Deadwood
Historic town · Downtown Deadwood · South Dakota
A National Historic Landmark gold rush town where the false front buildings on Main Street date to the 1870s and 1880s, now mixed in with casinos and saloons. It sits at the mouth of Spearfish Canyon, so a fall color drive and a walk through Deadwood pair naturally.
Don’t miss
Color nearby peaks: October 4–October 8
Color builds from September 26 · mostly bare by October 27
Sampled at Deadwood’s own coordinates and elevation (1386 m) rather than a regional average.
South Dakota is sampled at 40 weather points, then moved 2 days earlier so the model agrees with 1 published peak date from smokymountains.com. Against South Dakota's own climatology, the 2026 weather puts the peak 6 days earlier. How the forecast works
When to go to Deadwood
Good color holds through about October 15, giving you roughly 19 days from the first turn to past peak. Against South Dakota overall, that is 5 days earlier. It sits at 4,547 ft, high enough to turn before the valleys do.
You will find it at Downtown Deadwood, SD, in South Dakota.
Deadwood on the map
Drag the date slider to see when color reaches this corner of South Dakota, or tap a pin for that stop’s own peak window.
More things to do in South Dakota
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Frequently asked
- When does Deadwood peak in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 4–October 8 (best estimate October 6). Color starts around September 26 and is mostly bare by October 27.
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