Finding Peak Fall Foliage Columbus Day Weekend

Finally, we have reached the big foliage weekend! In the northern New England states, Columbus Day weekend is typically the third biggest tourism weekend of the year, and the region celebrates in style with many fantastic festivals, fairs and events! Local residents have planned hikes and drives and traditional fun for the long weekend as well, and are generally eager to share all that they love about the region. And, of course, many folk want to know where to find peak fall foliage on Columbus Day Weekend.  New England typically features fine autumn weather, and this weekend looks phenomenal, continuing the stretch of recent amazing autumn days. The feared hurricane blew out to sea, sparing the foliage, and we’ve been in a cycle of warm days, cool nights and sunny skies that brings out the best foliage. There is certainly plenty of New England foliage for leaf peepers this weekend! It is important to note, however, that this great stretch of weather comes on the heels of a period during which we’ve had a complete roller-coaster of conditions, capped off most recently with the warmest September on record in three of the six New England states. This has acted to generally delay the onset of the foliage, meaning that we have rather atypical foliage conditions for the Columbus Day weekend. Plenty of color to be found, but not where and when you’d normally expect.  

In preparing for the foliage report this week, I looked at our crowd-sourced foliage map archive, going back ten years. It seems as though only one other year in that time frame was about this late (2006) and that, compared to most recent years, we are about one to two weeks behind.  That means that while we usually have a good deal of peak foliage for Columbus Day visitors, that prime display is mostly limited to the far north and mountain valleys this year. This year, largely moderate color, rusts and oranges mottled with fading greens and yellows are the norm, but they are punctuated by intense reds in isolated areas.

What does this mean for your fall foliage excursions this weekend? It means it’s a great year to explore the landscape, to drive that extra bit into an area that typically turns earlier, and to truly appreciate the bright areas when you find them. This year especially, we have noticed that there has been a large amount of variation in tone and intensity across rather small geographic areas, and aspect, terrain, soil and sunlight seem all seem to be having a greater effect than normal.This past weekend for example, I traveled over Bear Notch Road to the eastern Kancamagus Highway, a very popular route for leaf peepers. The northern portion of Bear Notch Road was still almost entirely green, which was odd. But stranger still, by heading south, and lower in elevation, I found great, intense color along the Swift River and at Lower Falls. This area usually turns about a week later than its northern counterpart.  Proximity to water and cooler valleys seem to be the common denominators when looking for the bright (late) early foliage this year. These areas are inexplicably, and atypically, turning earlier than the surrounding hillsides this year. There are emerging, bright areas of fall color along lakes, rivers and ponds across most of northern New England, as well as the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and even in isolated areas all the way to the coast.  

Beyond the wetlands, strong moderate color, typically a pleasing mix of turned and unturned foliage, can be seen across the spine of the Green Mountains and down into the northern Berkshires, the hills of Western New Hampshire, much of the White Mountains, and the hills of Western and Northern Maine. This level of color is widespread and easy to find, but again, varies widely in tone and intensity. Generally, though, most of Northern and Western New England is ready for exploring this weekend! 

Peak fall foliage during Columbus Day Weekend in New England will be found in areas that typically turn in late September. In Vermont, this means the Northeast Kingdom, as well as the highest peaks up north. Even in early turning areas like Stowe, there is some fine foliage, but still a considerable amount of green foliage yet to turn. For the best color, popular routes this weekend should include Route 5, northern Route 100, as well as the roads through Smugglers’ Notch and Groton State Forest.

Northern New Hampshire’s peak color will largely be found north of the Notches. Route 2 and northern Route 3 should have plenty of great color and good views, and the best color might be found along Route 16 from the height of Pinkham Notch through the Thirteen Mile Woods, where it parallels the Androscoggan River.  In northern Maine, the popular Height of Land Overlook just south of Rangeley, was beginning to pop this past weekend, and should look good Columbus Day weekend. Other popular areas for the best color should include the Moosehead Region, Baxter State Park, and Grafton Notch.  The Crown of Maine is also coming along as well, and should reach peak early next week.   Elsewhere in New England, only isolated patches of color have developed, and green still dominates most of the coastal plain. There are turning trees, some in beautiful color, but the show remains rather isolated thus far. Stressed trees in these regions also stand out a bit without other color widely filling in, so conditions are extremely variable. Once the color does come in though, it should have an extended season across New England, barring any storms or heavy frosts.

To summarize… generally, the color in New England is late this year, but there is plenty to see and do across the region on this long weekend.  Fall in New England celebrates so much more than the colors on the trees, and this year, emerging color can set the backdrop to a beautiful weekend of autumn activities and great weather. For those out on a foliage drive, conditions are variable across small geographic regions, and it’s a great weekend to explore new areas beyond where you would normally find peak color. To help you with your journey, we at YankeeFoliage.com have a number of helpful tools. Our Foliage Facebook PageFoliage AppRealTime Foliage MapsAlso, you can use the hashtags #NEFoliage or #Foliagereports on Twitter and Instagram. Keep the reports coming in, and we’ll see you out there! Enjoy the weekend, and this beautiful season in New England!