2018 Foliage Report | Where to Find Foliage Now in Northern, Central & Southern New England

Until this past week, seeing great New England fall color has required a bit of planning and travel, even for most New Englanders. The annual show always begins in the mountains and far north — areas that are remote and wild, or at least very rural. These are places where living takes hard work, but where recreation opportunities abound and natural beauty is unparalleled. Now, though, as the wave of peak color moves south, downhill and toward the coast, the fall foliage display becomes readily available to the masses. We can find total immersion in the season’s best color without needing to seek it out. A red-orange glow greets me at dawn when I raise the shades and look out upon my yard. The fall colors are now part of my commute, and they’re what I stare at all day at work, longing to be outside, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. Every year the window for this intense color in our daily lives is a small one, but this year it seems to be more fleeting than usual. The trees were late in starting their pageant, then turned incredibly quickly once it began. This continued right through peak, and many areas are fading from their prime of even just a few days ago.

As color fades up north, newly turning trees are filling in the scenes further south. In considering great viewing opportunities for the weekend ahead, we’ve broken our report into three main areas.

2018 FOLIAGE UPDATE: WHERE TO FIND PEAK COLOR NOW

Northern New England

Peak color came in late this year — and it left early. Much of the bright red and bold yellow foliage had already fallen in the northern White Mountains, the higher elevations of Vermont, and the Crown of Maine before a sharp cold front brought the first snow to these areas this past week.

This doesn’t mean there’s no color left, however. Rusts and golds dot the canopy, thanks to late maples and oaks holding on to their leaves. And the young beech understory that remained green while the rest of the forest peaked is now glowing along woodside roads and forest trails.

Hiking in late autumn is a wonderful last chance to experience the sights, smells, and sounds of the forest before it descends into winter dormancy. If you head out into the woods, though, be prepared and take extra care on the trail, as fallen leaves can disguise the path and hide hazards. (There have been a number of regional news stories this past week, in fact, about people who lost the trail and needed rescue.)

There are also some pockets of forest in northern New England that always turn late, whether due to topography, slope, or proximity to water. Burlington, Vermont, and North Conway, New Hampshire, as well as Acadia National Park and Camden, Maine, are among the places offering some bright colors this coming weekend. But with more freezing temperatures on the way, they won’t last long.

Central New England

Peak fall color in central New England was just arriving this past week when a strong nighttime cold front struck. At my house, winds were strong enough to topple some trees and knock out power, and by morning much of the early color from the birches and red maples was on the ground.

In a region that can often enjoys prolonged peak conditions with mixed forests, this year we will have a gap in the color. More color is on the way, and it’s filling in fast, but right now the landscape is oddly back to being mostly green. Best bets for this weekend include historic town centers and rows of old sugar maples in cemeteries and along stone walls. Regions such as the Berkshires and central Massachusetts and the Monadnock region of New Hampshire are filled with areas like these. Oaks and late sugar maples on the hillsides will also begin turning  soon, and a second peak should surprise many observers here in the coming week or two.

This is also a great weekend to head to one of the many haunts that crop up as Halloween approaches. I plan to bring the kids to a corn maze now that the weather has finally turned crisp and cool. And maybe — just maybe — they’ll even help with some early yard cleanup!

Southern New England

Connecticut, Rhode Island, and eastern Massachusetts are all areas that typically peak later in October. With some cold weather arriving this weekend, it’s time for these areas to begin really coming in. A scan of traffic cameras in these three states shows there is great emerging foliage inland, but the closer you get to the coast, the Cape, and Long Island Sound, the less there is. Best bets for towns to visit might include Kent, Connecticut, and Sturbridge, Massachusetts. A drive around the Quabbin will also be dotted with fine foliage.

The brightest colors in this region will be coming from red maples and birches. The early-turning maples in wetlands, along rivers and ponds, will be holding on as well. So, while it’s not always considered a fall activity, launching the canoe or kayak one last time is a great way to see the foliage in this region this year.

As always, be sure to visit NewEnglandFoliage.com for our weekly 2018 foliage forecasts and reports, as well as our live peak foliage map and everything else you need to plan your foliage trip in the region. And when you do find some color, please share it with us. Tag your Instagram photos with #MyNewEngland for a chance to be featured on our feed. We’ll see you out there!