Fall Foliage in Wyoming: 2026 Peak Color Forecast

Q: When is peak fall foliage in Wyoming in 2026?

Peak color in Wyoming typically runs September 18 to October 2. Exact timing shifts one to two weeks year to year — a warm, wet autumn pushes peak later, while drought stress or an early hard frost accelerates it.

Q: When do leaves start changing in Wyoming?

Color usually becomes noticeable around September 8, starting with Tetons & Yellowstone (mid to late September) and spreading across the state over the following weeks.

Q: How late can you see fall colors in Wyoming?

Most years the show is largely over by October 10. Bighorns & Snowy Range holds color latest (late September), and oak-dominated woods keep muted color for another week or two beyond the maples.

Q: What are the best fall foliage drives in Wyoming?

Moose-Wilson Road, Grand Teton; US 14A over the Bighorns; Snowy Range Scenic Byway (WY 130). Go midweek during the peak window if you can — the marquee routes draw serious weekend traffic at peak.

Q: What trees produce Wyoming's fall color?

The palette here is built on aspen, cottonwood, willow — gold under granite. Reds and oranges come from anthocyanins that sugar maples and red maples manufacture in sunny, cool-night weather; the yellows in birch and aspen are carotenoids that were in the leaf all summer, unmasked when chlorophyll breaks down.

Q: Will 2026 be a good color year in Wyoming?

The recipe for a great year is a moist growing season followed by a sunny September of warm days and cool — not freezing — nights. Watch late-summer drought maps: stressed trees turn early and dull. The windows on this page are the reliable planning anchor either way.

Q: How long does peak color last in Wyoming?

In any single spot, expect 5–10 good days. Statewide, the window runs September 18 to October 2 because Tetons & Yellowstone (mid to late September) and Bighorns & Snowy Range (late September) are staggered — if you can move, Wyoming gives you weeks of peak somewhere.

Q: What if I miss peak in Wyoming?

Chase the stagger: earlier terrain has already peaked, later terrain hasn't yet. Arrive too early and head for Tetons & Yellowstone; too late, drop to Bighorns & Snowy Range. The color map on this page shows today's estimated status across the area you search.

Typical peak September 18 to October 2. Region-by-region timing, the best drives, and how this autumn is tracking.

Peak color window is open right now

Color starts

Sep 8

Typical peak

Sep 18 – Oct 2

Season ends

Oct 10

The Wyoming color season at a glance

Typical window, checked against today's date

Today

Wyoming's typical peak-color window against the fall season. Any single year lands within about ±1–2 weeks.

mid to late September

Tetons & Yellowstone

turns first

late September

Bighorns & Snowy Range

turns last

aspen

signature tree

September 20

typical first frost

color usually beats it

Teton aspen gold under fresh September summit snow is the classic Wyoming shot — peak usually lands the third week of September, wildlife-watching at its best.

Interactive

Where the color is around Wyoming right now

Enter a ZIP code (or explore the default view) to see estimated color status across the surrounding terrain — higher elevations and more northern valleys turn first, and the map adjusts for both.

Estimated color status around Cheyenne, WY, computed from the state’s typical peak window adjusted for each area’s elevation and latitude (higher and more northern terrain turns earlier). Try the Terrain style to see why ridgelines turn first. A climatology-based estimate — scout reports and webcams beat any model in the final week.

Region by region

Wyoming doesn’t peak all at once

Elevation and latitude stagger the show — every thousand feet of elevation moves peak roughly a week earlier, and the north edge of a state can run two weeks ahead of its south. That’s good news for trip planning: miss one window and the next region over is often just entering its own.

Region	Typical peak
Tetons & Yellowstone	mid to late September
Bighorns & Snowy Range	late September

Golden trees mirrored in a still lake at peak color — Water doubles the show — calm mornings give lake and river routes their mirror finish before the wind comes up.

The season, phase by phase

How the Wyoming color season unfolds

First color · September 8 starting

Swamp maples and stressed roadside trees flip first. Around September 8, Tetons & Yellowstone leads the state (mid to late September) while lower terrain stays green. Scouting weekend — not yet the show.

