Foliage map › Destinations › Washington › Seattle
Seattle, Washington fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Seattle area peaks around October 30, with the best viewing from roughly October 29 to November 6.
- Typical peak
- October 30
- Best viewing
- Oct 29 – Nov 6
- Color starts
- Around Oct 18
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Nov 12
- Elevation
- 150 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 30. 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 Seattle on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Seattle
Seattle’s color comes from bigleaf maples, Japanese maples, and planted trees from around the world. The Washington Park Arboretum covers about 230 acres along Lake Washington, with its Japanese Garden at the south end. Kubota Garden in south Seattle has Japanese maples around ponds and bridges, and Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill has old trees and views over the city.
Scenic drive
The Mountain Loop Highway climbs east from Granite Falls along the South Fork of the Stillaguamish River into the Cascades, through forests where vine maples turn red and bigleaf maples turn gold, and loops north toward Darrington. Part of the road is gravel.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head higher
Leavenworth, WA (78 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 15 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Nothing nearby turns later
None of the destinations we track within 150 miles of Seattle typically peaks much later.
Nearby destinations
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Seattle?
In a typical year, fall color in the Seattle area peaks around October 30, with the best viewing from roughly October 29 to November 6. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Seattle?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around October 18, and most leaves are down by about November 12.
Is Seattle early or late compared with the rest of Washington?
Seattle typically peaks about 5 days later than the Washington average of Oct 25. It ranks 2 of 3 Washington destinations from earliest to latest.
What trees color up around Seattle?
The main fall color in this area comes from bigleaf maple and vine maple. 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.