Leaf peeping

Fall colors in North Dakota

Typical peak runs Sep 26 – 30. Pick the week, then the place.

Photo: Summit Viewpoint

Fall color in North Dakota typically peaks between Sep 26 and Sep 30, with the middle of the season around Sep 28. Color starts in the high country (Cottonwood around Sep 15) and finishes lower (Jorgens Hollow around Oct 3). We track 40 places here: 26 hikes, 11 mountain biking trails, 2 campgrounds, and 1 summit. Above 2,000 ft, color typically peaks around Sep 28; between 1,000 and 2,000 ft, around Sep 29.

When to go

Week by week

How many places are in their typical peak window each week, with the top pick. Today’s week is highlighted.

  1. Sep 15 – 21

    26 places
    Summit ViewpointTop pick · hike

  2. Sep 22 – 28

    39 places
    Nature Trail Extended LoopTop pick · hike

  3. Sep 29 – Oct 5

    Busiest

    40 places
    Jorgens HollowTop pick · campground

  4. Oct 6 – 12

    This week

    14 places
    Sweetwater Lake TrailTop pick · hike

  5. Oct 13 – 19

    1 places

Elevation

Color walks downhill

In North Dakota, the higher the ground, the earlier the turn. Each row is a 1,000-foot band.

  1. 2,000+ ftSep 28
  2. 1,000–2,000 ftSep 29

Dot = median typical peak for places in that band. Bands with fewer than 10 places are left out.

This week

In typical peak now in North Dakota

Places whose usual window includes today.

Hikes

Best fall hikes

Trails ranked by how much hardwood forest surrounds them and how consistent the timing is across years.

Views

Summits and waterfalls

Overlooks for the big picture, falls for the doubled-up reflection.

Ride

Mountain biking through the color

Singletrack with a canopy overhead.

Everything

Map and full list

Every place we track in North Dakota, grouped by where it is in its typical window.

  • In typical peak now (1)
  • Past peak (39)

In typical peak now

Today falls inside the usual peak window for these places.

Past peak

The usual peak window has ended for the year.

Questions

Fall colors in North Dakota: FAQ

When is peak fall color in North Dakota?

Across the 40 places we track in North Dakota, typical peak runs from Sep 26 to Sep 30, with the middle of the season around Sep 28. Where you are in the state matters: higher elevations come earlier and valleys later.

Where do leaves change first in North Dakota?

Among the places we track in North Dakota, Cottonwood has the earliest typical peak, around Sep 15. The latest is Jorgens Hollow, around Oct 3. Above 2,000 ft, color typically peaks around Sep 28; between 1,000 and 2,000 ft, around Sep 29.

What are the best fall hikes in North Dakota?

Hikes with strong typical color in North Dakota include Miskaadesi "Painted Turtle" One-Way Loop, Antelope Loop, Beaver Loop, Trapper's Ridge Trail, and Lady Slipper Trail II. They are ranked by how much of the surrounding forest is hardwood and how consistent the timing has been across years.

Is this a forecast?

No. These dates are typical timing: when leaves have usually reached peak in past years, from NASA satellite vegetation data from 2017 to 2024 and USGS forest cover. A warm, dry or very wet year can shift them by a week or more, so treat them as a planning window, not a prediction for this year.

Keep going

Nearby states

Typical timing from NASA MODIS vegetation data (2017–2024) and USGS NLCD 2021 forest cover. Not a forecast. Timing is typical, not a forecast. How we time it.