Leaf guide › Oaks
Gambel oak
Quercus gambelii
The scrubby foothill oak that turns slopes orange and russet across the southern Rockies.
- Fall color
- OrangeYellowBrown
- Turns
- Mid-season
- Leaves
- Alternate (one per spot)
- Size
- 2–6 in. long
- Found in
- Foothills of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico
How to recognize it
- Leaf with deep, rounded lobes, like a small white oak leaf.
- Glossy on top and paler and fuzzy underneath.
- Usually grows as dense thickets of shrubs or small trees.
- Produces small acorns in late summer.
Where to find it
Look for it on foothill slopes and canyon sides in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, often below the aspen and alongside ponderosa pine.
Where you’ll see it this fall
Gambel oak is one of the main trees in the fall color at these destinations. Dates are the typical peak.
Arizona: Flagstaff (Oct 9)
New Mexico: Taos (Oct 7), Santa Fe (Oct 7)
Utah: Park City (Oct 2)
Easy to confuse with
White oak
Similar rounded lobes, but a large eastern tree, not a western shrub.
Worth knowing
Gambel oak often spreads by underground roots, so one thicket can be a single plant. Its acorns feed deer, turkeys, and other wildlife.
Common questions
What color does Gambel oak turn in fall?
Gambel oak turns orange, yellow, and russet brown.
Where does Gambel oak grow?
On foothill slopes and in canyons in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.
How can you tell Gambel oak from white oak?
Both have rounded lobes, but Gambel oak is a western shrub or small tree that grows in thickets, while white oak is a large tree of the East.
See where the color is peaking today.
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