What Is the Beaver Moon?

Quick Answer

The Beaver Moon is the full moon that occurs in November. In 2026, it falls on Tuesday, November 24, 2026, with the moon in Gemini. The name originates from Algonquin and Colonial American tradition, tied to the fur-trade trapping season and to beavers finishing their dams before winter.

Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2026 · Zodiac: Gemini · Also called: Frost Moon, Mourning Moon, Digging Moon · Next full moon: Cold Moon (December 23, 2026)

What Is the Beaver Moon?

The Beaver Moon is the full moon of November in the traditional North American full moon calendar. It follows the Hunter's Moon in October and precedes the Cold Moon in December, placing it at the point where autumn gives way to winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

Like every full moon, it occurs when the Moon sits opposite the Sun in the sky and its entire Earth-facing side is lit. The Beaver Moon has no special astronomical properties of its own. Its name is a seasonal marker, recording what people observed on the land at this point in the year.

Why Is It Called the Beaver Moon?

Two explanations for the name appear in almanac tradition, and both are tied to the same animal. The first is the fur trade. By November, beaver pelts were thick and prime, and trappers needed to set their traps before the swamps and streams froze solid. Beaver fur was among the most valuable commodities in colonial North America, and the full moon that marked the start of the trapping season took its name from the prey.

The second explanation is the beavers themselves. In late autumn, beavers are at their busiest: repairing dams, reinforcing lodges with fresh mud and branches, and cutting and caching a submerged pile of branches to eat through the winter under the ice. The Beaver Moon is, in this reading, named for the animals' own preparations for the cold.

The name was recorded by Algonquin peoples and other Indigenous nations of the northeast woodlands and passed into Colonial American usage and the Old Farmer's Almanac, where it became the standard name for November's full moon.

When Is the Beaver Moon in 2026?

The 2026 Beaver Moon falls on Tuesday, November 24, 2026, with the Moon in the zodiac sign of Gemini. It is the twelfth full moon of the year and arrives four weeks after the Hunter's Moon.

• Previous full moon: Hunter's Moon — Monday, October 26, 2026
• Beaver Moon: Tuesday, November 24, 2026 (Moon in Gemini)
• Next full moon: Cold Moon — Wednesday, December 23, 2026

What Is the Full Moon After the Beaver Moon?

The Cold Moon is December's full moon and the final full moon of 2026. The name refers to the deepening cold of early winter, when nights are long and frost holds the ground. It is also called the Long Night Moon, because it falls close to the winter solstice, when the Moon rides high and stays above the horizon for many hours. In 2026 it arrives on December 23.

What Are the Other Names for the Beaver Moon?

November's full moon carries several names across cultures and almanacs, many of them describing the same turn toward winter.

• Frost Moon — for the first hard frosts of November across much of the Northern Hemisphere
• Mourning Moon — a name tied to the dying back of the year as leaves fall and the landscape goes bare
• Digging Moon — a name associated with animals digging in and gathering roots and stores before the ground freezes
• Freezing Moon, Snow Moon (in some traditions), and Trading Moon — regional names reflecting early winter and the fur-trade season

What Is the Spiritual and Astrological Meaning of the Beaver Moon?

The beaver is a symbol of industry, persistence, and the building of a secure home. Associated with the Beaver Moon, these themes are commonly read as preparation: finishing projects, securing resources, and reinforcing foundations before the dormant months.

Astrologically, the 2026 Beaver Moon occurs in Gemini, an Air sign ruled by Mercury and associated with communication, curiosity, learning, and connection. A full moon in Gemini is traditionally linked with conversations, ideas, and the exchange of information. Because the Sun is in Sagittarius at the same time, the Gemini–Sagittarius axis emphasizes the balance between detail and the larger view.

How Does the Beaver Moon Compare to Other Autumn Moons?

Autumn's full moons follow a clear progression. The Harvest Moon, nearest the September equinox, is named for the final crop gathering. The Hunter's Moon, which follows in October, marks the hunting season on cleared fields. The Beaver Moon in November marks the trapping season and the beavers' last preparations, and the Cold Moon in December closes the year with deep winter.

Unlike the Harvest and Hunter's Moons, the Beaver Moon does not have the compressed moonrise delay that comes from the shallow autumn ecliptic angle. By late November, the Moon rises later each night by a more typical margin, and it climbs higher in the sky, appearing smaller and whiter than the amber moons of September and October.