Looking for ‘fiery’ fall colors in Washington? Here’s when — and where — to go

With the official start of fall only a few days away, you may notice leaves starting to turn rich shades of red, orange and yellow.

Although Washington state is known for its “green forests of firs and cedars,” tourism officials say the Evergreen State still puts on a show when the seasons change.

“Come autumn, larches, maples and aspens explode into fiery canopies of crimson, golden yellows and bright oranges across the state,” State of Washington Tourism said on its website.

Where should you go in Washington to see autumn leaves at their brightest? And when is fall foilage expected to peak?

Here’s what to know:

When are best times to see fall foliage in Washington?

The Old Farmers Almanac’s animated online map showcases fall foilage across the United States, tracking the progression of fall colors from early September to late December.

According to the map, the Puget Sound region and other parts of Western Washington will start seeing leaves change color in early to mid-September.

Fall foilage season won’t start until later in much of the state.

By Thursday, Sept. 25, however, nearly all of Washington will see fall colors start approaching their peak, according the Old Farmer’s Almanac map.

The trend continues until mid-October, when leaves in the Puget Sound region start turning brown.

Fall foliage in Eastern Washington is expected to peak in late October, the map indicated, with fall colors lasting the longest in counties near the Cascade and Olympic mountains.

Online foliage guide Explore Fall also maintains a detailed map of foliage peak times across Washington state and the nation.

According to Explore Fall, foliage season began in some of Washington’s more mountainous areas in early September.

Leaves will continue changing color the Puget Sound lowlands leading up to the fall equinox on Monday, Sept. 22, the Explore Fall map indicated.

By then, nearly all of western Washington will see “low” levels of color while some parts of the Olympic and Cascade mountains will be in the “moderate,” “high” or “peak color” categories.

The Columbia Valley was expected to see “little to no color” until after the fall equinox, while the rest of Eastern Washington was in the “low color” category.

Fall foliage will reach its peak in the mountains in late September, according to Explore Fall.

Mid-October will offer the best chance to see fall colors in most of western and northeast Washington, the map indicated, while the colorful leafy display is expected to peak in Seattle and Tacoma in late October and the Columbia Valley between late October and early November.

Why do leaves change colors in the autumn

There are a number of reasons that leaves change their colors, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The pigment that gives leaves their green color — chlorophyll — also helps plants absorb light, the federal agency said.

As the days get shorter, trees produce less chlorophyll, allowing other pigments inside leaves to show.

The Forest Service says anthocyanin, a red pigment, and carotenoids, a yellow-orange pigment, are the ones primarily responsible for fall colors.

Weather plays a role as well.

As summer turns to fall, warmer days lead to higher sugar concentrations and more anthocyanins, the Forest Service said.

Experts say fall colors could show up early this year — and leave earlier than usual — after a dry summer, the Seattle Times previously reported.

Where are best places to find fall colors in Washington?

Washington state is home to one of the best national parks to visit this fall, according to Lonely Planet.

The travel publication named Mount Rainier National Park as one of the top 15 destinations in the United States for “stunning, mind-bogglingly diverse landscapes” with lots of “seasonal color.”

However, Mount Rainier is far from the only destination in Washington for fall color.

According to State of Washington Tourism, these are the best places to find colorful leaves in the Evergreen State:

Cascade Mountains

• Mount Baker National Forest
• Mount Rainier
• Snoqualmie Pass
• Stevens Pass Greenway
• Methow Valley
• Lake Ingalls

Puget Sound and Western Washington

• Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle
• Chuckanut Drive

Eastern Washington

• Iller Creek Trail, Spokane
• Colville National Forest

Central and Southern Washington

• Yakima Greenway
• Columbia River Gorge Highway 14
• Tieton River, Yakima

Olympic Peninsula

• Highway 101, Olympic National Park

This story was originally published September 20, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Looking for ‘fiery’ fall colors in Washington? Here’s when — and where — to go."