Peak window · September 18–October 2 the show

The statewide sweet spot. Color rolls across the state, and the famous drives hit their best light. Book lodging early — this is the window everyone chases.

Late color · to October 10 fading

Bighorns & Snowy Range holds out longest (late September). Oaks and beeches keep russet and copper tones after the maples drop, and bare-branch views open up — quieter roads, softer palette, zero crowds.

After the season plan ahead

Once leaf-drop finishes, the same windows reset for next year — they're driven by day length first, weather second. Bookmark this page; the status is checked against today's date.

Golden oak canopy in late-autumn sunlight — The late shift: after the maples drop, oaks and hickories carry deep golds and russets for another two weeks.

Where to go

The best foliage drives in Wyoming

Moose-Wilson Road, Grand Teton

The marquee route — plan it for the heart of the September 18–October 2 window and go midweek if you can.

US 14A over the Bighorns

Strong alternative when the main route backs up — similar color, a fraction of the traffic.

Snowy Range Scenic Byway (WY 130)

The connoisseur pick: pair it with an early start for empty-road light in the first hour after sunrise.

Photographer’s notes

Overcast days saturate reds and oranges better than harsh sun — don’t cancel for clouds. The half-hour after sunrise gives backlit leaves their glow, and a light rain the night before deepens every color on the road. Dominant trees to look for here: aspen, cottonwood, willow — gold under granite.

Make the weekend count

Planning a Wyoming leaf trip, step by step

6–8 weeks out

Book lodging for the September 18 to October 2 window now. Peak-weekend rooms near the marquee drives sell out far ahead — a midweek stay inside the window beats a Saturday scramble at its center.

2 weeks out

Check this page's live status and the late-summer drought picture. Dry years pull Wyoming's peak earlier; wet warm autumns push it later. Adjust which sub-region you target, not the whole trip.

Trip week

Run the color map above for your base town and pick the drive that's inside its window today. If your target already peaked, shift toward Bighorns & Snowy Range; still green, head for Tetons & Yellowstone.

On the day

Shoot the first two hours after sunrise and the last two before sunset — backlit maples glow, midday glare flattens color. Overcast after rain is the secret weapon: saturated leaves, no shadows, empty pull-offs.

Why timing moves

What shifts the 2026 peak earlier or later

Red maple leaves at peak color against a blue sky — Anthocyanin red: maples manufacture this pigment on sunny days with cool nights — the weather recipe that decides how good a year gets. (Image credits: /images/seasonal/SOURCES.txt)

Leaf color is triggered by shortening days — that part is identical every year. Weather sets the quality and the exact week. The recipe for a spectacular season: a wet growing season, then sunny warm days with cool (not freezing) nights through September. That combination traps sugars in the leaf and builds anthocyanins — the reds and crimsons.

Drought pushes trees to turn early and drop fast; a warm autumn delays everything and mutes the reds; a hard early freeze or one good windstorm can end a local peak in 48 hours. For reference, Wyoming's typical first frost lands around September 20 — peak color usually beats it by a couple of weeks, which is exactly why the two calendars are worth planning together.

Common questions

Wyoming fall foliage FAQ

When is peak fall foliage in Wyoming in 2026?

When do leaves start changing in Wyoming?

How late can you see fall colors in Wyoming?

What are the best fall foliage drives in Wyoming?

What trees produce Wyoming's fall color?

Will 2026 be a good color year in Wyoming?

How long does peak color last in Wyoming?

What if I miss peak in Wyoming?

Keep planning

Plan the rest of your Wyoming fall

Wyoming first frost datesTypically September 20 — the freeze that ends the garden season.Wyoming hummingbird departuresMost leave around August 28 — right as the leaves turn.Wyoming tick forecastTicks stay active on warm fall hikes until a hard freeze — check before you leaf-peep.

More Rockies foliage forecasts

Windows are climatological typicals compiled from state tourism foliage reports, USDA Forest Service fall-color guidance, and NOAA climate normals. Any single year can run 1–2 weeks either side. National picture: where peak color is right now →