The predicted color stage on the selected date, modelled from satellite history. A forecast, not a live observation.When each area's color is predicted to peak this season. The date doesn't change this view.
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Field notes · 2026 estimate

When to see peak color at Little Cottonwood Canyon

Peak fall color is predicted around September 29. Plan for the strongest viewing window from September 24 to October 4.

Predicted peakSeptember 29
Best windowSeptember 24 – October 4
Confidence range±5 days
Color seasonSeptember 22 – October 12

The prediction is a 24-year climatology built from NASA MODIS MOD13Q1 vegetation-index data, with the definition of peak calibrated against PhenoCam ground cameras. Where state foliage spotters report peak (New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Missouri), it has landed inside our ±5-day window about two years in three. An unusual summer or autumn can still move it further.

Fall color at Little Cottonwood Canyon begins as early as September 22 in some spots and continues through October 12 in others — a 20-day window where you can catch peak color somewhere in the area regardless of when you visit.

Nearby locales

Other places to see color near Little Cottonwood Canyon

Driving distance and time by road, not straight-line.

30 to 60 minutes

1 to 2 hours

2 to 3 hours