Fall colors on Alaska’s national forests offer beautiful vistas

Black cottonwood and birch accentuate the fall season along Alpine Meadows
Drive in Girdwood, Alaska near the Chugach National Forest.
Photo credit: Kate Mohatt

Posted by: Mary Stensvold, U.S. Forest Service Regional Botanist, Sitka, Alaska

Ever think about fall colors in Alaska? Now’s the time with autumn foliage colors peaking from late August to early October in Alaska’s Tongass and Chugach National Forests. However, since the national forests are in the temperate part of Alaska and are dominated by coniferous trees, the colors are generally not as spectacular as the brilliant colors of interior Alaskan trees and shrubs.

Deciduous trees such as red alder (Alnus rubra), Sitka alder (Alnus viridis subsp. sinuata) and black cottonwood< (Populus trichocarpa) occur on the Tongass National Forest. Their foliage generally turns yellowish-brown to brown before being shed. Yet, the Chugach National Forest tells another story, especially on the Kenai Peninsula with the yellows and oranges of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), Kenai birch (Betula kenaica), and black cottonwood. The willow (Salix species) and high-bushcranberry (Viburnum edule) shrubs also turn yellow-orange and sometimes an added flash of red adorns the tips of their branches.

Caption- Black cottonwoods feature a fall wardrobe along Glacier Creek in
Girdwood, Alaska with Mount Alyeska in the background. This area is adjacent to
the Chugach National Forest. Photo by Kate Mohatt