Fall color near Los Angeles
Los Angeles trades maple red for a scatter of liquidambar streets and ginkgo blocks that color quietly in late fall. The real show is a road trip: aspens light up the eastern Sierra around Bishop Creek and June Lake, and the oak country near Oak Glen turns while the basin stays green.
Fall activities in Los Angeles
Little classic fall color reaches Los Angeles itself — these are the closest real shows, ranked by distance.
California
229 miPeak November 13
Eastern Sierra aspens turn gold along the June Lake Loop, Bishop Creek Canyon, and Lundy Canyon, often paired with turning black oak in the foothills. Peak color generally arrives in early-to-mid October at elevation.
Arizona
374 miPeak November 3
Aspens gild the San Francisco Peaks and White Mountains by late September, while bigtooth maples set Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona ablaze in red and orange through mid-to-late October at lower elevation.
Nevada
369 miPeak October 18
Aspen groves turn gold across the Great Basin's mountain ranges, most famously Lamoille Canyon in the Ruby Mountains and Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park. Peak color typically runs late September into mid-October.
Utah
516 mi · worth the flightPeak October 15
Quaking aspen turns the Wasatch and high plateaus gold along the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway, while Fishlake National Forest hosts Pando, the massive aspen clone. Peak color typically falls in late September to early October.
In Los Angeles itself
Peak: November 27–December 2
Color builds from November 14 · mostly bare by December 23
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures (Open-Meteo) drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model, sampled at Los Angeles’s own coordinates rather than a regional average. Dates are computed for Los Angeles at 91 m — about 0.5 day later than the surrounding terrain. 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 Los Angeles
Orchards, cider, haunts, and harvest season — the iconic fall stops within a day trip of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Haunted Hayride
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks November 30
Griffith Park's abandoned Old Zoo becomes the town of Midnight Falls each fall, with a tractor-pulled hayride through the ruins at its center and mazes, a seance theatre, a scary-go-round and zombie gellyball ringing the town square. Past seasons added celebrity-designed mazes.
Don’t miss: Hayride through Griffith Park's abandoned Old Zoo · Midnight Falls town square with s'mores stations · Mazes, seance theatre and zombie gellyball
Knott's Scary Farm
20 miHaunted attraction
Color nearby peaks November 30
Southern California's original theme-park haunt hands Knott's Berry Farm over to 10 mazes and 5 scare zones on select nights, with hundreds of monsters loose across the midways after dark. The 2026 run goes September 17 through October 31.
Don’t miss: 10 mazes and 5 scare zones · Monsters roaming the midways after dark · Select nights mid-September to Halloween
in California
Underwood Family Farms Fall Harvest Festival
37 miFall festival
Color nearby peaks November 27
The 29th Annual Fall Harvest Festival spreads across 50 acres of the Tierra Rejada Valley: a corn maze, tractor-drawn wagon rides, pick-your-own fields, a gigantic pumpkin patch, hay-climbing pyramids, pig races and Farmer Craig's Chicken Show, with live entertainment on weekends.
Don’t miss: 50 acres of pick-your-own fields and pumpkin patch · Corn maze and tractor-drawn wagon rides · Themed weekends, pig races and animal shows
in California
Tanaka Farms
37 miFarm
Color nearby peaks November 29
Five generations of the Tanaka family have farmed in California since Great-Grandfather Takeo emigrated from Hiroshima in the early 1900s; they moved onto this 30-acre Irvine plot in 1998. The farm grows over 60 varieties of fruit and vegetables and runs u-pick wagon tours for thousands of schoolchildren a year.
Don’t miss: 30-acre working farm hemmed in by Irvine · Over 60 varieties of fruit and vegetables · U-pick wagon tours and produce stand
in California
Riley's Farm
75 miOrchard
Color nearby peaks November 15
A working apple orchard in Oak Glen with over 30 varieties, from heirlooms grown for flavor over appearance to trees more than a hundred years old planted by the original Oak Glen family. U-pick fruit sells by weight, and costumed living-history programs run alongside the harvest.
Don’t miss: Over 30 apple varieties, many heirloom · Trees over a century old · Living-history programs and dinner theatre
in California
Guides
Frequently asked
- Does Los Angeles get fall colors?
- Some, but it's understated. Los Angeles trades maple red for a scatter of liquidambar streets and ginkgo blocks that color quietly in late fall. The real show is a road trip: aspens light up the eastern Sierra around Bishop Creek and June Lake, and the oak country near Oak Glen turns while the basin stays green.
- Where's the closest good foliage to Los Angeles?
- California, about 229 mi away, peaking around November 13. Eastern Sierra aspens turn gold along the June Lake Loop, Bishop Creek Canyon, and Lundy Canyon, often paired with turning black oak in the foothills. Peak color generally arrives in early-to-mid October at elevation.
- When does Los Angeles see what color it gets?
- The model predicts the area's late-season change around November 27–December 2 — subtle in town, and no match for a trip toward California and Arizona.
- What are the best things to do in fall in Los Angeles?
- Beyond the leaves: Los Angeles Haunted Hayride (6 mi); Knott's Scary Farm (20 mi); Underwood Family Farms Fall Harvest Festival (37 mi); Tanaka Farms (37 mi); Riley's Farm (75 mi). All of them are mapped on this page.
- What are the best things to do in autumn near Los Angeles?
- Come autumn — autumn (September–November) — locals head for Los Angeles Haunted Hayride (6 mi); Knott's Scary Farm (20 mi); Underwood Family Farms Fall Harvest Festival (37 mi); Tanaka Farms (37 mi); Riley's Farm (75 mi). Each is on the map with the distance from Los Angeles.