When (and where) to find peak fall foliage in the Portland area
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Peak fall foliage in the Pacific Northwest will be here before you know it.
Why it matters: Your window to view the bright hues might be trickier to predict, as climate change affects when leaves change — and how colorful they get.
Driving the news: Using historical weather reports, tree species info and user data, travel brand SmokyMountains.com put together 2023 foliage prediction maps of the U.S.
- Leaves will reach peak color by mid-October for the Portland area and be finished by the end of that month. Blink and you'll miss 'em!
Best places to view fall foliage in Oregon include:
🍁 The intrigue: While many of Oregon's forests are predominantly made up of evergreen and conifer trees — which don't lose their leaves — regional deciduous trees such as big leaf and vine maples, ash and aspens can produce vivid reds and yellows, depending on the rain and the state's first frost.
Don't expect it to be a symphony of color, though, Silver Falls park manager Chris Gilliand told Axios.
- "It's not like the East Coast here," he said. "People think they're going to come here and it's going to be like Maine. It's not."