Fall color near Austin
Austin's Hill Country autumn is subtle — bald cypresses along Lady Bird Lake and Barton Creek turn rust, and Spanish oaks redden on the greenbelt slopes — but the headline act is Lost Maples, a couple of hours west, where relict bigtooth maples put on the most famous color show in Texas.
Fall activities in Austin
Little classic fall color reaches Austin itself, so these are the closest real shows, ranked by distance.
Drag the date slider to see when color moves through the country around Austin, or tap a pin for that stop’s own peak window.
Texas
125 miPeak November 16
Texas foliage varies wildly by region: bigtooth maples blaze red at Lost Maples State Natural Area in the Hill Country, East Texas Piney Woods hardwoods turn gold, and Davis Mountains aspens color the far west, mostly in November.
Louisiana
344 miPeak November 26
Foliage here is subtle and subtropical: bald cypress in the Atchafalaya Basin turns rust and copper while sweetgum and hickory color the northern hill country. Color lingers later than most states, often into late November.
Oklahoma
364 miPeak November 3
Oak-hickory forests in the eastern hills flare red and orange along the Talimena Scenic Drive through the Winding Stair Mountains, with Beavers Bend State Park a favorite base. Peak color typically arrives in late October.
Arkansas
446 miPeak November 3
The Ozark and Ouachita Mountains fill with oak, hickory, and sweetgum color each fall, with sourwood adding early crimson. The Talimena Scenic Drive and Mount Magazine offer sweeping overlooks, typically peaking in late October.
In Austin itself
Peak: November 21–November 25
Color builds from November 11 · mostly bare by December 18
Sampled at Austin’s own coordinates rather than a regional average. Dates are computed for Austin itself at 157 m elevation. Street trees vary block to block, so check locally before you plan a weekend around it.
This window comes from 115 weather points across Texas, nudged 1 day earlier to match 2 published peak dates from tpwd.texas.gov and explorefall.com. This year's weather has the peak running 4 days earlier than a normal year. Texas does not turn all at once, and the gap from the earliest corner to the latest runs about 14 days. How the forecast works
Where locals go
Things to do in fall in Austin
Orchards, cider, haunts, and harvest season. These are the iconic fall stops within a day trip of Austin.
Ghost City Tours Austin
Ghost tourColor nearby peaks November 23
Three after-dark walking tours of downtown Austin, all running seven days a week year-round.
House of Torment
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks November 23
Austin's flagship scream house on Ridgepoint Drive, running select nights each fall.
Round Rock Donuts
Donuts & ciderColor nearby peaks November 23
A Round Rock institution since 1926, famous for its oversized yellow-orange yeast donuts made from the original owner's recipe.
Sweet Berry Farm
41 miPumpkin patch
Color nearby peaks November 23
A 152-acre Hill Country farm that bills itself as the original and biggest Central Texas strawberry and pumpkin patch, going on 26 years.
in Texas
Fall festival
Color nearby peaks November 24
The San Antonio park turns over to Fright Fest on select nights from September 11 to November 1, 2026, with roaming scare zones after dusk…
in Texas
Ghost tour
Color nearby peaks November 24
Founded by San Antonio natives Lauren and James Swartz, this outfit has been "Keeping San Antonio Spooky Since 2011" and has been rated in…
in Texas
Frequently asked
- Does Austin get fall colors?
- Some, but it stays understated. Expect scattered street trees rather than a hillside, with the color worth planning around out toward Texas and Louisiana.
- Where's the closest good foliage to Austin?
- Texas, about 125 mi away, peaking around November 16. Texas foliage varies wildly by region: bigtooth maples blaze red at Lost Maples State Natural Area in the Hill Country, East Texas Piney Woods hardwoods turn gold, and Davis Mountains aspens color the far west, mostly in November.
- When does Austin see what color it gets?
- The model predicts the area's late-season change around November 21–November 25. It stays subtle in town, and it is no match for a trip toward Texas and Louisiana.
- What are the best things to do in fall in Austin?
- Beyond the leaves: Ghost City Tours Austin (1 mi); House of Torment (6 mi); Round Rock Donuts (17 mi); Sweet Berry Farm (41 mi); Six Flags Fiesta Texas Fright Fest (70 mi). All of them are mapped on this page.