When do the leaves change in Portland?
Portland does autumn properly: bigleaf and vine maples color the West Hills, the Japanese Garden's laceleaf maples turn crimson, and Hoyt Arboretum stacks larches, oaks and maples along its trails. When the city peaks, the Columbia River Gorge doubles the show with golden cottonwoods under basalt cliffs.
Peak: October 19–October 28
Color builds from October 8 · mostly bare by November 12
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures (Open-Meteo) drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model, sampled at Portland’s own coordinates rather than a regional average. Dates are computed for Portland at 25 m — about 0.7 day later than the surrounding terrain. Estimates, not promises — street trees vary block to block. Check locally before you plan around a weekend.
Fall activities in Portland
Columbia River Gorge
21 miScenic drive
Peak October 19
The Historic Columbia River Highway threads waterfalls and bigleaf maples between Troutdale and Hood River, with Vista House at Crown Point framing the gorge 700 feet below. The route's maples turn in late October, after summer's crowds thin out.
Don’t miss: Vista House at Crown Point · Historic Columbia River Highway · Waterfalls and bigleaf maples
in Oregon
Silver Falls State Park
44 miState park
Peak October 20
The Trail of Ten Falls loop passes behind and beside ten waterfalls through a canyon of vine maple and Douglas fir that color through October. South Falls, a 177-foot curtain you can walk behind, anchors Oregon's largest state park.
Don’t miss: Trail of Ten Falls loop · South Falls walk-behind curtain · Vine maple color
in Oregon
Where locals go
Things to do in fall in Portland
Orchards, cider, haunts, and harvest season — the iconic fall stops within a day trip of Portland.
Shanghai Tunnels Underground Tour
Ghost tourColor nearby peaks October 24
A guide leads you through more than 14,000 square feet of tunnels under Portland's Old Town, telling the darker side of the city's shanghaiing history and introducing Nina, the tour's resident ghost. It starts in the basement of Old Town Pizza and ends back upstairs with beer tasters included in the ticket.
Don’t miss: 14,000+ square feet of underground tunnels · Shanghaiing history and resident ghost lore · Beer tasting included
Fear PDX
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks October 23
Billed as Portland's largest Halloween event, Fear PDX packs five separate haunted houses, five outdoor scare zones, and a couple of bonus mini-haunts onto one property in east Portland. Plan on a couple of hours to get through everything before the actors let you leave.
Don’t miss: Five haunted houses on one ticket · Five outdoor scare zones · Bonus mini-haunts
Bella Organic Farm
Corn mazeColor nearby peaks October 22
A hundred-acre certified organic farm on Sauvie Island, twenty five minutes from Portland, where summer u-pick berries give way to a fall corn maze, a pumpkin patch, and a haunted version of the maze after dark. Free hayrides out to the pumpkin fields start in late September, and the farm's small winery stays open through the season.
Don’t miss: Corn maze and pumpkin patch · Haunted corn maze after dark · Free hayrides from late September
The Pumpkin Patch
Pumpkin patchColor nearby peaks October 22
Farming the same stretch of Sauvie Island since 1967, this fifteen-hundred-acre, third-generation farm grows fifty five crops and harvests close to a million pounds of pumpkins each fall. Work through the corn maze, say hello to the animals in the barn, then grab coffee or cider at the on-site cafe before you load up the car.
Don’t miss: Corn maze and pumpkin fields · Animal barn and produce market · Family owned since 1967
Shock13 Haunted House
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks October 28
This haunted house occupies a storefront in downtown Oregon City and is built around Dr. Shock and his collection of experiments gone wrong, ending in The Darkness, a maze you walk through in total blackout. It is smaller and stranger than the big commercial haunts closer to Portland.
Don’t miss: Dr. Shock storyline · The Darkness blackout maze · Downtown Oregon City storefront
Topaz Farm
FarmColor nearby peaks October 22
Twenty minutes from downtown Portland, this 130-acre farm on Sauvie Island opened as Kruger's Farm in 1999 and now runs cow train rides, u-cut flowers, and farm-animal visits through summer before its pumpkin patch and corn maze take over the fields in October.
Don’t miss: Cow train rides and u-cut flowers · October pumpkin patch and corn maze · Farm animals and weekend market
Guides
Frequently asked
- When do leaves peak in Portland in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 19–October 28 (best estimate October 23). Color starts around October 8 and trees are mostly bare by November 12. These dates are computed for Portland itself — at 25 m elevation — from the same weather model as the tracker.
- When is fall foliage season in Portland?
- Portland colors during autumn (September–November). Portland does autumn properly: bigleaf and vine maples color the West Hills, the Japanese Garden's laceleaf maples turn crimson, and Hoyt Arboretum stacks larches, oaks and maples along its trails. When the city peaks, the Columbia River Gorge doubles the show with golden cottonwoods under basalt cliffs.
- What's the best foliage near Portland?
- Columbia River Gorge (21 mi); Silver Falls State Park (44 mi). For a longer trip: Oregon (150 mi, peak ~October 20); Washington (166 mi, peak ~October 10); Idaho (402 mi, peak ~October 9).
- What are the best things to do in fall in Portland?
- Beyond the leaves: Shanghai Tunnels Underground Tour (1 mi); Fear PDX (7 mi); Bella Organic Farm (10 mi); The Pumpkin Patch (10 mi); Shock13 Haunted House (11 mi). All of them are mapped on this page.
- What are the best things to do in autumn near Portland?
- Come autumn — autumn (September–November) — locals head for Shanghai Tunnels Underground Tour (1 mi); Fear PDX (7 mi); Bella Organic Farm (10 mi); The Pumpkin Patch (10 mi); Shock13 Haunted House (11 mi). Each is on the map with the distance from Portland.