2017 Foliage Report | Fall Color Peaking North, Emerging South
Where can you find peak foliage right now? Learn more in our latest New England fall foliage report.
By Jim Salge|Oct 12 2017|
Hikers enjoying the great weather and peak colors along Zealand Road this weekend.
Credit: Jim Salge
A roadside scene in Enfield, NH shows strong peak colors.
Credit: Jim SalgeCredit: Jim Salge That said, every foliage season is different, and this one has already had a little of everything. A great setup with bright early color. A midseason browning stretch with early leaf fall. A late arrival of the real wave of color. A bright resurgence in northern New England. And, right as everyone was packing up and heading home from the holiday weekend, the remnants of a tropical storm, just for good measure.
Layers of colors at the end of a waterfall pool show this weeks strong colors.
Credit: Jim SalgeCredit: Jim Salge One picture I captured last week really captures the challenges of this season. At the edge of a waterfall pool near Hanover, New Hampshire, the collected leaves showed a timeline of the season so far. We were so glad — and so lucky to see the colors pressed against the initial brown leaves. With Columbus Day now past, themes in the New England culture flip from the harvest and fairs to the gourds and ghouls of Halloween. But leaf-peeping is really just ramping up, as the wave of color moves out of the far north, down in elevation and toward the coast. [text_ad]
2017 FOLIAGE UPDATE: WHERE TO FIND PEAK COLOR NOW
More midweek frosts should accelerate the changing of any northern areas that were still green last week, and these will be the best places to view peak foliage this week. In Vermont, the spine of the Green Mountains is still holding great color, while the Northeast Kingdom is moving past peak. In New Hampshire, the eastern White Mountains as well as the Monadnock region are set to have great color, while the Great North Woods move past. And in Maine, Baxter State Park and perhaps Acadia are brightening, while the western mountains begin to fade.
Holt’s Ledge in Lyme, NH looked pretty peak this past weekend.
Credit: Jim SalgeCredit: Jim Salge New areas of color to visit this coming weekend include the Berkshires in western Massachusetts and perhaps even the hills of northwest Connecticut, though likely they will need a few more days to a week. As peak hits farther south, it’s moving into areas that had more inconsistent foliage conditions leading up to autumn. Caterpillar damage, tar spot, and lingering drought effects from last year may mean leaf-peepers will have to do a bit of exploration to find the best colors.
NewEngland.com’s foliage map shows lots of moderate to peak colors currently!
Credit: NewEngland.com
If I don’t use Instagram is there another way to share some great photos that I took at the Maine NH border near Rangely Lakes. The color one week ago was spectacular and so was the color on the Kancamagus Highway.