When do the leaves change in Birmingham?
The Appalachians run out of steam just past Birmingham, which means real ridge-and-valley color inside a Deep South city. Ruffner Mountain and Red Mountain frame town in oak and hickory gold, and Oak Mountain State Park — Alabama's largest — puts on the region's best show along Double Oak Mountain.
Peak: November 8–November 12
Color builds from November 1 · mostly bare by December 4
Sampled at Birmingham’s own coordinates rather than a regional average. Dates are computed for Birmingham itself at 187 m elevation. Street trees vary block to block, so check locally before you plan a weekend around it.
26 weather points cover Alabama, and the model shifts their answer 1 day earlier, which is what it takes to match 1 published peak date from explorefall.com. This year's weather has the peak running 4 days earlier than a normal year. Alabama does not turn all at once, and the gap from the earliest corner to the latest runs about 15 days. How the forecast works
Fall activities in Birmingham
Drag the date slider to see when color moves through the country around Birmingham, or tap a pin for that stop’s own peak window.
Cheaha State Park
58 miState park
Peak November 7
Alabama's highest point at 2,407 feet anchors this Talladega National Forest park, where stone-built Bunker Tower's observation deck…
in Alabama
Where locals go
Things to do in fall in Birmingham
Orchards, cider, haunts, and harvest season. These are the iconic fall stops within a day trip of Birmingham.
Atrox Factory
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks November 9
Fifty thousand square feet of indoor haunt east of Birmingham, billed as the largest all-indoor haunted house in the Southeast and ranked…
Haunted attraction
Color nearby peaks November 9
A 10,000-square-foot walk-through haunt off Gadsden Highway northeast of Birmingham, built and run by the same crew year after year.
in Alabama
Old Baker Farm
24 miPumpkin patch
Color nearby peaks November 10
A Shelby County farm with over 200 years of history, opening its pumpkin patch southeast of Birmingham on September 26, 2026.
in Alabama
Fall festival
Color nearby peaks November 13
Every October, Moundville Archaeological Park sets up between its earthen mounds south of Tuscaloosa for two days of Native American dance…
in Alabama
Hidden Rivers Farm
67 miPumpkin patch
Color nearby peaks November 6
A Morgan County farm halfway between Birmingham and Huntsville, open late September through Halloween for a pumpkin patch and corn maze.
in Alabama
Guides
Frequently asked
- When do leaves peak in Birmingham in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for November 8–November 12 (best estimate November 10). Color starts around November 1 and trees are mostly bare by December 4. These dates are computed for Birmingham itself, at 187 m elevation, using the same weather model as the tracker.
- When is fall foliage season in Birmingham?
- Birmingham colors during autumn (September to November). Counting from the first turn to bare branches that is about 33 days, and the best of it falls in the week either side of November 10.
- What's the best foliage near Birmingham?
- Cheaha State Park (58 mi). For a longer trip: Alabama (51 mi, peak ~November 16); Tennessee (160 mi, peak ~November 2); Mississippi (171 mi, peak ~November 17).
- What are the best things to do in fall in Birmingham?
- Beyond the leaves: Atrox Factory (16 mi); Insanitarium Haunted Attraction (19 mi); Old Baker Farm (24 mi); Moundville Native American Festival (59 mi); Hidden Rivers Farm (67 mi). All of them are mapped on this page.