National Forest·Montana, Wyoming·1,105,301 acres
Bighorn National Forest
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Wind to 37 mph Tuesday. Color may come down before it turns.
Weather Hard frost Wednesday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Bighorn National Forest in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Bighorn National Forest around Sep 12, and the four days to aim for are Sep 11 to 14.
The forest runs from about 4,515 to 10,322 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 39 days: the high stands around Aug 31, the low ground around Oct 9. That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.
| Week | In the forest | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 17 to Aug 23 | Starting to turn | |
| Aug 24 to Aug 30 | Starting to turn | |
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Nearly peak | 10,000 to 12,000 ft |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Peak color | 8,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Peak color | |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Just past peak | 6,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Fading | |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Leaves down | 4,000 to 6,000 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Leaves down | |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Leaves down |
- 10,000–12,000 ftLeaves downpeak Aug 317%
- 8,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1345%
- 6,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2330%
- 4,000–6,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 917%
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 3 days later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, 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, September 11 to Saturday, September 12
You’ll find it peak color up high, still green lower down.
Up at 8,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 13; down at 6,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 9. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 8,000–10,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 13
- 6,000–8,000 ftStarting to turnpeak Sep 23
- 4,000–6,000 ftStill greenpeak Oct 9
- Where to drive
- Bighorn Scenic Byway (US 14), about 20 miles · Beartooth Highway (US 212), about 105 miles · Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (WY 296), about 106 miles
- What turns
- quaking aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, willow, serviceberry, water birch
What turns, and when
- quaking aspen46%
- narrowleaf cottonwood16%
- willow11%
- serviceberry7%
- water birch5%
- thinleaf alder5%
Also named across Wyoming, outside what the canopy read measures here: Rocky Mountain Maple.
The Tetons rising above the golden cottonwoods of the Snake River flats is one of the most famous fall landscapes in the American West, and the aspen groves at elevation add hillsides of gold.
Questions people ask about Bighorn National Forest
- When is peak fall foliage at Bighorn National Forest?
Our forecast puts peak color at Bighorn National Forest around Sep 12, and the four days to aim for are Sep 11 to 14.
- Where is the best fall color at Bighorn National Forest right now?
On Nov 10 the forest is leaves down. The last band to peak was 4,000 to 6,000 feet, around Oct 9.
- How long does peak last at Bighorn National Forest?
About four days at the top, Sep 11 to 14, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 39 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 43 days.
- Is Bighorn National Forest past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 12, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Bighorn National Forest?
Quaking Aspen, Narrowleaf Cottonwood, Rocky Mountain Maple, Water Birch, Willow. The Tetons rising above the golden cottonwoods of the Snake River flats is one of the most famous fall landscapes in the American West, and the aspen groves at elevation add hillsides of gold.
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
Bighorn Canyon and Custer and Shoshone and North Absaroka Wilderness are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Sep 28 best Sep 27 to 30
- Peak Sep 30 best Sep 29 to Oct 2
Fall color roads near Bighorn National Forest
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the forest, so allow more by road.
- Bighorn Scenic Byway (US 14)
Shell Canyon to Dayton, aspen in the canyon and around Burgess Junction.
- Beartooth Highway (US 212)
Red Lodge to Cooke City. The aspen are in Rock Creek canyon before the switchbacks; above them it is tundra.
- Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (WY 296)
Cody toward Cooke City, cottonwood in the Clarks Fork canyon and aspen on Dead Indian Hill.