Wilderness Area·Wyoming·346,320 acres
North Absaroka Wilderness
Forecast issued Nov 9, 7:48am ET
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Hard frost Tuesday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
Weather Wind to 35 mph Tuesday. Color may come down before it turns.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at North Absaroka Wilderness in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at North Absaroka Wilderness around Sep 26, and the four days to aim for are Sep 25 to 28.
The wilderness runs from about 6,713 to 10,302 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 26 days: the high stands around Sep 1, the low ground around Sep 27. That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this season's reports from the ground moved it.
| Week | In the wilderness | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 17 to Aug 23 | Still green | |
| Aug 24 to Aug 30 | Still green | |
| Aug 31 to Sep 6 | Starting to turn | 10,000 to 11,000 ft |
| Sep 7 to Sep 13 | Starting to turn | 9,000 to 10,000 ft |
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Nearly peak | 8,000 to 9,000 ft |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Peak color | 6,000 to 7,000 ft, 7,000 to 8,000 ft |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Just past peak |
- 10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 19%
- 9,000–10,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 825%
- 8,000–9,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1431%
- 7,000–8,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 2124%
- 6,000–7,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 279%
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 3 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, September 25 to Saturday, September 26
You’ll find it leaves down up high, peak color lower down.
Up at 10,000 feet the stands peak around Sep 1; down at 7,000 feet they hold on until about Sep 27. Pick your elevation for the day you come.
- 10,000–11,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 1
- 9,000–10,000 ftFadingpeak Sep 8
- 8,000–9,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 14
- 7,000–8,000 ftJust past peakpeak Sep 21
- 6,000–7,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 27
- Where to drive
- Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (WY 296), about 17 miles · Beartooth Highway (US 212), about 30 miles · Teton Park Road, about 79 miles
- What turns
- narrowleaf cottonwood, quaking aspen, willow, water birch, Rocky Mountain maple
What turns, and when
- narrowleaf cottonwood28%
- quaking aspen26%
- willow19%
- water birch9%
- Rocky Mountain maple6%
- serviceberry6%
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 North Absaroka Wilderness
- When is peak fall foliage at North Absaroka Wilderness?
Our forecast puts peak color at North Absaroka Wilderness around Sep 26, and the four days to aim for are Sep 25 to 28.
- Where is the best fall color at North Absaroka Wilderness right now?
On Nov 9 the wilderness is leaves down. The last band to peak was 6,000 to 7,000 feet, around Sep 27.
- How long does peak last at North Absaroka Wilderness?
About four days at the top, Sep 25 to 28, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 26 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 30 days.
- Is North Absaroka Wilderness past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Sep 26, and on Nov 9 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at North Absaroka Wilderness?
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
Yellowstone and Shoshone and Gallatin are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Sep 30 best Sep 29 to Oct 2
- Peak Oct 2 best Oct 1 to 4
- Peak Sep 30 best Sep 29 to Oct 2
Fall color roads near North Absaroka Wilderness
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.
- Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (WY 296)
Cody toward Cooke City, cottonwood in the Clarks Fork canyon and aspen on Dead Indian Hill.
- Beartooth Highway (US 212)
Red Lodge to Cooke City. The aspen are in Rock Creek canyon before the switchbacks; above them it is tundra.
- Teton Park Road
The cottonwoods along the Snake River flats with the Tetons behind them. This is the most famous fall landscape in the American West.
- Teton Scenic Byway (ID 31, 32 and 33)
Swan Valley to Ashton, aspen on the west side of the Tetons.
- Bighorn Scenic Byway (US 14)
Shell Canyon to Dayton, aspen in the canyon and around Burgess Junction.