North Dakota Fall Foliage 2026
Typical peak window
Sep 20 – Sep 28
Centered on Sep 24 at reference elevation.
low confidence in typical timing.
Late September into the first week of October, statewide.
Seasonal model estimate. Timing remains uncertain; check recent reports before traveling. Source: seasonal timing model. Calculated .
Seasonal timing
Across North Dakota, foliage typically peaks around September 24, within a September 20–28 window, and can continue into the first week of October. Higher ground near 2,850 feet typically peaks around September 23 and valleys near 2,250 feet around September 25; cottonwood, aspen, ash, and oak are dominant, including golden cottonwoods along rivers at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
What turns here
- cottonwood
- aspen
- ash
- oak
Yellows show up every year. Reds need sunny days and cool, frost-free nights. A bad year takes those first.
Color progression
Typical peak Sep 24Typical color progression for North Dakota. No change from Aug 17 to Sep 3. First color from Sep 3 to Sep 12. Approaching peak from Sep 12 to Sep 20. Peak from Sep 20 to Sep 28. Past peak from Sep 28 to Oct 8. Bare from Oct 8 to Oct 22.
Leaves are typically down on Nov 1, 2026. Color starts around Sep 3.
North Dakota by county
11 days from Divide County to Richland County.
Tap a location marker for coordinates and light times. Where peak usually lands. Boundaries: US Census, 2023. Elevation: USGS 3DEP + SRTM. Method
Every county, as text
| County | Typical peak | Stage on Nov 1, 2026 | Median elev. | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | Sep 22 – Sep 30 | Bare | 2,624 ft | 1 days |
| Barnes County | Sep 24 – Oct 2 | Bare | 1,429 ft | 1 days |
| Benson County | Sep 21 – Sep 29 | Bare | 1,528 ft | 1 days |
| Billings County | Sep 19 – Sep 27 | Bare | 2,593 ft | 1 days |
| Bottineau County | Sep 19 – Sep 27 | Bare | 1,507 ft | 1 days |
| Bowman County | Sep 20 – Sep 28 | Bare | 2,961 ft | 1 days |
| Burke County | Sep 17 – Sep 25 | Bare | 2,073 ft | 1 days |
| Burleigh County | Sep 22 – Sep 30 | Bare | 1,832 ft | 1 days |
| Cass County | Sep 26 – Oct 4 | Bare | 971 ft | 1 days |
| Cavalier County | Sep 19 – Sep 27 | Bare | 1,576 ft | 0 days |
| Dickey County | Sep 26 – Oct 4 | Bare | 1,451 ft | 2 days |
| Divide County | Sep 16 – Sep 24 | Bare | 2,200 ft | 1 days |
| Dunn County | Sep 20 – Sep 28 | Bare | 2,336 ft | 1 days |
| Eddy County | Sep 21 – Sep 29 | Bare | 1,525 ft | 1 days |
| Emmons County | Sep 24 – Oct 2 | Bare | 1,849 ft | 1 days |
| Foster County | Sep 22 – Sep 30 | Bare | 1,534 ft | 0 days |
| Golden Valley County | Sep 19 – Sep 27 | Bare | 2,625 ft | 2 days |
| Grand Forks County | Sep 23 – Oct 1 | Bare | 1,022 ft | 2 days |
| Grant County | Sep 22 – Sep 30 | Bare | 2,324 ft | 0 days |
| Griggs County | Sep 22 – Sep 30 | Bare | 1,452 ft | 1 days |
| Hettinger County | Sep 21 – Sep 29 | Bare | 2,562 ft | 0 days |
| Kidder County | Sep 22 – Sep 30 | Bare | 1,817 ft | 1 days |
| LaMoure County | Sep 25 – Oct 3 | Bare | 1,478 ft | 2 days |
| Logan County | Sep 23 – Oct 1 | Bare | 1,992 ft | 0 days |
| McHenry County | Sep 20 – Sep 28 | Bare | 1,521 ft | 0 days |
| McIntosh County | Sep 24 – Oct 2 | Bare | 2,058 ft | 1 days |
| McKenzie County | Sep 19 – Sep 27 | Bare | 2,284 ft | 1 days |
| McLean County | Sep 20 – Sep 28 | Bare | 1,931 ft | 0 days |
| Mercer County | Sep 21 – Sep 29 | Bare | 1,995 ft | 1 days |
| Morton County | Sep 22 – Sep 30 | Bare | 1,972 ft | 2 days |
| Mountrail County | Sep 18 – Sep 26 | Bare | 2,263 ft | 2 days |
| Nelson County | Sep 21 – Sep 29 | Bare | 1,509 ft | 0 days |
| Oliver County | Sep 21 – Sep 29 | Bare | 1,990 ft | 2 days |
| Pembina County | Sep 21 – Sep 29 | Bare | 859 ft | 1 days |
| Pierce County | Sep 20 – Sep 28 | Bare | 1,560 ft | 0 days |
| Ramsey County | Sep 20 – Sep 28 | Bare | 1,489 ft | 0 days |
| Ransom County | Sep 26 – Oct 4 | Bare | 1,210 ft | 1 days |
| Renville County | Sep 18 – Sep 26 | Bare | 1,716 ft | 1 days |
| Richland County | Sep 27 – Oct 5 | Bare | 1,053 ft | 0 days |
| Rolette County | Sep 18 – Sep 26 | Bare | 1,690 ft | 1 days |
| Sargent County | Sep 26 – Oct 4 | Bare | 1,291 ft | 1 days |
| Sheridan County | Sep 20 – Sep 28 | Bare | 1,912 ft | 1 days |
| Sioux County | Sep 24 – Oct 2 | Bare | 1,993 ft | 2 days |
| Slope County | Sep 20 – Sep 28 | Bare | 2,784 ft | 1 days |
