Fall foliage peak dates mapped out across South Korea

Fall foliage is expected to peak in the Greater Seoul area and Gangwon Province in late October, followed by southern regions including South Chungcheong, South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang provinces in early to mid-November. A new map has been released showing foliage movement patterns, regional observation points and peak timing at a glance to help travelers plan accordingly.

The Korea Tourism Organization, in partnership with the Korea Forest Service's National Arboretum, published the 2026 Foliage Map on its "Everywhere in Korea" website.

The map covers peak foliage periods across six regional zones nationwide. The organization also highlighted 36 key destinations where visitors can experience the autumn atmosphere.

The featured destinations include Incheon Grand Park in Incheon; Goseokjeong National Tourist Site in the Hantangang River gorge in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province; Sapgyoho Lake in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province; Mungwang Reservoir in Goesan, North Chungcheong Province; Geochang Changpowon Waterside Ecological Park in Geochang, South Gyeongsang Province; Meta Provence in Damyang, South Jeolla Province; and Ttarabiorum in Seogwipo, Jeju.

Peak foliage predictions drew on observation data from the National Arboretum's citizen science initiative, the Plant Phenology Observation Project. Data collected directly by 829 citizen scientists enabled broader and more precise forecasting than in previous years. Detailed information for autumn foliage travel is available on the Korea Tourism Organization's "Everywhere in Korea" website.

"The combination of citizen-collected data and our tourism curation has allowed us to offer more accurate and useful autumn travel information," an organization official said. "We hope people will travel to every corner of Korea, ablaze with color, and enjoy all the charms of fall."