugar maples, oaks, and tulip poplars turn, the entire state becomes a continuous canopy of orange, gold, burgundy, and bronze.

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. We score it here against 16 long-running forest cameras: two dates in three land within 7 days of the camera’s own peak. How this map is made

All of West Virginia

Nearby, and when they turn

Monongahela and George Washington and Jefferson and New River Gorge are on the map above, with their own date.

Gauley River National Recreation AreaWV · about 37 miles
Peak Oct 24 best Oct 23 to 26
Bluestone National Scenic RiverWV · about 61 miles
Peak Oct 23 best Oct 22 to 25
Mountain Lake WildernessVA, WV · about 62 miles
Peak Oct 17 best Oct 16 to 19

Fall color roads near Cranberry Wilderness

Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.

Highland Scenic Highway (Route 150) · about 12 miles, WV · 22 miles of road
Runs along the crest of the Allegheny Mountains above 4,000 feet. One of the least-visited and most beautiful fall drives in the eastern US.
Route 39 (Goshen Pass) · about 54 miles, VA · 18 miles of road
A quiet Valley of Virginia gem that follows the Maury River through a gorge of red oaks and hemlocks.
Skyline Drive · about 105 miles, VA · 105 miles of road
The full length of Shenandoah National Park from Front Royal to Rockfish Gap. 75 overlooks in 105 miles. Best in mid-to-late October.
Hocking Hills Scenic Byway (Route 374) · about 144 miles, OH · 26 miles of road
Winds through the sandstone gorges of Hocking Hills. Old Man's Cave and Ash Cave are stunning framed by fall maples.