Illustration
State guide
When to catch Oregonthrough the year
We follow 4 places in Oregon for wildflowers, spring migration and fall foliage: fall at McKenzie Pass and Mt. Hood and spring at John Day Fossil Beds and Malheur Refuge. Each timing below is the place's own source, in its words; none is a forecast.
When are you going?
Fall in Oregon
- STATEWIDE · FALL FOLIAGEUsually well under way by late OctoberMcKenzie Pass · Oregon
- STATEWIDE · FALL FOLIAGEUsually well under way by late OctoberMt. Hood · Oregon
Good in fall
- John Day Fossil BedsLate bloom: rabbitbrush and snakeweed
- Malheur RefugeLesser and greater sandhill cranes feed in the grain fields (fall, September–November)
- Malheur RefugeTundra swans may gather at Knox, Benson and Marshall ponds (October and November)
- Malheur RefugeVisitor center open 8 a.m.–4 p.m., April 1 to September 30 (limited hours in March)
- Malheur RefugeHistoric Sod House Ranch open for birding (August 15 – October 1)
- McKenzie PassIce Cap campground by Koosah Falls (2026 dates)
Open places and seasons from each place's sources; no peak claimed.
Winter in Oregon
Good in winter
- Malheur RefugeSpring waterfowl: greatest variety, late winter through the end of May
Open places and seasons from each place's sources; no peak claimed.
Spring in Oregon
- SEASON · SPRING MIGRATIONLate winter through the end of MayMalheur Refuge · Oregon
- SEASON · WILDFLOWERSApril to July, unit by unitJohn Day Fossil Beds · Oregon
Good in spring
- Malheur RefugeSpring waterfowl: greatest variety, late winter through the end of May
- Malheur RefugeVisitor center open 8 a.m.–4 p.m., April 1 to September 30 (limited hours in March)
- McKenzie PassIce Cap campground by Koosah Falls (2026 dates)
- Mt. HoodWilderness permits at trailheads
Open places and seasons from each place's sources; no peak claimed.
Summer in Oregon
Good in summer
- John Day Fossil BedsSunflowers and prickly pear peak at the Painted Hills
- John Day Fossil BedsLate bloom: rabbitbrush and snakeweed
- Malheur RefugeSouthbound shorebirds start arriving (July)
- Malheur RefugeVisitor center open 8 a.m.–4 p.m., April 1 to September 30 (limited hours in March)
- Malheur RefugeHistoric Sod House Ranch open for birding (August 15 – October 1)
- Malheur RefugeMosquitoes can be ruthless (summer, June–August)
Open places and seasons from each place's sources; no peak claimed.
Places in Oregon
Pin color: each place's season now or next
- Spring
- Fall
Places on this map, as a list
Planning a Oregon trip
Towns to stay in
Sources: National Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · USA National Phenology Network · checked Sep 30 · How we know