Fall color near Dallas
North Texas colors late and quietly — red oaks, sweetgums and cedar elms around White Rock Lake and the Dallas Arboretum, usually well after the rest of the country has finished. The serious pilgrimage heads east and north: Daingerfield State Park and Oklahoma's Beavers Bend put on the region's best maple and cypress show.
Fall activities in Dallas
Little classic fall color reaches Dallas itself — these are the closest real shows, ranked by distance.
Texas
171 miPeak November 19
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.
Oklahoma
212 miPeak November 10
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
292 miPeak November 10
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 Dallas itself
Peak: November 16–November 20
Color builds from November 3 · mostly bare by December 12
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures (Open-Meteo) drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model, sampled at Dallas’s own coordinates rather than a regional average. Dates are computed for Dallas itself at 137 m elevation. Estimates, not promises — street trees vary block to block. Check locally before you plan around a weekend.
Where locals go
Things to do in fall in Dallas
Orchards, cider, haunts, and harvest season — the iconic fall stops within a day trip of Dallas.
State Fair of Texas
Fall festivalColor nearby peaks November 17
Big Tex looms over Fair Park for a 24-day run of fried everything, Midway rides, livestock barns and the Cotton Bowl. The 2026 fair opens Sep 25 and closes Oct 18, with gates 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Don’t miss: Big Tex and the Midway · Fried food row · Auto show and Cotton Bowl
Six Flags Over Texas Fright Fest
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks November 18
Fright Fest turns the Arlington park - home to more than 100 rides, shows and attractions including 14 roller coasters - over to scare zones and haunted mazes on select autumn nights. The park opened in 1961 under founder Angus G. Wynne, Jr.
Don’t miss: 14 roller coasters running after dark · Scare zones across the park · Kid-friendly daytime hours
Dark Hour Haunted House
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks November 16
A Plano warehouse haunt staffed by the Sisters of Mercy coven, running full-contact scare experiences through the fall. The team also runs lights-on oddities like Chicken Night, billed on their site as "A FRIGHT FREE EVENT!" for visitors who want the sets without the scares.
Don’t miss: Sisters of Mercy coven cast · Warehouse-scale sets · Fright-free nights offered
Hall's Pumpkin Farm & Corn Maze
20 miCorn maze
Color nearby peaks November 18
A Grapevine pumpkin farm whose corn maze covers over 2 acres of twists, turns and dead-ends - walkable by day, or by flashlight after dark for a harder run. Billed as DFW's favorite fall tradition. Bring cash; the farm does not take cards.
Don’t miss: Over 2 acres of corn maze · Flashlight maze after dark · Cash only
in Texas
Cutting Edge Haunted House
30 miHaunted attraction
Color nearby peaks November 18
Guinness World Record holder for the longest walk-through haunted house, set inside a 100-year-old abandoned meatpacking plant in Fort Worth. The walk averages about 55 minutes, and HauntWorld rated it the world's scariest haunted house for 2025.
Don’t miss: Guinness world-record length · Century-old meatpacking plant · About 55 minutes end to end
in Texas
Thrillvania Haunted House Park
32 miHaunted attraction
Color nearby peaks November 17
Fifty haunted acres east of Dallas holding three attractions: Haunted Verdun Manor, Cassandra's House of Clowns and Sam Hain's Trail of Torment. The wooded Terrell site leans on outdoor trails and a built manor rather than warehouse corridors.
Don’t miss: Haunted Verdun Manor · Cassandra's House of Clowns · Sam Hain's Trail of Torment
in Texas
Frequently asked
- Does Dallas get fall colors?
- Some, but it's understated. North Texas colors late and quietly — red oaks, sweetgums and cedar elms around White Rock Lake and the Dallas Arboretum, usually well after the rest of the country has finished. The serious pilgrimage heads east and north: Daingerfield State Park and Oklahoma's Beavers Bend put on the region's best maple and cypress show.
- Where's the closest good foliage to Dallas?
- Texas, about 171 mi away, peaking around November 19. 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 Dallas see what color it gets?
- The model predicts the area's late-season change around November 16–November 20 — subtle in town, and no match for a trip toward Texas and Oklahoma.
- What are the best things to do in fall in Dallas?
- Beyond the leaves: State Fair of Texas (2 mi); Six Flags Over Texas Fright Fest (16 mi); Dark Hour Haunted House (17 mi); Hall's Pumpkin Farm & Corn Maze (20 mi); Cutting Edge Haunted House (30 mi). All of them are mapped on this page.
- What are the best things to do in autumn near Dallas?
- Come autumn — autumn (September–November) — locals head for State Fair of Texas (2 mi); Six Flags Over Texas Fright Fest (16 mi); Dark Hour Haunted House (17 mi); Hall's Pumpkin Farm & Corn Maze (20 mi); Cutting Edge Haunted House (30 mi). Each is on the map with the distance from Dallas.