When do the leaves change in Seattle?
Seattle's maritime autumn runs late and long: Japanese maples and big-leaf maples color through late October, while the larches in the Cascades — the state's signature gold — peak weeks earlier at elevation.
Peak: October 7–October 15
Color builds from September 26 · mostly bare by October 31
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures (Open-Meteo) drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model, sampled at Seattle’s own coordinates rather than a regional average. Dates are computed for Seattle itself at 59 m elevation. Estimates, not promises — street trees vary block to block. Check locally before you plan around a weekend.
Fall activities in Seattle
Franklin Falls
43 miTrail
Typically October 1–October 20
An easy two-mile round trip off Snoqualmie Pass through old-growth hemlock and cedar to a 70-foot waterfall, with vine maple burning red and gold through the understory in early-to-mid October.
Don’t miss: Vine maple understory · The falls amphitheater
in Washington
Mount Rainier, Paradise
63 miNational park
Typically September 15–October 5
Paradise at 5,400 feet doesn't do tree color. It does tundra: huckleberry and mountain-ash meadows turn scarlet against Rainier's glaciers from mid-September to early October, some of the earliest fall color in the Lower 48.
Don’t miss: Skyline Trail meadows · Reflection Lakes
in Washington
The Enchantments
71 miTrail
Typically September 25–October 15
Washington's alpine larches turn gold in the first week of October, and the Enchantments' granite basins near Leavenworth are their cathedral. It's a brutal day hike or lottery-permit overnight, but Colchuck Lake delivers the postcard for mortal legs.
Don’t miss: Colchuck Lake · Larch gold in the Core Zone
in Washington
Tumwater Canyon
75 miScenic drive
Peak September 8
Highway 2 squeezes through this granite gorge west of Leavenworth, where vine maples flare scarlet against the Wenatchee River each October. Numerous pullouts along the eleven-mile stretch make it the valley's most-photographed fall drive.
Don’t miss: Vine maple color · Wenatchee River views · Numerous roadside pullouts
in Washington
Where locals go
Washington Park Arboretum
ArboretumPeak October 13
The 230-acre arboretum on Lake Washington runs vivid from mid-October into November, with Japanese maples along Azalea Way, the Pacific Connections gardens, and canoe-level color from the Foster Island waterside trail.
Don’t miss: Azalea Way · Japanese Garden maples · Foster Island trail
Green Lake Park
City parkPeak October 13
The city's favorite 2.8-mile loop rings Green Lake with sweetgums, maples, and cottonwoods that color through late October. It's an easy golden-hour walk, with the water doubling every tree on a still evening.
Don’t miss: The 2.8-mile loop
Kubota Garden
GardenPeak October 10
Fujitaro Kubota's 20-acre Japanese garden in Rainier Beach layers maples over ponds, bridges, and stonework. It's Seattle's most concentrated fall-color spot, usually peaking late October into mid-November, free, and quieter than it deserves.
Don’t miss: Heart Bridge · Mountainside maples
Things to do in fall in Seattle
Orchards, cider, haunts, and harvest season — the iconic fall stops within a day trip of Seattle.
US Ghost Adventures: Seattle Ghost Tour
Ghost tourColor nearby peaks October 13
A lantern-carrying guide walks you about a mile through Seattle's oldest, most haunted blocks in ninety minutes, starting and ending outside the Four Seasons downtown. Look for the guide in the black US Ghost Adventures shirt fifteen minutes before the posted start time.
Don’t miss: 90-minute lantern-lit walking tour · About a mile through downtown Seattle · Starts outside the Four Seasons
Bob's Corn & Pumpkin Farm
20 miCorn maze
Color nearby peaks October 10
Bob's has been challenging visitors to its corn-fusing labyrinth of 10-foot-tall corn since 2001, and the 12-acre maze still anchors this Cathcart Valley farm. A Night Maze runs Friday and Saturday evenings in October alongside a u-pick pumpkin patch, country store and donut window.
Don’t miss: 12-acre corn maze, running since 2001 · Friday and Saturday Night Maze in October · U-pick pumpkin patch and country store
in Washington
Remlinger Farms
20 miPumpkin patch
Color nearby peaks October 11
East of Seattle in the Snoqualmie Valley, Remlinger Farms turns its u-pick fields over to a Fall Harvest Pumpkin Festival each autumn. A farm market, a small brewery and cafe, and a kids' fun park with rides run alongside the pumpkin patch, so plan for a full day here rather than a quick stop.
Don’t miss: Fall Harvest Pumpkin Festival · Huge pumpkin u-pick fields · Fun park, brewery and farm market on site
in Washington
Craven Farm
22 miCorn maze
Color nearby peaks October 10
Craven Farm has been running fall harvest days in the Snohomish River valley since 1983. Past the pumpkin patch and corn maze there are apple cannons, axe throwing, and jump pads for the kids, and you can rent a fire pit to stretch the visit past dark, from September into October.
Don’t miss: Corn maze and apple cannons · Axe throwing and jump pads · Fire pit rentals into the evening
in Washington
Nightmare on 9 at Thomas Family Farm
22 miHaunted attraction
Color nearby peaks October 10
Nightmare on 9 opened in 2012 and was rebuilt from scratch in 2019 into two haunts: Rippers Hollow, a cursed coal town, and the Vogel Institute, a dream-therapy asylum founded in 1932 by the fictional Doctor Joseph Vogel. Zombie paintball, a flashlight corn maze and a haunted hayride share the field.
Don’t miss: Two haunts: Rippers Hollow and the Vogel Institute · Zombie paintball with glow-in-the-dark rounds · Flashlight corn maze and haunted hayride
in Washington
Stocker Farms
23 miCorn maze
Color nearby peaks October 10
A Snohomish Valley farm "bringing hearts together since 1919," Stocker packs 30-plus attractions into its fall festival: the corn maze, a u-pick pumpkin patch, zip lines, pig races, a cow train and jumping pillows, with a beer garden open Friday through Sunday.
Don’t miss: Corn maze and u-pick pumpkin patch · 30+ attractions including zip lines and pig races · Weekend hay rides and pumpkin cannon
in Washington
Guides
Frequently asked
- When do leaves peak in Seattle in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 7–October 15 (best estimate October 11). Color starts around September 26 and trees are mostly bare by October 31. These dates are computed for Seattle itself — at 59 m elevation — from the same weather model as the tracker.
- When is fall foliage season in Seattle?
- Seattle colors during autumn (September–November). Seattle's maritime autumn runs late and long: Japanese maples and big-leaf maples color through late October, while the larches in the Cascades — the state's signature gold — peak weeks earlier at elevation.
- What's the best foliage near Seattle?
- Franklin Falls (43 mi); Mount Rainier, Paradise (63 mi); The Enchantments (71 mi). For a longer trip: Washington (87 mi, peak ~October 10); Oregon (264 mi, peak ~October 20); Idaho (432 mi, peak ~October 9).
- What are the best things to do in fall in Seattle?
- Beyond the leaves: US Ghost Adventures: Seattle Ghost Tour (1 mi); Bob's Corn & Pumpkin Farm (20 mi); Remlinger Farms (20 mi); Craven Farm (22 mi); Nightmare on 9 at Thomas Family Farm (22 mi). All of them are mapped on this page.
- What are the best things to do in autumn near Seattle?
- Come autumn — autumn (September–November) — locals head for US Ghost Adventures: Seattle Ghost Tour (1 mi); Bob's Corn & Pumpkin Farm (20 mi); Remlinger Farms (20 mi); Craven Farm (22 mi); Nightmare on 9 at Thomas Family Farm (22 mi). Each is on the map with the distance from Seattle.