Why You Shouldn’t Worry About Missing Peak New England Foliage

Last week, we published our Official New England Peak Fall Foliage Forecast for 2015, and received an overwhelming response on the web and through social media. Many in New England expressed excitement over the upcoming season this year and how much they look forward to everything that autumn brings in our region. Others reflected back on past visits, and how much they enjoyed the beautiful color, as well as the cultural celebration that surrounds it.  A third group struck a different tone: nervousness. There were the posts from those all over the world who are planning trips this year – often once in a lifetime vacations – who are worried about missing out on seeing ‘the peak foliage’ during their trip. They are currently anguishing over our maps, historical data and foliage app, hoping that they chose to travel at the right time.  This post is meant to reassure the third group, and explain why you shouldn’t worry about missing peak New England foliage on your vacation this fall. New England’s fall foliage is often described as ‘fleeting’ in the travel literature, and it’s true that the best color in any given location may only last for a week or so. But because of the region’s diverse geography and terrain, it ends up being quite a long season overall, with a fairly predictable timetable.

  Generally, foliage color emerges in late September in the northern and western parts of New England, as well as at the highest elevations, and from there, it slides downhill, southward,  and towards the coast by early November. The last areas to peak are usually the coast Connecticut, Rhode Island and the city of Boston proper. This provides six to seven weeks of possible peak color, over an area that can be reasonably driven in a half a day. Often though, you likely wouldn’t have to travel very far at all to see strikingly different conditions. It might just take a drive to a neighboring valley, through a notch, or around a mountain to find the color that you hoped you would see.  Given this, while you may not hit every location on your list in its very brightest autumn coat, it would be nearly impossible not to see great color if you are willing to put a couple miles on the car.  To further exemplify this point, we reached out to a few of our favorite New England fall foliage photographers this week to find out when and where they have found some of their favorite foliage scenes. The images they submitted span the entire fall season, and show scenes from the hills and mountains to the lakes and valleys, and along the coasts and in cities. These speak to the overwhelming, long lived beauty that a New England autumn truly offers.  Presented in Chronological Order…Enjoy!

Date Taken: 09/29/2014 Photographer: Chris Whiton (White Mountain Images)Location: Zealand Valley, New HampshireAbout the Image: East Hale, the often forgotten shoulder of view-less Mount Hale, offers a superb open view into the Zealand Valley from it’s wide open summit area. The valley tends to burst into color very early in the season – when I returned to this spot a week later, some of the sections of color had gone to bare branches. East Hale requires a bit of off-trail navigation, but as far as bushwhacks go, this one is not overly difficult. On this particular day it was a bit misty and started to drizzle, which brought out the color of the leaves but made the sky a bit plain. Favorite thing about photographing autumn in New England:  Never ending possibilities for compositions and beauty around every corner.

Date Taken: 10/3/2009 Photographer: Kurt Budliger (Green Mountain Workshops)Location: Groton State Forest, Vermont About The Image: This image was made on a perfect autumn day in early October. Good color, soft overcast light and a slight drizzle combined to create ideal conditions for photographing streams and waterfalls on this particular day. I used a thirteen second exposure to blur some foam and bubbles in this back eddy of the stream which created a wonderful series of swirls anchoring the foreground. Favorite thing about photographing autumn in New England: The diversity of species in the northeastern forest makes for an extremely varied palette of color. In addition, the variety of ecosystems from high alpine summits to low elevation wetlands and even seacoast allows a photographer to literally chase the color from mid-late September right through October and into early November.  

Date Taken: 10/11/2014 Photographer:  Adam Woodworth Location: Sandy Stream Pond, Baxter State Park, Maine About The Image: This shot is from my trip to Baxter State Park in mid-October last year. Even though it was past peak for the most part up that far north, there were still pockets of peak color in the lower elevations. I was happy to see the layer of gold color along the shore of the pond when I was there. Favorite thing about photographing autumn in New England: When the foliage is out, it’s amazing how many places become alive and photographically interesting that would otherwise looked ordinary. You get to explore so many areas of New England that are suddenly alive with life and color.

Date Taken: 10/25/2012 Photographer: John Burk Location: Quabbin Reservoir, New Salem, MassachusettsAbout the Image: Early morning light on fall foliage in late October at Quabbin Reservoir, as seen from an overlook atop the Swift River Valley near the center of New Salem. The reservoir is southern New England’s largest conservation area and is home to a wide variety of wildlife including moose, loons, and bald eagles.Favorite thing about photographing autumn in New England: Autumn offers a colorful and ever-changing backdrop for the region’s diverse subjects, including forests, mountains, waterfalls, lakes, rivers, village greens, covered bridges, country lanes, and wildlife.Date Taken:  11/4/2014 Photographer: Jonathan Steele Location: Centerbrook, Connecticut About the Image: I had been looking for that unique fall foliage shot. In my travels I found this scene during the day and decided to come back at night and shoot it under the light of the full moon. This shot is a ninety second exposure taken at 10pm with the only light source being the full moon. Favorite thing about photographing autumn in New England: From the mountains of the north to the coastal plains of the south, from the quaint Rockwellian villages to the steam trains of years past, New England offers a diverse selection of scenes from which to photograph the spectacular fall foliage.

Date Taken:  11/10/2011 Photographer: Susan Cole Kelly About the Image: I love wandering around Boston Common and the Public Garden in November. Color may have faded in northern New England, but the foliage peaks later here and the color lasts longer. Not only is the city warmer and moderated by warm ocean temperatures, but the variety of tree species is chosen to provide color until late fall. Favorite thing about photographing autumn in New England: My favorite things about photographing autumn in New England are six weeks of gorgeous color progressing from north to south, cool temperatures with low humidity, varied weather, sounds and scents of harvest, and the poignant feeling that this is Earth’s last blast before the long, drab winter. We will be sharing even more photos showing the timetable of New England’s changing colors on Yankee Magazine’s Foliage Facebook Page all next week. So stop worrying about missing New England foliage and follow along as we explore the region’s most colorful display in this weekly foliage report.