| Stark County | Sep 20 – Sep 28 | Bare | 2,502 ft | 1 days |
| Steele County | Sep 23 – Oct 1 | Bare | 1,226 ft | 2 days |
| Stutsman County | Sep 23 – Oct 1 | Bare | 1,741 ft | 2 days |
| Towner County | Sep 19 – Sep 27 | Bare | 1,539 ft | 0 days |
| Traill County | Sep 24 – Oct 2 | Bare | 935 ft | 0 days |
| Walsh County | Sep 22 – Sep 30 | Bare | 1,042 ft | 2 days |
| Ward County | Sep 18 – Sep 26 | Bare | 2,007 ft | 2 days |
| Wells County | Sep 21 – Sep 29 | Bare | 1,696 ft | 1 days |
| Williams County | Sep 17 – Sep 25 | Bare | 2,215 ft | 1 days |
Peak by elevation
2 days between the ridges and the valleys below them. The county map above averages that away.
| Elevation band | Approx. elevation | Typical peak | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| High ridges & passes | 2,850 ft | Sep 23 | Bare |
| Mid elevation | 2,600 ft | Sep 24 | Bare |
| Valleys & lowlands | 2,250 ft | Sep 25 | Bare |
Foliage stages
- No change 0–10%
- First color 10–25%
- Approaching peak 25–60%
- Peak 60–90%
- Past peak 40–70%, dropping
- Bare <20%
Plan the light
North Dakota on September 24, 2026, the center of its typical peak window.
| Event | Time |
|---|---|
| First light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 6:13 AM |
| Sunrise Rises E · 90° | 6:43 AM |
| Morning golden hour ends 40 min of low, warm light | 7:23 AM |
| Solar noon Highest sun, flattest light | 12:46 PM |
| Evening golden hour starts 40 min before sunset | 6:08 PM |
| Sunset Sets W · 270° | 6:48 PM |
| Last light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 7:18 PM |
Times in America/Denver · day length 12h 5m · computed from NOAA solar equations.
Local terrain can hide the sun; allow extra time to reach your viewpoint.
Which way to point the camera
Sun rises E, sets W.
Aim within 45° of the sun for translucent leaves. Turn your back to it for flat, accurate color.
Where to shoot in North Dakota
4 researched locations, earliest peak first. Filter these locations
- Lake Metigoshe, Turtle Mountains Bare
Turtle Mountains · 2,138 ft · peaks Sep 20
A wooded lake in the Turtle Mountains on the Manitoba line, where aspen and birch turn the hills a solid yellow that reads nothing like the oak country further south. Still water before the wind picks up doubles the shoreline.
- Pembina Gorge Trailhead Bare
Pembina Gorge · 1,371 ft · peaks Sep 23
The deepest cut in North Dakota, holding the largest continuous undisturbed forest in the state on steep valley walls above the Pembina River. Sixteen miles of trail run the rim and the slope, so the gorge can be shot from above or from inside it.
- Cottonwood Campground, Theodore Roosevelt National Park Bare
Little Missouri Badlands · 2,254 ft · peaks Sep 25
Bottomland cottonwood lines the Little Missouri beneath badland buttes, in the South Unit five miles inside the Medora entrance. Golden cottonwoods contrast with banded clay and dark juniper.
- Mineral Springs Falls Bare
Sheyenne River Valley · 1,181 ft · peaks Sep 30
A small spring-fed drop in the wooded Sheyenne valley in Ransom County, and one of very few natural falls in the state. Flat light is the whole game on a low-volume fall like this, where direct sun blows the water out and leaves the oak behind it muddy.
Recent reports from North Dakota
Report what you sawCommon questions
- When do the leaves change in North Dakota?
- North Dakota typically peaks Sep 20 – Sep 28, centered on Sep 24. Late September into the first week of October, statewide. These are typical dates from a latitude and elevation model; current conditions may differ.
- Where are the best places to see fall color in North Dakota?
- The guide includes 4 researched locations in North Dakota, including Lake Metigoshe, Turtle Mountains, Pembina Gorge Trailhead, Cottonwood Campground, Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Lake Metigoshe, Turtle Mountains turns first, around Sep 20, and Mineral Springs Falls is last, around Sep 30. Each includes coordinates, elevation and sunrise light times.
- What trees turn color in North Dakota?
- Mainly cottonwood, aspen, ash, oak. Yellows and oranges come from carotenoids that are already in the leaf, so they show up every year. Reds are made fresh each autumn and need warm sunny days with cool, frost-free nights, which is why a dry summer or a warm September produces a duller year.