When do the leaves change in Sacramento?
Sacramento's canopy is the surprise of California autumn — one of the country's great urban forests, with street after street of scarlet liquidambar, ginkgo and Japanese maple in East Sacramento and Land Park. Add cottonwoods along the American River Parkway and Apple Hill's orchards in the foothills, and the season stretches for weeks.
Peak: November 17–November 21
Color builds from November 3 · mostly bare by December 11
Sampled at Sacramento’s own coordinates rather than a regional average. Dates are computed for Sacramento itself at 22 m elevation. Street trees vary block to block, so check locally before you plan a weekend around it.
74 weather points cover California, and the model shifts their answer 3 days later, which is what it takes to match 3 published peak dates from monocounty.org and explorefall.com. This year's weather has the peak running 1 day later than a normal year. California does not turn all at once, and the gap from the earliest corner to the latest runs about 30 days. How the forecast works
Fall activities in Sacramento
Drag the date slider to see when color moves through the country around Sacramento, or tap a pin for that stop’s own peak window.
State park
Peak November 19
A 4,000 acre park in the Mayacamas Mountains above Kenwood, where big-leaf maple, buckeye, and a mix of oaks color the creek canyons while…
in California
Where locals go
Things to do in fall in Sacramento
Orchards, cider, haunts, and harvest season. These are the iconic fall stops within a day trip of Sacramento.
Cool Patch Pumpkins
22 miCorn maze
Color nearby peaks November 21
A corn maze cut fresh into a new pattern every year on flat farmland outside Dixon, roughly halfway between Sacramento and the Bay Area on…
in California
Pumpkin patch
Color nearby peaks November 19
A Wheatland farm built around a u-pick pumpkin field big enough that most families ride the farm train just to get across it, plus a corn…
in California
Coloma
37 miHistoric town
Color nearby peaks November 7
The Sierra foothill town where James Marshall found gold in the American River in 1848 and set off the Gold Rush, now preserved as a state…
in California
Placerville
39 miHistoric town
Color nearby peaks November 5
The Gold Rush town that miners once called Hangtown, its Main Street still lined with brick storefronts and historical markers from the…
in California
Abel's Apple Acres
42 miOrchard
Color nearby peaks November 3
A Placerville orchard that opens Labor Day weekend and stays open through Christmas Eve, with a mining themed adventure and a life-size…
in California
Apple Hill
43 miOrchard
Color nearby peaks November 2
El Dorado County's Apple Hill district strings dozens of family orchards, cider presses, and pie stands along Carson Road above…
in California
Guides
Frequently asked
- When do leaves peak in Sacramento in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for November 17–November 21 (best estimate November 19). Color starts around November 3 and trees are mostly bare by December 11. These dates are computed for Sacramento itself, at 22 m elevation, using the same weather model as the tracker.
- When is fall foliage season in Sacramento?
- Sacramento colors during autumn (September to November). Counting from the first turn to bare branches that is about 38 days, and the best of it falls in the week either side of November 19.
- What's the best foliage near Sacramento?
- Sugarloaf Ridge State Park (56 mi). For a longer trip: California (145 mi, peak ~November 16); Nevada (247 mi, peak ~October 19); Oregon (378 mi, peak ~October 24).
- What are the best things to do in fall in Sacramento?
- Beyond the leaves: Cool Patch Pumpkins (22 mi); Bishop's Pumpkin Farm (29 mi); Coloma (37 mi); Placerville (39 mi); Abel's Apple Acres (42 mi). All of them are mapped on this page.