Foliage map › Destinations › California › Hope Valley
Hope Valley, California fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Hope Valley area peaks around October 9, with the best viewing from roughly October 7 to October 16.
- Typical peak
- October 9
- Best viewing
- Oct 7 – Oct 16
- Color starts
- Around Sep 27
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Oct 22
- Elevation
- 7,100 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 9. Turn on JavaScript to see today’s estimated status and the five-week outlook.
The season at a glance
Bar height shows how good the viewing typically is on each day, from September 1 through November 30. Colors show the stage, from green through peak red to bare.
Open Hope Valley on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Hope Valley
Hope Valley is a high mountain meadow in Alpine County, just south of Lake Tahoe, where the West Fork of the Carson River winds through grass and willow with aspen groves on the slopes all around. Much of the valley is protected as the Hope Valley Wildlife Area. Up the road to the west, Red Lake sits below Carson Pass, and Blue Lakes Road heads south from the valley into more aspen country.
Scenic drive
Highway 88 crosses Hope Valley and climbs west over Carson Pass, past Red Lake and Caples Lake. At Picketts Junction, Highway 89 heads north over Luther Pass to South Lake Tahoe, and to the east, Highways 88 and 89 follow the West Fork of the Carson River down to Woodfords, with Highway 89 continuing to Markleeville and Monitor Pass.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head higher
Monitor Pass, CA (18 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 7 days earlier, and Rock Creek Canyon, CA (112 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 12 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Head lower
South Lake Tahoe, CA (12 miles away, lower down) typically peaks about 5 days later, and Yosemite Valley, CA (73 miles away, lower down) typically peaks about 20 days later.
Nearby destinations
- South Lake Tahoe, CATypical peak Oct 13, 5 days later. 12 miles away.
- Monitor Pass, CATypical peak Oct 2, 7 days earlier. 18 miles away.
- Lundy Canyon, CATypical peak Oct 6, 2 days earlier. 64 miles away.
- Yosemite Valley, CATypical peak Oct 29, 20 days later. 73 miles away.
- June Lake (Eastern Sierra), CATypical peak Oct 8, about the same time. 83 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Hope Valley?
In a typical year, fall color in the Hope Valley area peaks around October 9, with the best viewing from roughly October 7 to October 16. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Hope Valley?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 10 days. Color starts to show around September 27, and most leaves are down by about October 22.
Is Hope Valley early or late compared with the rest of California?
Hope Valley typically peaks about 3 days earlier than the California average of Oct 11. It ranks 7 of 11 California destinations from earliest to latest.
What trees color up around Hope Valley?
The main fall color in this area comes from quaking aspen and willow. See the leaf guide to identify them.
Estimates come from the Leaves.com model of typical years, based on latitude, elevation, and distance from large bodies of water. They are not live observations. How it works.