Fall foliage in Wyoming
Wyoming’s fall is early, concentrated at high elevation, and short; almost the whole state peaks inside two weeks. Aspen and cottonwood in the Tetons, the Snowy Range, the Bighorns and around Encampment and Meadowlark Lake turn in the first ten days of October, the river towns of Cody, Sheridan and Jackson follow within the week, and Yellowstone’s aspen and willow close the season in the middle of the month.
- Color somewhere in the state
- October
- Trees
- aspen and cottonwood
- Region
- Rockies
Those are the months when color is present somewhere in Wyoming, from its highest ground to its lowest. Any one location changes over a much shorter period than that.
Why the timing shifts from year to year
Shortening days start the process, so most places in Wyoming change at close to their usual time each year. Within the state, elevation and latitude account for most of the difference: higher and more northern ground generally changes first, and lower, sheltered ground last. Weather has more effect on how strong the color is than on when it appears. Cool nights and sunny days favor the reds, a dry summer mutes them, and a hard freeze or a windstorm can strip a slope in a day. What determines the timing goes through this in detail.
Nearby states
Fall color does not follow state lines. Wyoming borders:
- Colorado fall foliage
- Idaho fall foliage
- Montana fall foliage
- Nebraska fall foliage
- South Dakota fall foliage
- Utah fall foliage
Timing for a specific place
This page describes a whole state, which is about as precise as a season can be described in words. Conditions at one overlook on one weekend are a narrower question, and that is the one Fallcast answers: an expected period of color for a specific location, with a confidence attached, updated through the season as the trees change. It is coming to iPhone this fall.
Questions, or somewhere in Wyoming you would like covered? Write to fallcastapp@gmail.com.